Greetings Everyone!!!
The first time I had read Broken Ground I was fascinated by the reworkings of a new life for these people on Vancouver Island. I liked the roles that the women took and how their roles were not controlled by the social norms that would have been expected of them from the main land. I also enjoyed the raw nature of Vancouver Island and how it shaped them into a strong group that learned to work together and become a part of each other's lives, dependent of each other.
The second time reading this novel my thoughts were a little darker. The land they are fighting to reshape has metaphorically represented the land that some had fought for, a dark memory of conquoring their homes once again.
One of my favorite imageries was the image of the boys in the pond watching the forest burn down all around them. This imagery must conjure up dark memories of the battles fought, how buildings were burned down and everything that they had once relied upon soon crashed to the ground into a pile of rubble.
Broken Ground recreates a war and metaphorically symbolises the rise and fall of nations, the rebuilding of societies, the different effects of older and younger generations, and the alliances made through sheer desperation.
I wonder now, what my third impression of this novel will be.
Aldea
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2 comments:
Hi Aldea!
I agree with you completely. The first time around, the reader is impacted by the sense of community that these strangers build, depending on each other. The second time, the reader is able to get past (for lack of a better word) the 'superficial' aspects and dig deeper into the underlying themes and messages.
anne :-)
Aldea - I agree: I also see "layers" in this story, and wonder how far I should "dig", like the boys pushing their mom's head under the water, against her will....
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