book report question

The book describes Luke Chandler as a seven-year-old living with his parents as well as his grandparents. The family lived in Black Oak Arkansas on the farm they had rented. The family worked on raising and picking cotton. The family needed assistance as well it hired the Latchers. It was at this time when the Mexican arrived the Chandlers assisted them in setting up a decent place in the barn for them to sleep. The same day as everyone ate supper from outside the Chandlers ate their supper from inside. While having supper, the Chandlers were being entertained by their radio and were able to listen to the weather forecast and the baseball game hence heading to bed.

Each and every day the Chandlers inclusive of the mother and the grandmother of Luke and also their temporary helpers would go out into the cotton fields dragging the long sacks following the rows until they were not able to drag them due to their heaviness. The picked cotton was the weighed and later loaded to a truck and taken to the cotton gin in town. Despite Luke being only seven years of age, he was also expected to work the entire day picking cotton like the other adults in his family. The grandparents, as well as the parents of Luke, were desperate to earn enough money that would settle their debts and at least have some more money to survive during the winter season. The Chandlers are nervous regarding the weather because if the heavy rains poured their farm would flood hence destroying their cotton. Also on the other hand, if the rain that would pour was not enough the cotton would still be destroyed. The radio was only the source of entertainment and on hot humid nights, the family would stay outside listen to the baseball games as well as the weather reports with anxiety or worry.

Only Luke’s mother in Chandler’s family was understanding the uselessness of their struggle working on the cotton farm. She always has wanted her husband to seek a factory employment in the North and stop cotton farming for good. Luke’s father is aware that is may be in a position to make about three dollars per hour while assembling Buicks in Flint, Michigan. Around this period there was little completion from the foreign car manufacturers and this made the Americans buy the bright as well as vulgar cars as soon as they were completed? Luke’s father had visited the North several times for work purposes in order to keep the family from starving but still, Jesse was reluctant to establish a commitment to leaving Arkansas for good. His reasons were he felt fit being a cotton farmer than a factory handyman. He felt the difference between being the main part of the device as well as being independent. In this situation, Jesse was the main cog in a wheel and he was responsible for his entire family. Also, he was hesitant because he had no idea of how his parents would survive conducting the farm duties when he was not around.

Focusing on the issues of struggles that the Chandlers family was going through in order to clear their debts as well as spare money for upcoming winter defines Luke’s alteration of innocence to experience. One of the issues was child labor. The book enlightens the reader of how Luke a seven-year-old worked innocently at the cotton firm. Despite Luke being only seven years of age, he was also expected to work the entire day picking cotton like the other adults in his family. For any regular child working at the same pace as adult is not fair. Every child needs to have time to interact as well as play with his or her peers but in this situation, Luke would spend all his time raising as well as picking cotton in their rented farm. Even though the situation of his family forced him to work most of his time at least his parents would give him some time to interact with his peers and stop focusing on their earnings. “The grandparents, as well as the parents of Luke, were desperate to earn enough money that would settle their debts and at least have some more money to survive during the winter season.” Luke at very young age is forced to work extra hard during the cotton picking season so as to assist his family to be able to earn enough money that they would assist them to survive the upcoming winter.

Another issue that affected Luke was facing violence. At some point in the story, Luke was beaten by the Latcher boys because they believed that Luke’s uncle Ricky had made their sister Libby pregnant. “Because you are a Chandler and your Uncle Ricky did that to our sister Libby” (Grisham). Luke was forced to keep it a secret from his parents as well as his grandparents because he also felt that the Chandlers and the Latchers were not supposed to relate at any point. Another scenario where Luke encounters violence is during a visit to town and Hank engages in a fight and kills one of the Siscos. In this scenario, Luke was the witness and when he was interviewed by the police regarding the incidence Luke established an inner conflict of whether to lie or tell the truth. “And I knew my grandfather would shake me by my neck trying to make my words come out” (Grisham).

The third issue that Chandler’s family was demonstrating was classism and discrimination. Only Luke’s mother in Chandler’s family was understanding the uselessness of their struggle in order to make ends meet this meant that even though the family together with Luke were working extra hard all they attained from the cotton farm was only enough to only feed the family without having to save for the upcoming winter. That’s why Kathleen Luke’s mother was insisting for Jesse Luke’s father to seek a factory employment in the north in order to be able to take care of both his parents and his family. The discrimination and classism are portrayed when Jesse’s brother Ricky impregnates as a latcher girl. The girl is sure that Ricky loves her and he would love to marry her but Ricky was hesitant because of the social status of the latchers Family and they were referred as the family of the lowly sharecroppers. “The thought of my parents knowing that the Chandlers, as well as the Latchers, would be related was horrifying to me” (Grisham). Other characters in the story who were Tally and Cowboy engaged in a relationship but because they were afraid of their relationship being accepted in the society they eloped to the north and got married. When Luke was told the story he judged Tally for loving a Mexican. “Tally has willingly run away with a low-class Mexican boy and it was a disgraceful thing to do” (Grisham). Luke is worried that their Social status would be destroyed if the Latcher’s daughter gave birth. “Luke is constantly ashamed of the fact that the Latchers and the Chandlers may be related. “We will be ruined” (Grisham).

When closely focusing on the Characters of “A Painted House” we are able to notice the theme of the story. The idea behind the painted house is symbolizing the segregation that the poor people face from the wealthy families. For instance, Luke, a seven-year-old boy being the central figure of the story demonstrates the theme of lost innocence. As the story commences Luke proves to be open-minded as well as naïve but as the story approaches the end his innocence changes to experience. At the end of the story, Luke proves to be more exposed to the cold reality of life. The story focuses on the social struggle of the people and the classism of the society.

Work Cited

Grisham, John. A Painted House. Random House, 2011.