Our Boy
This last section had a lot of description of the scenery and the trip up the mountain along with Jim's thoughts and feelings during it. Mama doesn't want to go with Jim and the uncles but she worries that Jim won't come back. I still don't understand why. I doubt she thought Jim would decide to stay and live with his granddaddy over the uncles and her. The story of the panther and the haint only made Jim more uneasy about the trip than he already was. I also don't understand why the uncles and/or Mama decided Jim needed to go see Penn (and his granddaddy) if he didn't want to. I don't think the uncles should have left Jim alone to see Penn nor should Penn's mama. Jim thinks differently of Penn after seeing his large house and knowing that he has traveled to big cites. I think Jim gave Penn the glove and ball because he simply didn't know what else to do, not wanting to wake Penn, and he felt guilty over the events that happened last time they were together and that he was fine and Penn was not. The visit with Penn didn't go very well. More history of Jim's granddaddy and daddy is given but why exactly his daddy left the mountain isn't told, I don't think. Ada and Rehobeth seem to like Uncles Coran and Al. Jim's granddaddy doesn't respond to him as he is very sick. Jim and the uncles watch the sun set and the lights come on in Aliceville. Mama turns on the porch light at Uncle Zeno's. Jim realizes that Aliceville is a small place in the world, but the center of his life as is his family.
There was no discussion or discussion questions from the sixth and final section of Jim the Boy. Bonnie and Shirley, what did ya'll think of the last section and the book as a whole?
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1 comment:
I loved the feeling of security that the uncles provided for Jim. On the last page:
Uncle Zeno said, "What's the matter?"
Jim waved an arm out at the world beyond the end of the mountain.
Uncle Zeno frowned and shook his head.
"It's too big," Jim said.
"What is?"
"Everything."
"I don't understand, Doc."
"I'm just a boy," he said.
Uncle Zeono rocked back on his heels. He looked at Uncle Coran and Uncle Al, then smiled at Jim.
"We know that," he said, "But you're our boy."
I thought that the uncles were quite successful in allowing Jim to know that there was more to the world than Aliceville while at the same time letting him know how special and loved he was.
What a great gift they gave to him.
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