Reading Response: Character

Recently, I have finished a book called The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. The main character of the book, Todd Hewitt, goes through a clear change throughout the book. In the beginning Todd doesn't appreciate what he has, while towards the end of the book, he is thankful for what he has and wishes to have back what he didn't appreciate. At the start of the book, Todd comes across as a very annoying and ungrateful boy. He hates that he still isn't a man, hates that he's the youngest in his town, hates that he got a dog for his previous birthday, and hates one of his 'parents', Cillian, that he always ends up arguing with. He constantly voices his opinion about these things, but in reality doesn't know how lucky he is to have a home and two people who care about him. Unfortunately, he doesn't realize this until much later. Todd, who lives in an isolated town populated only by men, sheep, and his dog, believes that everything is perfectly normal, and that the women had died because of a germ on their planet. In reality, the germ on the planet had done nothing but let men hear each others thoughts and speak with them. But when Todd comes across a 'quiet spot' in the swamp near his home, the whole town turns on him, why? Todd himself doesn't even know. Now running from a whole army of men, Todd realizes their are a lot of things to be thankful for, starting with his dog and Cillian.Todd realizes that his 'stupid ruddy dog' is actually quite useful, for one as protection, and also as a handy scent-sniffing guide. Cillian, who he argued with a lot, ends up sacrificing himself to buy Todd time to escape, as well as providing Todd with a plan of escape. Towards the end of the book, when Todd has lost all, he understands how he would give anything to have his old life back. This is a clear example of a character change in Todd, from beginning to end of the book.

Summary: The Grapes of Wrath, John Stienbeck

             Over the summer, I have read a very interesting book called The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. For people who have not read this book yet; I highly recommend it. The book is set in the late 1930's and begins with a thorough show-not-tell description of the setting, and characters. The protagonist, Tom Joad, *warning spoilers ahead* has just returned from prison after serving four years for manslaughter. He returns to his home in Oklahoma to find that his family is gone. He is told, by an old family friend, that his family has gone to his uncle's house and are planning to leave Oklahoma and go to California in hopes of finding a job. Once reunited with his family, he is told of the situation happening all over Oklahoma and other states: the bank is claiming all the land for themselves and 'tractoring' off the people who won't give over their land. Many families are left without a home and a job. News of available work reaches the desperate people through cheerful looking pamphlets. The Joad family, in spite of their financial difficulties, set off on the long road to California. They have many difficulties on the way, but none stop them from continuing forward or helping other people that they encounter.
             One clear example of a hardship that they faced was their lack of money and food. While they didn't get over that in the book, the Joads had just enough to last them. However, they shared what little they had with people who were in need. When the Joads met Ivy and Sairy Wilson, who are having car trouble, they invite them to ride with their family (even though they already had more than ten people stuffed in one truck). Later, when Sairy Wilson is too sick to move on, they leave them a generous portion of their food and money. This shows how the Joads help other people in the midst of their own crisis.
             Another example of how the Joads were noble in spite of their hardships was when they fed a group of children. When the Joads finally make it to California, they set up camp in a Hooverville (a town of temporary tents made out off whatever the people have on them). Many people in this camp are in a bad position, lacking in food and money. When Ma Joad starts cooking a soup in the camp, the hungry children come running. Ma Joad, even though she knows she doesn't have enough to feed them, leaves the remains of the soup outside for the children to eat. Ma Joad is a clear example of how the Joad family is unselfish in the middle of bad times.
             In conclusion, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is a very interesting book that has clear themes and very good description and character development. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading more of Steinbeck's books.