Fighting for any kind of social equality or radical change often requires great personal sacrifice. Elsa is resilient, and readers will be drawn to her devotion to her children and her tireless efforts to keep her family well, efforts that bring her to pack them up and head west. How have the Dust Bowl and going west been treated by the American imagination (perhaps in song or cinema)? Her love of the Martinelli farmas well as the Martinellis themselvesbuttresses her in times of hardship. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. Weltys company store overcharges for food and supplies and keeps its workers forever in debt. A testament to hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity,The Four Windsis an indelible portrait of America and the American dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation. The Four Winds was published in February of 2021 and immediately hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstore's bestseller lists. How does the treatment of migrants in California during the Great Depression mirror the treatment of immigrants today? Elsa oversleeps the next morning, waking to find the entire Martinelli family has eaten breakfast and is busy with farm chores. A solitary child unused to the company of others, Elsa learns the power of having a support network, a lesson reinforced by Jean Dewey and other migrants in the squatters camp. Then, slowly, he closed the door behind him. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows. Elsa is likewise drawn to Jacks forceful personality, but she sees his ideas as dangerous. Few things can break a womans heart like motherhood. Edit: Someone in the comments mentioned that its mentioned at some point that people in that area pronounced drought as DROW-TH at that time in that case, I love that the narrator included it in the audiobook! Book club questions for The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah takes a deep dive into all the major events and character development in this epic read. Discussion Questions: 1. Indeed, she only ends up marrying Rafe as a result of a surprise pregnancy. There were times in my journey when it felt as if that penny and the hope it represented were the only things that kept me going. (1) What is the significance of the fact that it is an American penny? How does motherhood strengthen a woman? Elsa is reluctant to leave Texas, as she has found the only true happiness she has ever known on the Martinelli farm. Is it simply sex and loneliness? Would you have had the courage to do the same? It is likely that readers of The Four Winds, which arrived on Feb. 2, wont be able to imagine this story told any other way, so strong a character is Elsa as she fights for survival and finds her own strength in a tale that reaches from the Dust Bowl to the migrant camps of Californias Central Valley in the mid-1930s. Elsa falls in love with a union organizer and helps to organize a strike against their bosses, but gets shot by the farm boss. Their relationship, though short-lived, makes Elsa feel truly loved by a man for the first time in her life, and she acknowledges that Jacks passion and desire for her have made her a stronger person. The locals treat them badly, are afraid of them. What good came from all this unexpressed longing? Overtones of America's present political struggles echo throughout the novel's events. See the archives. Throughout the drought, Tony continues to work hard and plant seasonal crops in hopes that rain will come and nourish the land again. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything. Sturdy. Comparing the devastation of the farm to the hardships of the camps, what do you think was harder for Elsa and the family? The phrase "four winds" is used principally to describe the whole of the earth or heaven. However, she puts her duties as a mother ahead of all else, and she knows that she must leave in order to protect Ant. Spoiler Alert:Please note that the discussion guide below contain spoilers to the book. Rafe, has become distant and something of a hard drinker, and after he abandons them, Elsa reluctantly leaves with her children for California with the promise of steady work. And a dog named Buddy. Eventually, Elsa finds work picking cotton, and between the work and government relief money, she is able to eke out an existence. It also occurred to me while reading it that, given the strong and complicated mother-daughter relationship in this book, that this could be a great mothers day gift or a good book give to your mom to read together, if youre looking for an activity to do with them remotely. What books influenced you when you were growing up? Aka: Two Guns. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the newcomers lack of preparation and dwindling resources. It becomes apparent that there is no way to ever crawl out from under the debt burden, especially when Welty systematically cuts wages. She feels restless and destined for spinsterhood. Did they impact your perception of the characters? Should Elsa have agreed to go with him? The Four Winds is divided up into four sections, each detailing events from (roughly) that year. Although the story dragged along, the ending was abrupt and I felt, cobbled together. A gangly, awkward spinster with no self-confidence, Elsa is forced by her circumstances to find the strength and courage she never knew she had and confront a life marred by seemingly endless tragedy. Embittered by their terrible luck in California, Loreda resolves to take her mothers body back to Texas and bury her on the farm, in the land she grew to love. Hope you enjoyed book club questions for The Four Winds! In Kristin Hannahs recently released The Four Winds (published February 2, 2020), Elsa is a woman trying to raise two children on a Texas farm as they watch the lands dry out and as relentless dust storms ravage everything in sight. She and Jack fall in love as they help to plan a strike. She had to believe there was grit in her, even if it had never been tested or revealed. (9) This sentence highlights Elsas essentially hopeful nature, even though she doesnt believe in herself. Although the darkness that is present in much of America literature e.g. Ant experienced extreme sickness from the impacts of the dust storms, which finally forces Elsa to make the decision to move the family to California. Jack calls Elsa a warrior. Loreda climbs the windmill to grieve, and when Elsa tries to comfort her, Loreda won't accept her love and sadness. Before Elsa dies, she asks Jack to take her kids home to Texas. She is enthralled by Jacks charisma and the devotion of his fellow organizers to the cause of fair pay. She begins the novel thinking that shes weak, thinking that shes uneducated, and unlovable, she says. And you couple that with the reality of the impacts of climate change. It is Rose who supports Elsa through her years on the farm, offering wise counsel about how to deal with Rafe, how to raise children, and how to cope with grief. Q&A with Sarah Penner, Author of The Lost Apothecary. What do Jack and the Communist union organizers offer the migrant workers, and Loreda in particular? They say that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. What does she learn by becoming a mother? Texas, 1921. Elsa is 25, and her parents, wealthy members of the local social scene, consider her too old and too plain for marriage, relegating her to the status of spinster. Over the course of their time in the ditch encampment, Jean becomes Elsas first real friend, and Elsa credits that friendship with giving her the strength to endure the many hardships she faces in California. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. What does she learn about motherhood from Rose? ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. However, after Rafe abandons his family, it becomes clear that he is a cowardly man who does not know how to put his dreams into action. What bonds Loreda and her father? I wrote it for at least a year, and Elsa was kind of a peripheral character, Hannah says. With your friends? (The Detailed Plot Summary is also available, below), (The one-paragraph version: During the Dust Bowl in the Texas Panhandle, Elsa Wolcott is a woman who dreams of going to college, but gets pregnant instead and has two kids. He's taught one or two classes a semester in the journalism and mass communications department at Cal State Long Beach since 2006. Why does the Martinelli family stay under such brutal conditionsthe heat, the dust storms, the lack of food, and the dying livestock? For Hannah, that vindicates the decision to place Elsa at the center of the story, which like her 2015 bestseller The Nightingale, a novel about the women of the French Resistance during World War II, focuses on an epic story about women set against the backdrop of history. Elsa is a dutiful, hardworking woman who always does her best for her family. She is eventually picked up by Jack Valen, a union organizer who takes Loreda to a union meeting. Loreda is initially cold toward her mother, as she blames her for her fathers growing depression. There will be spoilers so for more context about the book, check out my spoiler-free review first. In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinellilike so many of her neighborsmust make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. In the Epilogue, in 1940, Loreda has been living in Texas. Her daughter, Loreda, returns home to Texas. However, these dreams are never realized, as Jean dies of typhoid in the ditch camp. The level of hope and resilience and love for the land that that shows to me is just inspiring, Hannah says. Jean and Jeb Deweyand their four childrenare fellow migrants that Elsa befriends at the ditch campsite. Unlike any other person in her life, he made her feel valued. Meanwhile, her parents-in-law sweep and sweep, trying to rid the house of ever-accumulating dust. Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. Years later, when Loreda is 18, she bids a final farewell to Elsa and the farm as she heads back to California to attend college, the fulfillment of her mothers most important wish. Mr. Welty is a wealthy plantation owner in the San Joaquin Valley of California. She would never fall in love, never have a child of her own. (8) Literature is, quite honestly, the opening of a door. At the prospect of needing governmental assistance? Americans. You can order the book on Amazon here. Tony is proud of his land, and he is convinced that it will provide for him and his family so long as he continues to nurture it. Anas pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Romes occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. This story, about family, love, & struggle during the Dust Bowl, captivated my interest from start to finish! One day, Rafe abandons them with only a note. How did she finally come to understand her mother and her choices through a new lens? The story is set during the Dust Bowl period a few years after . Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. How do Elsas and Loredas actions embody this idea? Hannah mixes in a variety of historical facts as she tells this familys story and show the technology progressing in that era. Rafe is unhappy, drinks heavily and dreams of going West to pursue new opportunities. My land tells its story if you listen. When Elsa is swept off her feet by Rafe Martinelli, an 18-year-old son of a local farmer, their romantic affair leaves Elsa pregnant. Were different voices and tones used effectively? The last date is today's It is his optimism and childish sense of wonder that inspires Loreda and Elsa to remain strong, and they are both fiercely protective of Ant. How did this treatment impact her later relationships and her search for love? Unlike Elsas birth mother, who only viewed Elsa as sickly and deficient, Rose teaches her how to be strong and capable, instilling in her the importance of hard work and family. The pandemic-fueled economic collapse is often compared to the Depression. The town's teacher. They would die of thirst and hunger before theyd give that up. (76) Do you think this attitude is a common thread in those who across generations have come to chase the American Dream? Why is it a risk to associate with them and what is Elsas hesitation? How is the modern world different? Meanwhile, Loreda, now 13, grows dissatisfied with their life and her mothers inability to move them out of the camp. Rafe's abandonment of his family is based on a widespread phenomenon that occurred during the Dust Bowl era, as increasingly destitute and desperate men abandoned their families in order to. That hope is quickly dashed when they encounter discrimination, a lack of jobs, and the reality of life in a muddy squatters camp. The second date is today's Graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore. with degrees in English and Communications. The events in the book reflect a sense of pioneering spirit and resilience that is bespoke with determination, love for self, love for family, survival, and the American Dream. Why do you think Loreda decides to decisively shoot Milo, a horse that she loves?
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