User:Morvz/sandbox

THIS IS MY SANDBOX

THERE ARE MANY LIKE IT BUT THIS ONE IS MY OWN

Plot Summary
After losing his job as a bridge-builder, Hallie's father suffers from depression and fits of anger, which sends Hallie into isolation.

Themes
· Communication: Communication is central to the text. The majority of the characters are stilted, or lacking, in their conversation, which denies Hallie an outlet for her issues.

· Detachment: The characters exhibit distance in their communications with Hallie. They are possessed by issues that cloud the importance of the other people in their lives.

· Relationships: Relationships are important to Hallie, but they aren't fulfilling. The novel illustrates a young child's need for relationships in his or her life.

· Nature: The processes of nature serve as a backdrop to the unnatural constriction of Hallie's home life. Animals are displayed in their natural settings, seen communicating with each other, and using their instincts to live their lives.

Characters
· Hallie: Daughter of Jim, and protagonist of the story. She suffers from lack of communication with her mother and father, and struggles with growing up in an atmosphere where she cannot discuss her distress.

· Crane Henderson: High school freshman, interested in Hallie. He talks to her frequently, and serves as one of the only characters who can communicate with her.

· Louise: Hallie's mother. Similar to her father, she is somewhat distant as well.

· Jude: Hallie's best friend from school.

· Shelley: Hallie's sister, away at college. She is also a distant figure in her life.

· Jim: Hallie's father, who lost his job building the bridge and suffers from depression as a result. He is distant and uncommunicative, and spends his time submerging himself within television, radio, and other diversions. He is prone to bursts of anger, and is a volatile source of anxiety within the family.

Symbols
· Bridges: The unfinished bridge is a source of frustration for Hallie's father. It causes him to become distant and uncommunicative. The symbol of the unfinished bridge not only causes the domestic stress and disconnect, but it represents the disconnect between Hallie and the people in her life.

· Birds: The communications and nests of birds are antithetical to Hallie's home life, which is void of meaningful communication, as well as a nourishing domestic space, which the nest is representative of.

· Telephones: Telephone use is somewhat heavy throughout the text, furthering the theme of communication. Characters talk on the phone superficially, which demonstrates the further decay of communication that takes place within the text.