Okay I think I finally got this to work. I just hope I am doing it right…
Pages 1-25 So far I like Tortilla Flat. There isn’t really much going on, but I still find it interesting and fun to read. John Steinbeck begins the book with the preface where he tells about Danny and his friends. He describes Tortilla Flat and Monterey, along with the people who live there. Steinbeck compares Danny’s story with the story of Arthur and Robin Hood. He compares their fellowship and their experiences. He tells the reader that he wrote the story so that no one could claim that it was false. Steinbeck uses the preface to provide the reader with knowledge of the characters and of the land that they inhabit. When Danny returned home from the war, he learned that in dying, his viejo had left him two houses. He felt tied down by his new responsibilities as a homeowner, but those feelings all disappeared after he drank almost an entire gallon of wine. He proceeded to wander around the town causing trouble and breaking windows. Danny was eventually arrested and spent about a month in jail. When Danny left he met up with his friend Pilon. They moved into Danny’s houses. Pilon promised to pay rent, but he never did. Pilon later found his friend Pablo and invited him to live in his new house. Pablo agreed to pay rent even though Pilon knew he never would. This section of the book ends with Pablo and Pilon talking and drinking wine together.
Pages 26-56 In this section of the book Steinbeck talks a lot about women. The third chapter begins with Pablo and Pilon sitting on their front porch. They were discussing Cornelia Ruiz who cut up a man for trying to sneak into her house. They also talked about how she regularly held masses for her deceased father. They wondered whether the masses helped to save his soul, because the money that supported them came from a dirty business. After a while they went over to Danny’s house. He asked Pilon and Pablo to pay their rent so that he could afford to buy a gift for his new flame, Mrs. Morales. Pablo and Pilon were upset and they stomped off. While they were walking around they stumbled upon their friend Jesus Maria Corcoran. He was carrying a brassiere, a little wine, and two dollars. The brassiere was for his lady friend Arabella. Pable and Pilon invited him to live with them and rent part of the house. The three men decided to pay Danny part of their rent with the two dollars, but after further discussion they came to a different conclusion. Each of the three companions thought that if they gave him cash he would spend it on Mrs. Morales, so they decided to pay him with wine. When Pilon and Pablo returned from buying the wine, a battered Jesus Maria met them at the house. He had been betrayed by Arabella. She and four soldiers beat him up, so he no longer desired to give her the brassiere. The three men burnt down the house that night. They offered Danny the brassiere as part of the compensation for the debt, so that he could give it to Mrs. Morales. Danny decided that she was not the type of person to give present to, so he kept it for another time. Rather than just focusing on the companionship of Danny and his friends, this section of the book was chock full of instances surrounding the female characters.
Pages 57-97 This section of the book focuses on friendship. Chapter seven begins with the story of the Pirate. With the exception of his dogs, he was completely alone in the world. He had few possessions, and every day he wander through an alley begging for food. He never had any desire to change his life until Pilon told him of his worried friends. In the beginning these friends were imaginary, but after a while those worried friends became Danny and his four companions. They invited the Pirate and his dogs to live with them in Danny’s house. He was so happy about having friends that he asked them to guard his treasure for him. Another example of friendship in this section is the desire of the four men to repay Danny for his kindness and generosity. They searched the woods for buried treasure to give to Danny. Pilon met his old friend Big Joe Portagee and who helped to find the treasure. The men were extremely disappointed when they discovered that the treasure was not a valuable. They wandered on the beach and got drunk. Pilon recovered Danny’s stolen blanket and Joe’s pants that Pilon himself had stolen. As if to stress the idea of friendship, Steinbeck ends chapter eight with a quote about friends. Referring to Pilon, Joe thought, “Here is one who takes care of his friends. Even when they sleep he is alert to see that no harm comes to them.” It seems that each act of friendship, whether it is selfish or not, instills another with the desire to display their affection and devotion.
Pages 98-127 Each chapter in this section of the book focuses good deeds. Chapter nine talks about Danny’s gift to Dolores Engracia Ramirez, also known as Sweets. He bought her a vacuum cleaner. Sweets was unable to actually use the gift because she had no electricity in her house. She would push it around in her house not only for enjoyment, but also to make her neighbors jealous. Later in the chapter Pilon decided to do Danny a favor. He wanted to free Danny from Sweets and also save him from the embarrassment of having the entire town laughing at him. He stole Sweet’s new vacuum cleaner and sold it to Torelli. Jesus Maria did a good deed in chapter ten. Steinbeck describes numerous acts of goodness by the hands of Jesus Maria. Then he told about now he saved a young boy with a baby from going to jail, and took him back to Danny’s house. In chapter eleven a stranger does a good deed for Big Joe Portagee. She let him stay in her house to escape the rain. I was able to find many different acts of kindness in this section of the book.
The primary emphasis of this section was on the subject of religion. Chapter twelve tells about the Pirate’s promise to Saint Francis. He had finally saved up enough money to buy him a golden candlestick. The Pirate told a priest about his promise and he agreed to display the candlestick in the church. The Pirate went to the church the next Sunday. The priest told the congregation about the Pirate’s story. During the sermon the Pirate’s dogs burst into the church. The Pirate was worried that it was sacrilegious, but the priest assured him that he had committed no crime. Chapter thirteen talks about how Jesus Maria and three of his companions helped a single mother. She had nothing to feed her children with, so they stole food to provide them with enough to survive. The vieja that lived with them prayed to the Virgin Mary for beans to feed the family. When her prayer was not immediately answered she was angry with Mary. She began praying to a different saint. The vieja was very sorry however when the family was presented with four bags of beans. She promised to light a candle for Mary every month for the rest of her life. Both chapters in this section tell about promises made to religious figures.
Steinbeck talked a lot about the daily routines of the people living in Tortilla Flat. He told the reader about the usual routine of Danny and his companions. Most people would find their lives boring, but the friends were content. They enjoyed sitting out on their front porch swapping stories, and this particular interest is what takes up most of chapter fourteen. Steinbeck begins chapter fifteen by describing the way that all of Tortilla Flat never seems to change. He then goes on to describe the monotony of Danny’s life. Danny was becoming restless. He began to mope around and act lethargic. His friends thought that he was sick, but what Danny really needed was freedom. After a month of being stuck in his dismal mood, Danny ran away. At first his friends were not alarmed, but Danny gave them no reason to believe that he would return. Danny passed into a wild state. He moved quickly from place to place, causing all sorts of trouble. Danny’s worst crime was selling his house to Torelli, but his friends saved him by destroying the bill of sale. Finally, Danny returned to his friends who expected to fall back into their daily routines. Little did they know, events would soon occur that would change their lives forever.
The main character, Danny, was acting very strange at the end of the book. He was very sad and lethargic, and none of his friends knew what to do about it. Eventually, they decided to throw a party for him. All of Tortilla Flat attended, for the party was an epic event. At the party, Danny finally seemed to snap out of his strange mood. He drank wine with his friends and had a great time. Danny wanted to fight, but no one was willing step up and challenge him. He became angry and went out to find a worthy enemy. During his search for a competition, Danny ran right over the edge of the gulch. It seemed to me that Steinbeck used Danny strange mood to foreshadow his death. It almost seemed as if he knew he was going to die. The book concluded with Danny’s funeral. I thought that the way that Steinbeck described funerals as social events was very interesting. As I thought about it more, I realized that his opinion is very accurate. This is one of the many lessons taught to me by this book.
Didn't the passage of background information say that Antigone was a victim of Creon's hubris? Some of you are suggesting that Antigone is the tragic hero. Thoughts on that.
7 comments:
Okay I think I finally got this to work. I just hope I am doing it right…
Pages 1-25
So far I like Tortilla Flat. There isn’t really much going on, but I still find it interesting and fun to read. John Steinbeck begins the book with the preface where he tells about Danny and his friends. He describes Tortilla Flat and Monterey, along with the people who live there. Steinbeck compares Danny’s story with the story of Arthur and Robin Hood. He compares their fellowship and their experiences. He tells the reader that he wrote the story so that no one could claim that it was false. Steinbeck uses the preface to provide the reader with knowledge of the characters and of the land that they inhabit.
When Danny returned home from the war, he learned that in dying, his viejo had left him two houses. He felt tied down by his new responsibilities as a homeowner, but those feelings all disappeared after he drank almost an entire gallon of wine. He proceeded to wander around the town causing trouble and breaking windows. Danny was eventually arrested and spent about a month in jail. When Danny left he met up with his friend Pilon. They moved into Danny’s houses. Pilon promised to pay rent, but he never did. Pilon later found his friend Pablo and invited him to live in his new house. Pablo agreed to pay rent even though Pilon knew he never would. This section of the book ends with Pablo and Pilon talking and drinking wine together.
Pages 26-56
In this section of the book Steinbeck talks a lot about women. The third chapter begins with Pablo and Pilon sitting on their front porch. They were discussing Cornelia Ruiz who cut up a man for trying to sneak into her house. They also talked about how she regularly held masses for her deceased father. They wondered whether the masses helped to save his soul, because the money that supported them came from a dirty business. After a while they went over to Danny’s house. He asked Pilon and Pablo to pay their rent so that he could afford to buy a gift for his new flame, Mrs. Morales. Pablo and Pilon were upset and they stomped off.
While they were walking around they stumbled upon their friend Jesus Maria Corcoran. He was carrying a brassiere, a little wine, and two dollars. The brassiere was for his lady friend Arabella. Pable and Pilon invited him to live with them and rent part of the house. The three men decided to pay Danny part of their rent with the two dollars, but after further discussion they came to a different conclusion. Each of the three companions thought that if they gave him cash he would spend it on Mrs. Morales, so they decided to pay him with wine. When Pilon and Pablo returned from buying the wine, a battered Jesus Maria met them at the house. He had been betrayed by Arabella. She and four soldiers beat him up, so he no longer desired to give her the brassiere. The three men burnt down the house that night. They offered Danny the brassiere as part of the compensation for the debt, so that he could give it to Mrs. Morales. Danny decided that she was not the type of person to give present to, so he kept it for another time. Rather than just focusing on the companionship of Danny and his friends, this section of the book was chock full of instances surrounding the female characters.
Pages 57-97
This section of the book focuses on friendship. Chapter seven begins with the story of the Pirate. With the exception of his dogs, he was completely alone in the world. He had few possessions, and every day he wander through an alley begging for food. He never had any desire to change his life until Pilon told him of his worried friends. In the beginning these friends were imaginary, but after a while those worried friends became Danny and his four companions. They invited the Pirate and his dogs to live with them in Danny’s house. He was so happy about having friends that he asked them to guard his treasure for him.
Another example of friendship in this section is the desire of the four men to repay Danny for his kindness and generosity. They searched the woods for buried treasure to give to Danny. Pilon met his old friend Big Joe Portagee and who helped to find the treasure. The men were extremely disappointed when they discovered that the treasure was not a valuable. They wandered on the beach and got drunk. Pilon recovered Danny’s stolen blanket and Joe’s pants that Pilon himself had stolen. As if to stress the idea of friendship, Steinbeck ends chapter eight with a quote about friends. Referring to Pilon, Joe thought, “Here is one who takes care of his friends. Even when they sleep he is alert to see that no harm comes to them.” It seems that each act of friendship, whether it is selfish or not, instills another with the desire to display their affection and devotion.
Pages 98-127
Each chapter in this section of the book focuses good deeds. Chapter nine talks about Danny’s gift to Dolores Engracia Ramirez, also known as Sweets. He bought her a vacuum cleaner. Sweets was unable to actually use the gift because she had no electricity in her house. She would push it around in her house not only for enjoyment, but also to make her neighbors jealous. Later in the chapter Pilon decided to do Danny a favor. He wanted to free Danny from Sweets and also save him from the embarrassment of having the entire town laughing at him. He stole Sweet’s new vacuum cleaner and sold it to Torelli.
Jesus Maria did a good deed in chapter ten. Steinbeck describes numerous acts of goodness by the hands of Jesus Maria. Then he told about now he saved a young boy with a baby from going to jail, and took him back to Danny’s house. In chapter eleven a stranger does a good deed for Big Joe Portagee. She let him stay in her house to escape the rain. I was able to find many different acts of kindness in this section of the book.
Pages 128-153
The primary emphasis of this section was on the subject of religion. Chapter twelve tells about the Pirate’s promise to Saint Francis. He had finally saved up enough money to buy him a golden candlestick. The Pirate told a priest about his promise and he agreed to display the candlestick in the church. The Pirate went to the church the next Sunday. The priest told the congregation about the Pirate’s story. During the sermon the Pirate’s dogs burst into the church. The Pirate was worried that it was sacrilegious, but the priest assured him that he had committed no crime.
Chapter thirteen talks about how Jesus Maria and three of his companions helped a single mother. She had nothing to feed her children with, so they stole food to provide them with enough to survive. The vieja that lived with them prayed to the Virgin Mary for beans to feed the family. When her prayer was not immediately answered she was angry with Mary. She began praying to a different saint. The vieja was very sorry however when the family was presented with four bags of beans. She promised to light a candle for Mary every month for the rest of her life. Both chapters in this section tell about promises made to religious figures.
Pages 155 – 184
Steinbeck talked a lot about the daily routines of the people living in Tortilla Flat. He told the reader about the usual routine of Danny and his companions. Most people would find their lives boring, but the friends were content. They enjoyed sitting out on their front porch swapping stories, and this particular interest is what takes up most of chapter fourteen. Steinbeck begins chapter fifteen by describing the way that all of Tortilla Flat never seems to change. He then goes on to describe the monotony of Danny’s life. Danny was becoming restless. He began to mope around and act lethargic. His friends thought that he was sick, but what Danny really needed was freedom. After a month of being stuck in his dismal mood, Danny ran away. At first his friends were not alarmed, but Danny gave them no reason to believe that he would return. Danny passed into a wild state. He moved quickly from place to place, causing all sorts of trouble. Danny’s worst crime was selling his house to Torelli, but his friends saved him by destroying the bill of sale. Finally, Danny returned to his friends who expected to fall back into their daily routines. Little did they know, events would soon occur that would change their lives forever.
Pages 185 – 207
The main character, Danny, was acting very strange at the end of the book. He was very sad and lethargic, and none of his friends knew what to do about it. Eventually, they decided to throw a party for him. All of Tortilla Flat attended, for the party was an epic event. At the party, Danny finally seemed to snap out of his strange mood. He drank wine with his friends and had a great time. Danny wanted to fight, but no one was willing step up and challenge him. He became angry and went out to find a worthy enemy. During his search for a competition, Danny ran right over the edge of the gulch.
It seemed to me that Steinbeck used Danny strange mood to foreshadow his death. It almost seemed as if he knew he was going to die. The book concluded with Danny’s funeral. I thought that the way that Steinbeck described funerals as social events was very interesting. As I thought about it more, I realized that his opinion is very accurate. This is one of the many lessons taught to me by this book.
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