Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

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reglemen. ting the traffic at the mill's Shift changing times (CHAPTER 3) HOW AND WHEN DID SILAS AND LARRY MEET? March 1979, Monday, after dawn ↳ Larry & his father picks Silas & Alice up on their way to school - Carl Off owns over 500 acres, they live in his old hunting cabin - "Chicago" → Alice doesn't answer - - Chabot's school •Larry= misfit Ghe's the 20% of white students, doesn't know how to play games prefers reading ball among Ina Ott → curious, Carl-ang y (supposed to be their secret') "Miss Ina" implies former work relation (Alice was their maid) BEGINNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF LARRY AND SILAS' FRIENDSHIP (CHAPTER) 3+ 1) 1st MEETING (CAR) 2) LARRY FEELS 'BETRAYED' AT SCHOOL 3) REETING IN THE WOODS (L. GIVES HIS GUN TO SILAS) 4) SPRING/SUMMER SPEND LOTS OF TIME TOGETHES 5) LARRY FEARS THAT SILAS ISPENDS LESS TIME WITH HIM, INTRODUCES HIM TO STHG. VERY SPECIAL TO HIM (IN ORDER TO SAVE THEIR FRIENDSHIP) → SPY ON CINDY WALKER, SILAS HELPS HER WITEN GETTING HARRASSED (ANGRY THAT LARRY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING) 6) FIGHT OVER RIFLE, (BEFORE: LARRY WANTS TO TRADE IT FOR HIS KNIFE) SILAS WINS, LARRY INSULTS HIM → END OF THEIR FRIENDSHIP 2 WALLACE STRING FELLOW x What do L&W have in common? * What is W's interest in Larry? * What are his experiences with / views on women? TIMELINE OF THEIR MEETINGS at church in the barn ^^ years Contempt - Larry doesn't correspont to the ideal of a sportif, masculine son - feminine traits (soft, reading books, passive, weak, "mommes boy") (LARRY OTT RELATIONS WITHIN THE OTT FAMILY - loses the gun fight - as a TV salesman - at christmas - on New Years Eve - last encoun- ter (1 month later later her CARLOTT (not to meet his expectations) x their lives are frozen x outsider at church fear/ Shame xgeneral behavior? x his dog (s)? jealousy (due to his praying for him (but affair) Suspicious that it might go on mutual loving care, visiting her in the nursing home Profective) - may be a bit too expect IMPORTANCE OF LARRY'S DATE FOR THEIR DESTINY threatening, arguing, + very last (I done stng) betrayal (cf. Coats) (INA OTT * Larry's lasting reputation as rapist / murder x dropping out of school /army x Carl's intensified alcoholism / drunk-drive fatal accident CLICL CHAPTER 10 RELATIONS → Silas remembers his mother's → words: "What is missing out of you, Silas ?" dines on their way from Chicogo x his answers to that by the end of the chapter: "Courage" SILAS AND ANGIE - Silas's confession causes a serious crisis: wears "anything in bed for the first time, they lay apart, don't make love -Angie knew that she had lied to her about not dating Cindy Walker she cannot understand his explanation (that he'd forgotten about both, Larry and Cindy, when he moved away) SILAS AND HIS MOTHER - Alice is deeply disappointed about Silas's disobeying her order not to meet ↳ to the extent that she feels physically unable to work - she is afraid that he/she might be even killed like Emmett Till she goes and talks to his coach to get him out of the way after Cindy's disappearance asap. A month later he leaves for Oxford High School ◊ SILAS AND CINDY WALKER - though Cindy isn't interested in baseball, she be friends with the school's Sports star Silas "32" → SHE takes the initiative, she's had sex with other boys (among them also African-Americans), he's a "virgin" both Silas's mother and Cecil are strongly against the relation - Silas decides to concentrate on his sports career, but agrees to a final meeting in the night of her disappearance she suggests to run away to Chicago but he refuses Considers him as her only chance to get out of lousy Chabot their meeting ends in a fierce argument - probably she SILAS AND INA OTT - Silas visits her in her home (River Acres nursing home) - He cares for her (she messed herself up) as if she was his own mother As she has a good day, she remembers Alice and that "she got herself in a family way and wasn't married" but seems to be frightened about her own memory and /or vague recognition that there might be some- thing wrong with Larry 3 "WE WERE FRIENDS, WEREN'T WE?" - SILAS AND LARRY'S FRIENDSHIP EXPLANATION OF THE QUOTE - Larry's assertion ("We were friends") brings back memories of his desperate attempts to find a friend - "Weren't we?" demonstrates Larry's uncertainty, his need for reassurance Silas' answer reveals a one-sided concept of their friendship ("You were") "I don't know what I was" is an indirect admission of doubt or even guilt (his silence about Cindy?, ...) ◊ CHILDHOOD - Circumstances of their meeting -equality as children (now we even"), hidden in the woods (only) 4 no contact at school due to social norms - bond against the will of both parents SILAS BETRAYAL - at the Halloween party - his date with Cindy - his silence over 25 years - - his not answering Larry's calls - Common interests: rifle, hunting, fishing - Larry shows Silas his secret: Cindy walker little understanding of each other's background + attitude → gun fight with Larry's racist comment ends their friendship LARRY - his attempt to contact Silas called his regrets having "nigger" CONCLUSION → rather one-sided friendship • ambigious relationship throughout the novel → quote as good description of their relation (Bezug zu quote) 0 GUILT AND FORGIVENESS * Silas kept the rifle, gives it back " "a thing returned to its rightful place" p. 248] holding the rifle: "boy again" x confrontation : visits Mrs. OH, Cindy's place 10 man now" x self-punishment, release from guilt x after confession: feels flattened (p.238) x pain: penance x does what he can do at Larry's place: mail, chickens, lawn, cleaning, shopping..... → the world it had been a long G full of unknowns, future and Grelieved though! "he, Silas, knew the model" → ?? time ago → full of unknowns yet but maybe with some future & possibility still possibility ENDING: * rather implies that they'll reasses their friendship (there's hope, a start) G"you can't undo the past but...' x conveys the reader a message of hope making amends to atone for what he'd done!