literary anlaysis

Posted: November 28th, 2013

Roxanna Williams

Robert Morse

Writing English 101

3-07-2012

Eli the Good analysis

This story is about a boy called Eli. He grew up in a small town in 1970s. He is not lucky like other children who grow up in stable homes. He has to deal with issues past his age. Most of the time, he spent with his best friend. It is summer time and these two friends learn a lot from their surroundings. It seems like everyone in his family has secrets, which he later learns. His father is traumatized by the Vietnam War but his mother assures them everything will be fine. His sister learns that Eli father is not her biological father. This makes her rebellious and angry for not knowing the truth. His aunt suffers from breast cancer and she is popular because she opposes the War. Eli’s friend Eddie is a girl who is also from a home with social problems. With all that is happening around him, he learns to forgive and co-exist with the rest of the people.

All these characters have to deal effects of the Vietnam War. Though they are bitter and they have differences, they ought to learn how to forgive. Eli is left feeling neglected because everyone seems to care about his or her problems. All these issues become difficult for a child to handle so he relies on Eddie for comfort. The author has written in a poetic way, which shows a sense of time and place. Both young and old people can relate to this story. Eli’s character is lively and it makes readers to connect emotionally to the story. It also makes the reader recall some of childhood events. The story has a time setting but its lessons will last forever. It discusses themes of friendship, love, hope and forgiveness. These themes are relevant to all people who are facing crisis in their social lives.

The story makes the reader feel Eli’s pain and confusion. However, some areas sound unrealistic and make it hard to believe. This is also similar in the plot of the story. The central theme about Eli and other characters is captivating and real. It seems not logic to have all characters experiencing major changes in the same period. This book mainly brings out the fact that it is not necessary one is always in good terms with relatives. One can use this story to compare the current needs to those of people in the past. No character seems concerned with paying mortgage, college fees and health care. There is no much attention on education to the children in this story. On the contrary, Eli has to deal with stress and other adult issues, at a very tender age. His parents do not make enough efforts to protect his innocence. He finds himself seeking emotional refuge from a friend. When a comparison is done between children in this generation and those in 1970s, there is a small difference. Children are still subject to deal with issues like effects of divorce and conflicting parents. Eli tried to understand the problems affecting his family but he was too young to deal with them. This is how some children find themselves in situations beyond what they can deal with. This book has successfully addressed it target audience and is the fourth novel of the award winning Silas House.