Text
”Ronald was on his knees about to pull Jacquie
up to him. Opal got up as quiet as she could,
breathed in slow, then raised the bat up high
behind her. She came down as hard as she could
on top of Ronald's head. There was a deep,
muffled crack, and Ronald landed on Jacquie… “
(Orange, 166-167)
”When I woke up the next day, Fina came in
and shook her car keys at me. ‘Get up, let's go,’
she said. I was still pretty tired, but the fever had
broken. I thought we were maybe going to get
groceries. When we got past Castro Valley I
knew it wasn't groceries or any kind of errand.
We just kept driving, through the hills with all
those windmills. I fell asleep looking at one of
them that looked like a coin from Mario
Brothers.” (Orange, 183)
Analyses
An HTRLLAP chapter that can be connected to
this passage is 13, “concerning violence”. Ronald,
who Opal and Jacquie live with, is trying to rape
Jacquie in her sleep. Opal has noticed him
watching them both at night, so she started
keeping a baseball bat ready just in case. Here,
this violence shows the deep love that Opal has
for her half sister, as she is willing to fight to
keep her safe. This also implies the hardships
and poor childhood conditions like losing their
mother that the two of them had to endure, and
how they have grown resilient in order to
survive. This also connects to chapter 13 in
HTRLLAP, because of the political message
regarding the issue of pedopheilia and
childhood rape, especially in young girls.
Figurative techniques in the text include
imagery, specifically auditory imagery. “Deep,
muffled crack” is used to represent the force of
the swing, correlated to Opal’s love for Jacquie,
and the hard impact the bat had on Ronalds
head.
An HTRLLAP chapter that can be connected to
this passage is chapter 1, “every trip is a quest”.
Josefina, Octavio’s grandmother, is taking
Octavio to make a medicine box after she
suspects he was cursed. This trip to the field of
orchards is a quest, specifically for the fur for
Josefina to make Octavio’s medicine box. King
states in his book, the real reason for a quest is
always self knowledge, which is true for Octavio
as well. He goes along with his grandmother,
and learns about part of his grandmother’s
culture. This drive or motivation of josefina
shows her strong beliefs in her Native American
costumes and culture. The relationship between
Octavio and his grandmother is showcased here,
as Josefina is willing to go to great lengths to
keep Octavio safe. Octavio in turn trusts and
respects her.
Literary deceives used are similes, Octavio
likens the windmills to coins from Mario
Brothers.