The+Posse


 * The Big Questions: How does this chapter fit the novel as a whole / Why is it important / What should a good reader take away from this chapter?**

**Important Quotes (and commentary)** "Principal among Uncle Luden's plans was a picnic. He dearly loved picnics, Uncle Luden said, and he'd been thinking about eating fried chicken and rhubarb pie on the top of Ember Mountain ever since he left Reno. He attacked preparations for this outing with meticulous thoroughness, he said, and this task took him a good three days. Finally Friday night arrived and he enjoined us all to be bright-eyed and bush-tailed early next morning because we were headed up to Lickskillet Gap for an old-fashioned family picnic." (p.37)
 * While 'The Overspill' and 'The Good Time' begin to portray the setting of this book, 'The Posse' is most effective in describing not only the location of the farm, but also how it impacts the lives of those who live there. There were multiple instances in which the characters mention the strangeness of Uncle Luden, and this chapter focuses a lot on the obscurity of California and the people that live there. Of course, this is all from the point of view of Jess's family, who live on the farm. The fact that none of them are accustomed to the world outside their farm shows just how isolated the family really is. The farm separates Jess and his family from other cities and towns, and it creates a barrier between them and the evolving outside world. This chapter fits into the novel because it demonstrates that the farm is Jess's whole world. Although he plans to "escape to California"(p.28), Jess is completely naive to the world outside the farm. To elaborate, Jess believes that California is "the land of golden opportunity", where there are jobs that pay "actual cash money, greenback dollars" (p.27). However, Uncle Luden comes to them (after living in California) as a heavy drinker and promiscuous"ladies' man" (p.27). So, there is obviously //more// to California than Jess realizes. Also, in some ways, the farm seems to 'heal' Uncle Luden. After his stay, he no longer has his same, unbridled relationship with women and he seems to appreciate his family more. He even organizes a family picnic before he returns to California. A good reader should pick up on this and realize the reclusive, detached, and medicinal qualities that the farm possesses. (Woodham)
 * I feel that this chapter fits the novel very well. It is essentially the culmonation of the intro. This chapter is very important because it sets the stage for the rest of the novel. A good reader should keep all the background information presented in this chapter in the back of his/her mind while reading this chapter. (Ude)
 * This chapter shows how Uncle Luden is not really the most understanding and nicest person in the family, but he is still family and family helps family out. In The Overspill, the mom traveled 5,000 miles to go help out Uncle Luden, but Uncle Luden writes a letter and states that they better cook some more corn bread. He never really "returns the favor" one might say. But Johnson, Joe Robets, and Jess are interested in 'helping him out' by scaring him so he won't get all up into girls. They make him more of a family person. This shows they are willing to do anything to help their uncle out. This chapter kind of sets the stage for the rest of the book, and shows that the main focus of the book is family. (Cravens)
 * This chapter is important because it introduces what goes on in the majority of the book. In this chapter, the first strange uncle comes to visit the farm. Uncle Luden isn't quite as strange as the other uncles and in this book the uncles seem to get even more and more far fetched after every chapter. The author purposely makes the uncles more and more wild as the book goes on because if he started off with the craziest, the reader might not continue reading and may find the book too odd for their taste.
 * The Posse is practically the first chapter being the most descriptive on the setting and each character and the conflict and relationship between each character. This chapter is the first chapter to actually start the book, which helps you start to put the clues in place for all these random characters you don't know anything about. Uncle Luden is introduce in this chapter and right from the start you know he is a troublemaker. You hear about him in the Overspill and how Jess's mom travels a long way to help him out and he writes this letter that is a joke and doesn't say thanks. Uncle Luden stands out from this family because the family seems very self employed and owns this farm that they have built up for many years and are very appreciative people. Uncle Luden is always asking them for something and they never know how to say no and he never knows how to say thank you, they are tired of it. Uncle Luden is always stirring it up with people so they teach him a lesson about his past as a drunken man and player with the ladies. After this lesson is taught to Uncle Luden he seems to appreciate what this family has done for him and to treat people right. What a reader should take from this chapter is that this farm family has tight morals, very personal, and respected and give their respect to others.(Izlar)
 * This quote shows that Uncle Luden enjoys spending time with his family and the farm, even though he ran away from them and travelled to California at a very young age. (Woodham)

//"He sat with us at the dining table until the coffee grew cold and the pork dripping congealed on the plates."//
 * This quote shows that everyone helped out Uncle Luden and he became a better person, even off of a lie. I think this shows that a simple prank can turn out to be somewhat of a good thing in the long run. (Cravens)

"Word of Uncle Luden's visit came in the form of a postcard from Reno, Nevada with his loose purple scrawl //Make plenty that good cornbread, Il'e be there soon.// He signed both names, Luden Sorells. **Moments of astonishingly good writing**
 * This quote describes Uncle Luden, one being that this post card came from Reno, Nevada. He lives in California, but he is always running off to random places because he gets in trouble with people. Also the quote says, "his loose purple scrawl" which states that he doesn't really appreciate it, its more casual not personal at all. Not only is it casual, but he rudely demands them to make him cornbread cause he is on his way. There is no please or thank you in this letter either. Lastly he sighs the letter with Luden Sorells as if he is someone important, where as they just think of him as Uncle Luden not Luden Sorells.
 * "'If he's fixing to plug them dolls, he's got a chore,' Johnson said, 'He's too plumb cockeyed to hit a medium-sized hill.' But he didn't miss. He drew the pistol from his right-hand holster with a smooth, easy motion and blew the first doll in line to plaster dust... And bang bang bang down the line. He never missed a doll and after each shot would repeat one of what I later came to find out were the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous." (Collins)
 * I found this writing interesting because I can see the quick aim, shot, and explosion of the doll. Followed by a woozy Uncle Luden muttering his phrases.
 * "Then we fell to eating. Day-old biscuits sweated in a tin box by the fire and the hard-fried eggs and the ham and boiled potatoes re-fried in ham grease. Coffee inky and gritty, sweetened with molasses. We ate hunkered or standing up, turning in slow pirouettes around the fires to warm one side of our bodies and then the other." (p.40)
 * I love this quote because the adjectives and verbs that the author uses are superb. The descriptions are so detailed that the reader is able to picture the scene in their minds. I also like how the food is not described as 'top-quality', but the family eats it as though it were. Their feast didn't need to be perfect to be delicious. (Woodham)