A Painted House essays

A Painted House essays John Grishams novel, A Painted House, is a fantastic story that illustrates life of the farmers in the early 1950s. A Painted House skillfully captures a lost way of life in the rural south, where extended families lived close to the earth and closer to the rules of a stern God. It cleverly seizes the audiences attention and points out the hardships farmers faced in the fifties. Although it is not solely about farming, it is set around a farmers family trying to scrape together enough money from their cotton field to pay off their debts and come even. Trouble soon begins brewing between the Mexicans and the hillbillies. As the weeks pass, Luke's overwhelming curiosity makes him a witness to scenes he'd have been safer not seeing. The youngster soon finds himself keeping dangerous secrets that leave him caught between family loyaltyand the truth. This novel takes place in early September of 1952 in Black Oak, a small town in southern Arkansas. A rambunctious seven-year-old boy, named Luke Chandler, narrates the story. Despite Lukes age, he involves himself in many things that no seven-year-old should see, let alone hear. Luke Chandler lives in the cotton fields with his parents and grandparents in a little house that's never been painted. The Chandlers farm eighty acres of land that they rent. When the cotton is ready to be picked, they hire a truckload of Mexicans and a hillbilly family from the Ozarks to help harvest. Mr. and Mrs. Spruill along with, their eldest son Hank, a big, strong mean looking creature of about twenty, their daughter Tally, a seventeen-year-old extremely pretty looking girl, according to Luke, and their youngest son Trot, a twelve-year-old crippled boy, whose one arms hangs lifeless from his fragile body are the hired hands. Mr. Spruills nephews, Bo and Dale, have also come to help. Ten Mexicans also have come to help the Chandlers pick cotton. Miguel, the leade...