SUMMER: PART ONE

The first passage I chose to write about actually takes place in Chapter One. “Entering her prison house with a listless step she took off her hat, hung it on a plaster bust of Minerva, opened the shutters, leaned out to see if there were any eggs in the swallow’s nest above one of the windows, and finally, seating herself behind the desk, drew out a roll of cotton lace and a steel crochet hook. She was not an expert work woman, and it had taken her many weeks to make the half-yard of narrow lace which she kept wound about the buckram back of a disintegrated copy of “The Lamplighter.” But there was no other way of getting any lace to trim her summer blouse, and since Ally Hawes, the poorest girl in the village, had shown herself in church with enviable transparencies about the shoulders, Charity’s hook traveled faster. She unrolled the lace, dug the hook into a loop, and bent to the task with furrowed brows.”

I chose this very simple passage because it tells you a little bit about the main character of the book, Charity. Although we don’t know why she feels her house is a “prison house”, I find it very interesting that the book has just starting and there are already negative feelings. On the other hand, looking to see if there were eggs in the bird’s nest made me thing that she might like nature. One thing I thought that was very interesting was how she felt she had to knit/lace her blouse faster because Ally Hawes wore hers to church. The fact that there is already competing feelings taking place makes me wonder where this book will go. Even though the author doesn’t really elaborate, I was thinking (as I was reading) about any possible outcomes that may take place. It the competition attitude somewhat reminded me of Nel and Sula in the book Sula. I’m very excited to see where this book goes because if it is anything like that, it will be a very good read.

Second passage: “She had liked the young man’s looks, and his short-sighted eyes, and his odd way of speaking, that was abrupt yet soft, just as his hands were sunburnt and sinewy, yet with smooth nails like a woman’s. His hair was sunburnt looking too, or rather the colour of bracken after frost; his smile shy yet confident, as if he knew lots of things she had never dreamed of, and yet wouldn’t for the world have had her feel his superiority. But she did feel it, and she liked the feeling; for it was new to her.”

I like this passage because it is such a strong description and it puts such a vivid picture in my head- just reading it made me smile. It’s every woman’s dream to find a man like this. It really doesn’t resemble anything we’ve read in this class so far. This passage is so happy and colorful! It does, however, remind me of some of the “chick flick” movies that we watched in class. I’m having a difficult time explaining in words what struck me so hard about this passage but I absolutely love it. It just gives me this warm feeling. I feel that the author did a wonderful job of wording this passage; of giving Charity this beautiful, romantic side and it just made me want to keep reading and never stop!