•12:37 PM
Have you ever slowed your reading pace as you came to the end of a book? Because you didn't want it to end? It happened the other night; as I read, I realized there were not enough pages left for there to be the happy ending that I crave, and so I slowed my reading pace. I was not ready to say goodbye to my friend in A Thousand Acres, by Jane Smiley. I wanted to make sure she would all be all right, but I'm not so sure she is. I actually fought back tears, feeling Ginny's loss. Her many losses. Okay, I didn't have a break down like when I read Marley and Me
, or My Sister's Keeper; when tears streamed down my face, dripping onto the pages as I read; and I couldn't talk because of the golf-ball sized lump in my throat. Caiden had a small panic attack because he thought something was wrong with me. It wasn't that bad. But I was overwhelmed with emotion, feeling remorseful and heavy-hearted.If you have not read this book, and you plan to, please stop reading now and come back to this post when you are finished. Please. I do not want to ruin the story for anyone, but there are things to discuss. So, you've been warned ... proceed with caution. I thought this was a story about taking over a farm, and the funny mishaps that the kids encounter along the way to mastering the farm life. That is NOT what this novel is about. At all.
A Thousand Acres is the story of one farming family in Iowa. And, from the outside, Larry Cook's family appeared to be like any other farming family. In fact, they may be considered luckier than some because they have one of the largest farms in the county and it's mortgage-free. Apparently, in the farming community (in the 1970s, anyway) a man's worth was determined by the number of acres he farmed minus the amount of the mortgage he owed. And, everyone knew what everyone else owed to the bank. There are no secrets in the farming community. Well, maybe a few, but we'll talk more about that later.
These men live and breathe farming. Smiley refers to "the farmer's catechism" ...
"What is a farmer?
A farmer is a man who feeds the world.
What is a farmer's first duty?
To grow more food.
What is a farmer's second duty?
To buy more land.
What are the signs of a good farm?
Clean fields, neatly painted barns, breakfast at six, no debts, no standing water.
How will you know a good farmer when you meet him?
He will not ask you for any favours."
And so there it is ... the rules to follow if you want to be a good farmer. The only thing not listed is that it is very important that all your neighbours know that you are a good farmer. Otherwise, it's all for nothing.
The story begins with a community gathering to welcome home Jess Clark, after a thirteen year absence. He had been drafted in the 1960s, but instead fled to Canada because he did not believe in the Vietnam War. No one, including his parents, had heard from him until a few days before his return. Jess' return is not the only surprise that night because Larry Clark announces (to his family) that he is going to transfer ownership of his one thousand acres to this three daughters - Ginny, Rose and Caroline.
The motivation for Larry's actions is never clear. He is an unhappy man, unsociable to the point of almost being reclusive, and the only thing that brought him any joy was his farm. And yet, seemingly out of the blue, he signs over his life's pride to his daughters. When Caroline questions his actions, Larry denies her and divides the land between Ginny and Rose. There could be many reasons for the transfer ... perhaps he really thought he wanted to retire ... perhaps it was a financial move to avoid inheritance taxes, as he explained ... perhaps he knew he was in failing health ... perhaps he was looking for repentance. We'll never know the reason for the initiation of the transfer, but once it is done, no one's life is the same.
Larry finds himself without purpose any longer and feels removed from the daily operations of the farm by the girls and their husbands, Ty and Pete. The boys have lots of ideas to expand the farm and update some of their equipment; unfortunately, because they don't need his approval any longer, Larry feels excluded. Ty, born of a different generation, was not frightened at the prospect of taking on some debt in order to further the (farm) business. He was certain that once Larry saw the new buildings in place and the expanded livestock filling the property with life and movement, he would feel content with the knowledge that his farm would flourish long beyond his years. But instead of engaging him, the new plans to expand the operation had the opposite effect and Larry spiralled out of control.
The role of women is an interesting one in A Thousand Acres. Ginny is the narrator and she evolves right before our very eyes. Women on a farm cater to the men on the farm. It's just a fact. They cook for them, and keep a clean house. That is their job. That's it. In some respects, as a group, the women on the farm remind of the Kirshner women in Kaaterskill Falls
- all the same (from outside appearances) but quietly individual.Ginny's mother died when she was fourteen years old, and Ginny took on the role of parent to the two younger girls, especially Caroline who was only six years old. Ginny has always been timid and reserved, keeping her opinions to herself. Obedient, I think would be the word to describe her. Before Jess Clark returned, her biggest act of defiance comes when she just pretends to put in her diaphram. Jess Clark intrigues Ginny with his stories of his life in Vancouver and his modern way of approaching farming. She is drawn in by Jess and thus, he is a catalyst for the change in her.
But Ginny has a secret that even she does not know about until her sister, Rose, tells her. Larry Cook sexually abused Ginny and Rose; and while Ginny has pushed the memories away, Rose lives with it every day. She deals with the abuse by spending her entire life bitter and angry. Rose is suspicious of everyone and always takes action on the defensive. She does not enjoy anything, and she actually takes pleasure in bringing Ginny down with her. Leading her astray.
Ginny has no recollection of the abuse ... she denies it even happened when Rose confronts her with the truth because she cannot remember it. The brain is a very powerful protector. It works in many ways to shield us from traumatizing events ... like a car accident or abuse or a super hard test you had to take. I do not remember anything about my brother's funeral. I know I was there ... that's about it. Sometimes, the brain will create an alternate personality to deal with the emotions associated with sexual abuse, commonly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. MPD is not something one is born with, it is a defense mechanism invented by the brain; and it is not just used in cases of childhood sexual abuse, but can be used as a coping mechanism for any traumatic event. Sometimes the brain will just block it out, as in the case of Ginny; and it is not unusual for the brain to protect itself in this manner. Returning to her childhood bedroom triggers memory recall, and Ginny does come to remember the abuse. Then, it is she who is spiralling out of control. She is no longer protected, washing away adrift and in search of stability and refuge. What she does find is her voice and the way in which she protects herself is to leave the whole situation. She literally walks away. And in the end, the farm itself is alone and desolate.
In some stories, things evolve slowly; gathering momentum until a decision is made/a secret is revealled/a death/an accident/ - some sort of climax in the story. In A Thousand Acres, the main stimulus happens in the first pages (the transfer of the land), but there are several catalysts that determine the direction of the story. Dictionary.com defines a catalyst as something that causes activity between two or more persons without itself being affected. There are pivotal moments in the story that require the characters to react and their reactions determine the path the story will travel. It's like real life, where you are confronted with choices, different ways in which one could respond; and the way you respond will determine where you will be headed - the Sunday Church Potluck, in which Harold makes his condemning speech to the congregation; Ginny's adulterous affair with Jess; Rose's drunken confessions to Ginny; the return of Rose's cancer.
You know, I just wanted so much more from Ty. He and Ginny had been married for seventeen years, and at the beginning of the story she said that stilll had a smile every time she saw him. It seemed as though he really loved her, and I just wanted him to put his arm around Ginny and tell her that everything would be okay. But he doesn't. He just watches her spin, losing control. But he cannot help her. I don't think he knows how. The only thing he knows how to do is farm. And essentially, he gives up on her.
Soil is suppose to be the giver of life. Life originates beneath the soil, and then it nourishes the plants as they grow. Bringing them to maturity and sustaining them for the duration of their life. There is a subtle irony in the fact that the soil, on these farms in Iowa, was actually killing the families that depended on it. Jess Clark speculates that there are dangerous chemicals in the run-off water, which are consumed by the farmers and their families. I'm sure it accounted for Ginny's repeated miscarriages, Rose's and her mother's cancer, the illness that killed Jess' mother, Harold's strange behaviour, and Larry Cook's dementia, which I suspect was Alzheimer's Disease.
"The body repeats the landscape. They are the source of each other and create each other. We were marked by the seasonal body of earth, by the terrible migrations of people, by the swift turn of a century, verging on change never before experienced on this greening planet." -- Meridel Le Sueur ("The Ancient People and the Newly Come")
The quote above is found at the beginning of the book, and I didn't understand it when I first read it. Remember? I thought A Thousand Acres was an account of daily farm life. I understand the quote now. And it is absolutely perfect.
This is not an uplifting, feel-good story. It is a great read, if you don't need to feel good at the end of a novel. It is thought-provoking, and I couldn't put it down. Maybe because I am drawn to sad stories; I am not afraid to explore the full spectrum of human emotion. What does that say about me?
I realize now that there will be no bad books on the list I selected. Lucky me ... it will be one great read after another. The only problem is that I don't really get any time to absorb and appreciate one book before I move on to the next. I guess that will be one of the challenges of one hundred books in one year. On some occasions, I have finished one book and started the next one a couple of hours later. More on that another time, I'm sure.
For now, I'm off to the Bronx ... and gangstas!!
abuse,
discussion,
farming
|
1 comments:
As with the others, a good "book report" full of feeling. KEEP WRITING so that Dad and I can keep reading, Jill.