 |
| Source: http://bringatrailer.com |
The ghost of the farmer says it's a curse to be good at something you don't care about. Why is this thought of his so important to the larger story?
What does Henry’s story about his Ford Fairlane tell you
about him as a character? How does it correspond to his treatment of Edgar?
The car with all the stuff crammed in around it again looked
“right” to Henry. What was right about it? How might that be symbolic of
something else in the story?
Henry has planted sunflowers and hidden his Ford Fairlane in
the shed in order to attract Belva’s attention. How do you think her
announcement of moving and being engaged will affect him once it sets in?
What is the importance of the chapter's title?
5 comments:
The first person I can think of that is really good at something he doesn’t care about is Claude. He had no urge to run the dog kennel after his father died so he sold his share and left. (I’m still not completely sure of why Claude came back and killed Gar but I’m guessing it was for Trudy.)
Henry says that he can’t get rid of his Ford Fairlane because it is unique and “one of a kind” (419). It isn’t ordinary. Maybe he hasn’t turned Edgar in because he is different too.
The shed looked right to Henry and Edgar after they put everything back in it because they felt that, because it was there before they were, the junk belonged in there. It is symbolic of the feud between Gar and Claude. Nobody knows when it started or how, only that it wouldn’t go away.
The chapter’s title, “Engine No. 6615”, was the name of the engine the farmer saw when he went to the rail yards in Duluth. It represents his desire to break free and pursue his dreams. But he could not because his responsibilities held him back. Edgar could run away from the kennel forever but eventually (I think) he will have to go back.
Henry probably has the old car because he thinks it's unique and will change Belva's opinion about him being ordinary. This is also probably why he let Edgar and his dogs stay in his house, he wanted to do something that wasn't what he would've normally done; something that wasn't ordinary. The first night he meets Edgar he tells him "Call it what you will, but this is definitely not ordinary."
I think the news that Belva is moving and is now engaged will upset Henry. After all he's tried, Belva's found someone else and didn't become impressed with the non-ordinary things Henry has tried. However, maybe having had Edgar as a friend will help him get over it. In the end, Henry will stop doing uncommon things to impress Belva; but maybe he will start taking more risks after his time with Edgar.
Henry tried so hard to be the one thing Belva said Henry didn't have, not ordinary. Everything Henry could do to be not ordinary he did once Belva left him. I believe that as soon as it sets in with Henry that Belva is moving and engaged Henry will go even more crazy with the out of the ordinary things. The two dogs Henry now has will keep him from going psychotic. I believe unless Belva comes back to him, Henry will spend the rest of his life with just dogs
This really hit home. I knew exactly what the farmer meant when he said that it's a curse to be good at something you don't care about. If you're good at something you want it to be enjoyable, you want to love it, you want it to make you happy. If you don't enjoy it, you won't do it, and then it's just a huge waste of a talent. A talent that is wasted, isn't really a talent at all. The fact that Belva told Henry that everything about him is ordinary really hurt him. By growing sunflowers and hiding his car he is trying to change and get her attention. When he finds out he has tried to change for no reason, I think this will hurt him the most. Especially since he still loved her after she had moved onto loving someone else so quickly.
When the farmer says that its a curse to be good at something you don't care about the first thing I thought of was Claude. He had showed how amazing he was with the dogs, yet he showed no connection to the animals like everyone else did. Claude is a natural with the dogs and has been ever since he was a kid, but when his father dies he has no desire to continue with the barn. I think that this might have been part of the falling out that he had with Gar. Gar was a natural with dogs and he needed his brother as a partner to continue the work, and when his brother left he had to bring a new person in to help him. Claude is a Sawtle and he was expected to carry on the legend that is the Sawtle dogs but because he doesn't enjoy it, it is a waste of talent.
Post a Comment