There were two very different significant things that struck me as interesting in this certain piece of literature. One of them is Mrs. Cook’s continuous bitter attitude throughout the story no matter the circumstances. Another interesting aspect to this story was the sick baby.
First I would like to discuss Mrs. Cook’s attitude. They never give a specific reason for her bitterness. I thought this was very interesting. Throughout the story she gripes continuously about everything. “What a queer tribe we have fallen among!” said Mrs. Cook is scarcely lowered tones. This comment was made by Mrs. Cook along with many other unnecessary comments. This was very frustrating to me, especially after the people opened up their home and provided them with what Davis made it seem a delicious dinner. It seemed that no matter how good the dinner was Mrs. Cook would always find something to gripe about. I don’t know if there is really any certain meaning to this attitude at all but it was very distracting throughout the story.
Another aspect of this piece of literature I found very interesting was the little information we were given about the sick baby. We get connected to this baby from the mother’s drive to save her sick babies life by going up the mountains. I found it very interesting that even though we are given so little information about this one little character how big of an impact he plays in the story. “There was a certain purity in the cold damp air that eased his breathing, and the red petticoat was snug and warm.” This is one of the few comments made about the sick baby. It does not directly refer to it yet you still form a connection with it because the textual detail is so vivid. I think that the author really gave you less information about this sick child for a certain reason. I believe this child was the main purpose for the story yet was not the main character which is not very often seen in literature. I believe it was his mother’s burning drive to save him that made this story complete.
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I agree with you about Mrs. Cook, I too was annoyed at her complaints. I think the purpose was to add to the competition between the north and south. Mrs. Cook makes you have a negative feeling about the north while the widow and baby find comfort in the south.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and Scott and found Mrs. Cook excessively rude and annoying. She was most definitely entered into the text to bring up the issues between the North and South. This was more than likely written because the Civil War had just occurred and it was a popular subject. It is interesting how the mother and baby get along just fine in the South while Mrs. Cook prefers the North.
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