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Larry to see the truth about the present I I Silas is the local police constable who has to come to terms with his past. • He takes risks, when he defends Cindy against her father. · Up until now, he has lied to himself about the significance of certain events in his past. He is forced to admit his guilt and responsibility for what has happened to Larry. has to work for Larry's forgiveness. feels like the wrong person when he finds out about Carl Ott. he comes to realize how badly he treated his mother • . crooked Letter, crooked Letter Silas Jones I has give up his dream of being a baseball player · takes a great risk in challenging Cecil • has lied to himself about past events · Angie forces him to face the truth he knows he has to take responsibility for the past he needs Larry's forgiveness before he can more on Silas has longed for a father • has to to having no experience of fathers, even someone like Carl seems better than nothing for Silas he realizes he was lucky not to have to grow up like Larry did does not appreciate his mother's sacrifices learn learn empathy Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter ott He is an abusive father, raising his son by demanding respect instead of showing love. He dislikes his son and is scornful both of his appearance and his interests. Carl He does not want to teach Larry his trade. · He enjoys other people's humiliation. · takes little responsibility for his past actions. • has never liked his son Tilapia is a kid of fish; Carl believes real men eat meat · Reading is not a proper hobby for a men Physical strength is important to Carl Carl's treatment of the two boys is sadistic he is an uncaring husband does not do much to help Alice ends up as an alcoholic crooked Letter, crooked Letter Ina ott . Larry's mother is devoted for her son. · housewife who is very religious ·loves and protects Larry, wants him to be happy • treatment of Alice is cold and unforgiveness · develops dementia after Larry is accused of killing Cindy ·leads a simple life taking care of her family still remembers the chicken when she has forgotten everything else her solution to Larry's problems is prayer · date with Cindy is a big deal for her never had any kind of friend before does not understand what life is like for Larry suspicious of Carl and Alice ·blames Alice for the affair Carl humiliates his wife by giving Alice a place to live I Crooked Letter, crooked Lettel Alice Jones Alice loves her son deeply and sacrifies a lot for him. takes Silas to Mississippi to start a new life · very attracted to men works hard for a better life, but Silas does not appreciate her work afraid of Silas's • her option's are limited relationship with Cindy → has similar experience to herself black woman • does what she has to do to survive • her life has never been easy but she is prepared to work hard I • leads a very isolated life • has to sacrifice her dignity to stay warm does not want to stop seeing Cindy; despite Alice's warning Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter Cindy Walker Cindy's Date with Larry changes both his and Silas's life forever. pretty and popular • tries to stand up to her step father (he abuses her) • dreams of escaping their small town with Silas (wants to run away with him ) she is able to use Larry because he is too weak to stand up to her Crooked Letter, crooked Letter сеси walker Cindy's abusive step- father is presumably also her killer • grew up in poverty • enjoys upsetting people ● • unemployed and spends his days drinking beer • tries to take complete control of Cindy's life Crooked Letter, crooked Lettel wallace Stringfellow • wants to be like Larry I is fascinated by him • Larry accept Wallace because he is lonely • uses the excuse that women enjoy being mistreated • he has lived out and killed a girl → seems unsure how he feels about it •crime was a form of heroworship crooked Letter, Crooked Letter Crooked Letter - The plot Chapter one: · Dramatic opening grabs the reader's attention · Larry lives in isolation His business is unsucessful He knows he wouldn't have any customers · usually drives carefully because he is under observation understands why the police suspect him · Larry has managed to hide the mask from the police the man in his house shoots Larry in the chest · Larry feels symphaty for his attacker Larry is willing to die Chapter two: the birds are a sign that there's a dead body nearby the body are on land belonging to the Rutherford Family · Silas might have found the missing girl • the town can not afford a new police vehicle "Plaid" is a pattern of different colored checks, often found on shirts M&M is too careful to get caught selling weed French does not mind the gruesome crime scene Silas regrets losing touch with M&M · Large chainstores in the nearby town have a negative effect on small local business Silas does not want anyone to think he and Larry were friends · Silas has resisted Larry's attempts to get back in touch with him the people in the town do not want to have anything to do with Larry · Many people believe that Larry killed a girl when he was at school Silas is sure something is wrong · All of the women have dangerous ex-husbands and boyfriends · Irina is attracted to Silas Silas had other dreams when he was younger Angie has discovered something bad at Larry's house Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter The ambiguity of belonging The novel deals with the ambiguilty of social identity and personal identity. about Larry Ott Larry is not accepted by other white people ne tries to fit in but is not able to connect • status as an outsider · his interests make him stand out when he wants to fit in ·lack of interest in sport excludes him white kids in the minority · Larry is considered strange, nobody wants to risk exclusion from their peer group by getting too friendly with him the zomble mask gives Larry a taste of what it is like to be popular • nobody do not want anything to do with him social isolation continues into adulthood cannot imagine ever being completely accepted about Silas Jones • his identity seems clear • finds it easy to integrate at his new school grew up not knowing his father → has come to accept that the discovery that Carl Ott is his father makes him question his identity he is not the person he thought he was the fact that he and Larry are half-brothers one reason why he tries to make amends for his Silas was the cool kid · his sense of belonging fits in with the other black kids forces him to reasses their relationship behavior but proves to have a close connection with the misfit ambiguity to Mississippi → mixed feelings at first, but his roots are there Chapter Three - Silas and Alice are very poor it is clear that Larry's parents and Alice have met before Larry is a misfit at school: teased by the white kids and bullied by the black kids - Larry's attempts to be accepted by the white kids fail miserably - Larry and Silas become friendly when they are alone; Larry teaches Silas how to shoot contrast between Larry and the black kids at school blacks and whites do not mixed - Larry is not the strong, attractive son his father would have wished for · Larry enjoys working at the car repair shop - Larry feels a connection to Silas - often watches Cindy from a hiding place in the woods - no one accept Larry - Larry sees a chance to change his status at school - Larry cannot defend himself Chapter Four - Larry has been found, badly hurt but still alive - - Silas remembers the day he spent with Larry in his barn - it is hard to say whether Larry was attacked or tried to kill himself - Silas wants to hide the relationship between Larry and Silas - Cindy used to live near Larry's place - only time Silas has been inside of Larry's house - no signs - memories of being kids - strange sounds and smells come from the chickens - mystery of where the gun came from - Larry has no modern appliances - Larry might have been attacked because of the missing girl - Larry has tried to contact Silas Chapter Five the two boys have to keep their friendship secret - Larry takes Silas to spy on Cindy Walker - Silas defends Cindy against Cecil Carl finds out that Larry has lent his rifle to Silas and orders him to get it back - forces Silas and Larry to fight for the gun - Larry says something unforgivable to Silas - Silas had to promise his mother not to be friends with Larry - Silas's interests are changing Cecil can be dangerous - Silas does not see the funny side of the story - Cecil starts to get physical with Cindy ( gets her half-naked) - black boy dares to confront the white men - strong contrast between the reactions of the two boys Carl has discovered that his rifle is missing Carl shows dislike for his wife and son - Larry's mother protect him - Larry tries to give Silas a present, but Silas does not want to return the rifle - Carl shows what he really thinks of his son - Silas wins the fight Chapter Six - Silas looks for more clues at Larry's shop and in his house - finds a photograph of his mother in Larry's house - flashback from Silas and his mother's trip south from Chicago - Silas secretly keeps the photo Chapter Seven - Larry is going to take Cindy on a date - Ina is very exited and Carl is supportive - Cindy asked Larry to take her out - Cecil is violent towards Larry and contemptuous of Cindy - Cindy reveals the real reason why she aked Larry out - Larry's family is destroyed by the accusations Chapter Eight - Silas tells Angie a lot about his personal life and almost reveals a secret He goes to see Larry in hospital but Larry is still unconscious - He visits Larry's mother and tries to tell her what was happened but of her Alzheimer she cannot understand him - Silas realizes the truth about who his father was He come across Wallace Stringfellow, illegally driving a four-wheeler Chapter Nine - Larry makes a new friend with Wallace Stringfellow - Larry discovers that a young boy has been breaking into his barn and scares his away by wearing the zombie mask ten years later Wallace starts to visit him it turns out that Wallace has been fascinated by Larry for many years - Larry considers Wallace the first friend he has had since Silas - Wallace has an unhealthy obsession with Cindy's disappearance - Larry misses Wallace when he stops visiting Chapter Ten - Silas finally admits the truth about this relationship with Cindy - Silas has found Tina Rutherford's body - Larry is, still in the hospital, suspected of her murder - Silas volunteers to guard his hospital room at night - Convinved that Larry is innocent, he wants to stop him from confessing - Silas opens up to Angie about his relationship with Cindy - he has been carrying the guilt about Cindy's disappearance around with him for 25 years - Larry comes out of his coma Chapter Eleven - Larry has woken up in hospital and has to face accusations from the police - Larry does not know what is a dream and what is reality he discovers that Silas saved his life - he reacts violently to the news of how Tina Rutherford died, which makes him seem guilty - the police try to make him confess to the crime Chapter Twelve Silas admits his part in Cindy's disappearance - Silas rushes to Larry's bedside - French questions Silas, but does not want to take the Walker case any further - Silas tries to apologize to Larry, but he does not accept it - Drinking alone in the bar, he meets Irina again and finds put that Wallace probably sent the snake to her mailbox Chapter Thirteen Larry realizes who killed Tina Rutherford and decides to tell French - in hospital, Larry has time to think about his past - he remembers that Wallace had to come to his house one evening after having done something bad he puts two and two together and realizes Wallace must have killed Tina and shot him - Larry is no longer prepared to protect his friends“: he does not want to be a victim anymore Chapter Fourteen Silas goes to Wallace's house to confront him - At Larry's house, Silas realizes the driver of the four-wheeler has been back, and wonders if it is the man he stopped on the road - He comes across a run-down house on the catfish farm and realizes he had found Wallace's home - He talks his way into his house, making Wallace nervous - Wallace sets his dog on Silas, which Silas then has to shoot - Silas has also been shot and is left bleeding on the floor in Wallace's house Chapter Fiveteen Larry tells French about his relationship with Wallace; French now also believes in Larry's innocence French is unable to visit Larry because he is investigating Silas's shooting - When he finally arrives, Larry gives him evidence of Wallace's guilt - Larry had originally wanted to tell Silas about gis suspicious, but decided not to talk to him after finding out the truth about Cindy Walker - Larry wonders if he is in some way to blame for the Rutherford girl's death because he had not read the signals from Wallace correctly Chapter Sixteen Larry and Silas share a hospital room, giving Silas the opportunity to reveal that they are half-brothers - Silas wakes up in the hospital room to find Larry watching the TV news - The story of the attack and Wallace's death is on the news - Silas tells Larry that they are half-brothers, in a way, Larry has already known - Silas had longed for a father whereas Larry had been miserable growing up with one - Larry does not want to remain in the same room as Silas Chapter Seventeen Larry is still refusing to talk to Silas - Being popular, Silas has a lot of visitors - Angie has forgiven Silas for the way he has treated her; she also shows sympathy and understanding towards Larry - French tells the two men that Larry's name has been cleared - There are a lot of television news teams that want to talk to Silas and Larry - Silas leaves hospital; Larry decides not to change rooms Chapter Eighteen Silas starts trying to make amends for the way he has treated Larry - The only interview Silas will give is to the local police reporter, who he has been avoiding - The major wants Silas to take on more real police work - Silas and Angie clean Larry's house and Silas returns the rifle Chapter Nineteen Silas and Larry make the first steps towards rekindling their friendship - Larry enjoys Silas's visits but does not feel the need to speak to him - One night he gets up and walks out of the hospital The hospital volunteer notices and calls Silas, who goes to look for him - Silas finds Larry walking along the road and drives him home - Larry tells Silas to bring his Jeep over the next day so that he can repair it Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter Friendship Larry: 1: unusual to make friends with a black boy I he is not accepted) • feels betrayed because he has felt a real connection to another boy for the first time • Silas: summer with Larry left a lasting impression Larry betrays Silas by showing the same racist attitude as other white people • Wallace lacks Larry's kindness and empathy for others • It takes Larry a long time to realize that Wallace is not really his friend Larry and Silas unlikely friendship ( black / white boy ; popular misfit ) disapproval of their friendship · feel a connection · Larry teaches Silas about the nature ( shooting and fishing) friendship ends when Silas think Larry is a racist • they are half - brothers : Still a connection • able to rekindle their friendship Larry and Wallace two outsiders are drawn together · Larry's first and only friend • Wallace looks up to Larry → kind of role model • unhealthy obsession with crime Larry is wrong to trust Wallace → nearly costs him his life Silas and Cindy · he noticed her watching him at basketball practice • have to keep their relationship secret they are in love Cindy sees Silas as her ticket out of Chabot · Silas does not see a future