The End to ATPH.

I thought All The Pretty Horses had a somewhat unsettling ending. I know John Grady Cole had his own ideas about what he wanted to do with his life, but he had nowhere to go, and nobody to go with. I thought it was nice how he had a talk with the judge, and got his pent up feelings out. I thought It was kinda odd that the author added the part about the minister, as Jimmy Blevins had nothing to do with the kid that John Grady and Rawlins knew. I feel bad that Alejandra left Cole in the lurch, his heart broken and nowhere to go. He truly did love her. I can't believe he made it back alive after all those struggles, and hardships. It was good that he was able to get all the horses home, except for the one he got at the ranch, and i especially like it that he made one last visit to Rawlins to drop off the horse. Their once strong friendship, and tight bond has seemed to somewhat break apart though. I wonder where John Grady is off to next. I am tempted to read the next book in the series and find out. At first, I thought ATPH would be lame, but it turned out to be somewhat exciting. Goodbye for now. Hope you enjoyed ATPH as well.

A Northern Light - The End!

I Can't believe that Mattie actually went to Bernard. Her circumstances were very limiting, and I thought she would never make it there. But one question still wanders in my mind? Why did she decide to go on such a whim? I was sure she had already decided to marry Royal, and they were in love... at least I thought so. He made her feel safe, and protected, and loved. But maybe she wanted more than that. Maybe she didn't want to feel protected, but wanted to put herself out there. I am really wondering also what happened once she got to New York. Did she receive letter after letter from the ones she loved - Royal, her sisters, her father. She didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. I wonder if she will meet up with Miss Wilcox once she gets there. I wonder if Weaver will end up going to college once his house burned down. This book was amazing, and I would recommend it very highly. I had to read about 150 pages last night in order to get it done for my report, but had no trouble at all. In fact, I wanted it to continue after I was finished. So many unanswered questions were left at the end of the book, and I hope Jennifer Donnelly writes a sequel or something. Goodbye for now. Read A Northern Light when you get the chance!

Eight Significant Quotes from A Northern Light

1. "When Mama was alive, she could make breakfast for seven people, hear our lessons, patch Pa's trousers, pack our dinner pails, start the milk to clabbering, and roll out a piecrust. All the same time without raising her voice. I'm lucky if I can keep the mush from burning and Lou and Beth from slaughtering each other" (pg. 9).
- This quote is important for many reasons. It reveals that the protagonist, Mattie, has had to take over as head of the household after her mom passed away. She has a lot of responsibly in the family from taking care of her sisters, to making meals, to other everyday chores at only the age of 16. It also somewhat gives the sense of setting, that they live on a farm and the date is set in the past. This passage reveals part of Mattie's personality too - that she has high expectations for herself, and is constantly comparing herself to others.

2. "'Dear Miss Gokey," it read. 'It is with great pleasure that I write to inform you of your acceptance to Barnard college... furthermore, I am pleased to award you a full Hayes scholarship sufficient enough to meet the cost of your first year's tuition, contingent upon the successful completion of your high school degree... your impressive literary strengths outweigh these deficiencies...'"(pg. 65).
- This passage is extremely significant to the book. Mattie is a very determined and intelligent girl, and has received a full scholarship to the school of her dreams. She works very hard for the things she wants, and more than almost anything else Mattie hopes to receive a good eduction and make something of herself. When she is offered this once in a lifetime chance, Mattie wants it more than anything in the world, but has many things holding her back.

3. "'Miss Wilcox is in the parlor with Pa,' Abby whispered. 'She brought your exam results. You got an A-plus on your English literature and composition tests, and A in history, a B in science, and a B-minus in mathematics. Her and Pa are talking about you. She says you have genius in you and that you got into college and that Pa should let you go'"(pg. 165).
- Miss Wilcox is Mattie's teacher, and as this quote reveal, her biggest supporter. She is one of the only people who truly understands Mattie's love for books, and writing. She encourages Mattie every step of the way to reach for the stars, and offers Mattie housing in New York with her sister when she's at school. Mattie loves Miss Wilcox, and Miss Wilcox deeply cares for Matt's well being.

4. "'Oh yes! Yes, I would,' I whispered. And then I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him and nearly sobbed with relief when he kissed me back. I didn't think what it meant, saying yes. All I wanted was Royal right then, and I didn't think how saying yes to him would mean saying no to all the other things I wanted"(pg. 225).
- Mattie has a huge crush on a boy named Royal Loomis, and is shocked when she learns he is sweet for her as well. She thinks she is too normal looking for a boy as handsome as Royal, and is overjoyed when he proposes to her, as seen in this passage. Their love develops throughout the story, but Mattie also comes to the realization that if she ends up marrying Royal, she won't be able to pursue her real dreams of going to Bernard.

5. "More and more, I was seeing my dreams of going to college as just that- dreams. I couldn't leave. I knew that. Deep inside, I'd always known it. Even if i wasn't sparking with Royal. Even if I had earned enough money working for Miss Wilcox to buy a train ticket and Pa personally escorted me to the railroad station. I had promised my mama I would stay"(pg. 230).
- As the book moves further, Matt becomes more and more realistic. She thinks about all the things that are keeping her back from going to college - her relationship with Royal, her lack of money to get her there, the fact that her father had refused to let her go, and that she had made a promise to her mother on her death bed that she would stay and take care of the other girls in her family. She has thought about staying at the farm as the most likely outcome for her. Though she has determination, she thinks that it would be selfish to leave, and has pretty much decided to put her lifelong dream of going to college to become a writer on hold.

6. "'You know anything about those men who beat Weaver?'
'Only that they were trappers. And that Mr. Higby put them in jail. Why?'
'They must've just got out. Weaver says they're the ones did this...'"
(pg. 350).
- Weaver is one of Mattie's very good friends, but he is black. He was brutally harassed by some white men, and they were sent to jail for it. Then, the men came back and burned down Weaver's mother's house. They also stole the money Weaver's mother had saved for him to go to college. This just again shows the setting - the time period was awhile back. It also makes me wonder if this is occurring in the north woods, how bad must the racism be in the south?

7. "But myself is not listening. She refuses to listen. She's picking up another letter and another, frantically looking for a different answer. She feels so sick, so sick she could vomit. Because she thinks she knows why Chester brought Grace here. And it wasn't to elope"(pg. 238).
- Mattie gets a job at the Glenmore, a vacation resort, over the summer to earn money for the family. A girl named Grace Brown, a guest there, has told Matt to burn some letters for her. But, when Grace Brown is found dead at the bottom of a lake, Mattie can't help but read them. She finds that Chester Gillette, her "boyfriend", has taken her on a boating ride, and purposely tipped the boat because he knew she couldn't swim. He killed her because she was pregnant with his child, and Mattie eventually turns the letters in, but we never find out what happens with them.

8. "To New York City. To my future. My Life"(pg. 380).
- This is the last quote of the book, but the most important one. Mattie has decided to follow her real dreams of becoming a writer, a college bound girl. She leaves everything, and everyone behind to pursue this dream. It brings about a major thematic idea in the book surrounding determination. Determination will get you where you want to go in life, and is used to pursue the opportunities that matter most to you. This was a major theme displayed in A Northern
Light. Sixteen year old Mattie Gokey followed her heart, and with determination, hers dreams were realized.

Almost the end of ATPH.

I can't believe that Rawlins has gone home, and wonder if this is the last time he will appear in the novel. I was also surprised that Blevins was killed, and though I've hated him throughout the story, still feel somewhat bad. It is unbelievable that John Grady and Rawlins survived jail, as it is much harsher with much less supervision than I believe the jails in America are like. John Grady truly is in love with Alejandra, and I hope they end up together. Alfonsa, the aunt, is getting in the way of their relationship. Though she paid for him to get out of jail, she has forbidden him to ever see Alejandra again, or the other way around I guess. John Grady would do anything for that girl, and she is deeply in love with him too. I think it was smart of Alejandra to tell her father about her affair with John Grady on her own, but why would he disown her like that? It sounds to me like the relationship between Cole and Alejandra will have to come to an end, even though I wish it didn't. I am exited to read the rest, and really have no clue how the book will end.

This Week in A Northern Light

One of Mattie's good friends is names Minne, and Mattie goes over to her house to tell her that she has been accepted to College. When she enters, she finds that Minnie has started to go into labor, and that the midwife is hard at work in her delivery. Minnie is a mess, and Mattie helps comfort her and deliver the babies as well. After a long time in labor, the babies are born. To everyones surprise, twins, a boy and a girl, are delivered. Then, Minnie's husband comes home in shock. Mattie envies the love that these two share, and questions whether its better to be in love or to have an education. She says shes never seen both. In the next chapter, we get a glimpse of Mattie's dad. Mattie has fallen asleep on the couch with her composition book, and her father wonders were she got the money. He beats her for it when she tells him she used some extra money to buy it. Later, Mattie goes to her Aunt's house. She asks her Aunt if possibly she would lend her money to go to college. The Aunt calls her selfish, and asks if shes out of her mind. Mattie's hopes of going to college are slimming. The following day, Mattie goes to the Loomis's house as her cow has broken through their fence. She is aided in retrieving the cow from Royal, and when walking her home, he kisses her and cups her breast. Though she yells at him, it is obvious that she likes it and is in love with Royal. In the next chapter, a quick glance to the future is portrayed as Mattie is working at the Glenmore. She is having trouble getting to sleep while thinking of the young girl who they retrieved from the bottom of the lake. Back into the past, Mattie and her best friend Weaver are walking home from school, and stop at the train station that Weaver's mother works at selling food from a cart. A man who must be from the south orders Weaver to take his bags, calling him a darky. Weaver is greatly offended and makes a scene kicking the mans bag. Royal interrupts, and offers Mattie a ride home. He doesn't make a move on her, as his little brothers are in the back seat, and Mattie is relived and disappointed at the same time. I truly home that Mattie gets the chance to go to college, and am realizing the lack of opportunity women have in this time period.

O Brother Where Art Thou

I forgot to comment on O Brother after we watched it. I truly enjoyed the movie, and did indeed see similarities to The Odyssey. Everett, Pete, and Delmer were a good match. They kind of reminded me of the three amigos. The parallels The Odyssey were great: the lotus eaters to the religious group being washed away of their sins, the sirens to the ladies washing themselves in the lake, and the cyclops to the man with the eye patch were cleaver yet easy to see. Both the epic poem as well as the film followed the Hero Quest pattern as well. I am glad the evil mayor was exposed and discarded by the people. Tommy was also a good addition to the group of amigos, and I thought his role in the soggy bottom boys was essential. Their hit song in constant sorrow was amazing, and I wonder if George Clooney can actually sing. I liked the ending, as Everett got his wife Penny back, who by the way is the voice of the mom in the Incredibles, but I didn't understand why she had been so hard on him at first. I thought it was kind of opposite to Penelope who mourned her husband for a very long time, and told no one that he was dead until the near end of his journey. I very much enjoy watching movies in school and hope to view another film soon.

Mattie Gokey

Mattie Gokey, from A Northern Light, is a very interesting protagonist. She is very determined, as she has stayed in school much longer than the average kid. She has also worked hard to receive a full scholarship at Colombia University. Responsible is another word I would use to describe Mattie. She has become the head of the household next to her dad as her brother left, and her mother died. She does everything around the house from making dinner, looking after her sisters, being a farm hand, and doing the grocery shopping. She is determined, but also realistic. She realizes that the chances of her going to college are slim to none. Her father needs her help around the house, and she is the only one capable of providing that assistance. I truly hope Mattie is able to pursue her biggest hopes and dreams of attending Columbia University. She deserves it over anyone, and needs a degree to truly make something of herself.