Friendswood Blog Post 1

Friendswood Blog 1(pgs. 1-30)

How is Friendswood described? What quotes from the text can you use to support your answer?

The town of Freindswood is depicted as a small, agricultural town that has been broken and damaged. On the first page, Reinke describes the scene of an old crop plane--"another crop plane droned low in the sky, a silver spray trailing behind ...nothing grew out where the refinery used to be". The condition of the town is in shambles compared to it's original condition. Steinke uses
 descriptions of the setting and characters to make a clear notion of not only the desolation of the town after the hurricane, but also the desolation of the people in Friendswood.  As Lee walks through what used to be her block, she notices more desolation -"Now at the edge of the woods where Autumn Street would have been, a square steel frame clung to cement , what was left of someone's house...This used to be her block...nearly each time she came back, she found a different artifact in the ruins--an old beer bottle, a plastic lawn elf, a chair...the oak tree she'd planted for Jess was strangely still alive."(Steinke, 8-9).  Many of  the qualities of the small town have been damaged and seemingly  have been left to wither and die. In this small section of the book readers are able to gather the stark state of Freindswood.




Who are the main characters thus far? How do you know? What quotes from the text can you use to show how they are described?

The main characters thus far in the story are more pronounced, as their lives and thoughts are detailed in the text.

LEE- Lee is a very passionate and determined character. Her intuition and curiosity is what drives her to be persistent in her investigation of the Baines Field. Lee takes risk , "she'd already trespassed a dozen times in broad day light...she'd been chased off the property by a speeding white truck. (Steike, 6). Lee's determination is what keeps her in the oil plant even when facing toxic fumes, "She smelled something acidic and bitter...and covered her nose and mouth with one hand as she took the camera from her bag with the other"(Steike, 10). She is willing to go to any lengths in order to accomplish what she sets out to do.

HAL-Hal is portrayed as a religious man who looks to God for hope and support. He seeks God for strength in his quest to maintain sobriety--"He felt the ache in his heart for whiskey, and said a tired prayer"(Steinke, 18). Hal also values tradition. While viewing old photos of the town's football team he becomes filled with pride and honor.

WILLA- Willa is a young character described as a puzzled and troubled youth. Spending less time with her father makes it easier to keep her hallucinations problem a secret. She is confused and not able to pinpoint exactly where her problem stems from"It seemed that if she could find a shape or a pattern, she might take hold of their meaning, but they were all just words"(Steinke, 22). Willa's problems will unfold as the story progresses.