Why do you think Loreda takes on her fathers mindset instead of her mothers? Rafe is her only surviving child, and she admits to having spoiled him as a result. While Rafe runs away from those responsibilities, Elsa faces them head-on. Gia: Composto: Rafe's fianc. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the newcomers lack of preparation and dwindling resources. 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. "Hope is a coin I carry. She is enthralled by Jacks charisma and the devotion of his fellow organizers to the cause of fair pay. The adolescent years can be especially difficult on mothers and daughters. However, these dreams are never realized, as Jean dies of typhoid in the ditch camp. 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. There will be spoilers so for more context about the book, check out my spoiler-free review first. After a year I just sort of gave in and threw away most of what I had done, she says. Did you expect him to leave? What did you think of Elsa as a character, and did your perception of Elsa shift throughout the novel? I hold The Nightingale as Kristin Hannahs best work but this one does come a very close second. In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsalike so many of her neighborsmust make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family. The Martinellis farm, which previously yielded plentiful supplies of wheat, dies under the scorching sun. The past few years have been difficult, with the Great Depression, an on-going drought and frequent dust storms ravaging the lands. (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. eNotes.com, Inc. Rafe dreams of leaving for the big city, but does his duty. Elsas character arc follows a well-worn path, although no less engaging for its familiarity. At the heart of many of those texts lay the twin passions for land and family that undergird much of the narrative of The Four Winds.. However, Tonys tenacity eventually proves fruitful, as the land recovers with the help of the new farming techniques instituted by the Conservation Commission. She and Jack fall in love as they help to plan a strike. And through her marriage, which turns out to be difficult, the embracing of her in-laws and motherhood and becoming a farm wife, she really goes through this journey where she becomes fearless and a warrior. Americans. With your friends? Books became Elsas escape, and she carries a deep love of reading with her throughout her life. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Four Winds : A Novel by Kristin Hannah (2023, Trade Paperback) at the best online prices at eBay! An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything. I started it almost four years ago, and obviously, I had no idea how timely and relevant it would feel to come out at this moment, Hannah says. "Hope is a coin I carry. Loreda says theyre like a plant that can only grow in one place. Lets discuss what Loreda is saying here. The main characters in The Four Winds include Elsa Martinelli, Loreda Martinelli, and Jack Valen. As the situation worsens, Elsa is forced to make a decision to stay and fight or leave for the uncertain and unfamiliar lands in the West. Hannah is the author of more than 20 novels, including the bestsellers Winter Garden, Night Road, and Firefly Lane. The audiobook runs 15 hours. Elsa grieved daily for the loss of that closeness with her firstborn. 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? All 68 characters in The Four Winds are listed by chapter with character descriptions included. "The Four Winds" is epic and transporting, a stirring story of hardship and love that is likely to lead to a film adaptation (Hannahs previous best-selling novel, "The Nightingale," is getting a film adaptation later this year starringDakota and Elle Fanning). Lets talk the impact of Elsas pregnancy on all parties involved. Its a book about determination, love for ones family and for oneself, the fight to survive and the American Dream. After a grueling journey across the Mohave Desert, Elsa finally reaches the lush fields of Californias San Joaquin Valley, and she is hopeful for the first time in months. However, she does not let her experiences in California break her spirit or prevent her from living life to the fullest, and she carries both her fathers dreams and her mothers hopes with her as she becomes the first Martinelli to attend college. How difficult is it to defy both family and society in a small town? She engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. How does the treatment of migrants in California during the Great Depression mirror the treatment of immigrants today? In 1920s America, there was significant prejudice against Italians; we see that prejudice in Elsas own family. After the family arrives in California, Elsa feels a mounting sense of guilt as Ant is continuously forced to take on more adult responsibilities, including picking cotton instead of attending school. What do you think prompts the changes in her behavior or in their relationship? For more detail, see the full Chapter-by-Chapter Summary. He is a cheerful, playful boy who helps maintain his familys spirits with his carefree innocence. It had resurrected all the insecurities of childhood.". Elsa finds that the hard work of farming agrees with her, but Rafes dreams lie elsewhere. At the prospect of needing governmental assistance? There, Elsa discovers a tight community of fellow migrants, and she befriends Jean Dewey, who shares resources and survival tips. I enjoyed The Great Alone and The Nightingale, Ill have to check this one out! Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. It is Rafes closeness with Loreda that turns her against her mother, as she comes to view Elsa as the one holding her father back from achieving his dreams. Jack drives them to Texas, and Elsa is buried in the family cemetery. I think thats when it really became the story I was meant to tell, and the story I want people to read.. Fighting for any kind of social equality or radical change often requires great personal sacrifice. Expectations for their future were sharply defined. . A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Last Updated on June 9, 2021, by eNotes Editorial. 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. They lived in a dugout shelter for several years as Tony learned how to work their land (implied to have been obtained via one of the Homestead Acts of the early twentieth century), eventually becoming successful farmers. Do they intend to exclude Elsa, whom they perceive as just a workhorse? She has the capacity to dream big and embrace change like her father, but she also has her mothers stubborn determination and fierce protective drive. The second date is today's With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows. Before she departs, Rose and Tony announce they won't be going. Despite Elsas promise that their stay in the camp is only temporary, the scarcity of work and the meager wages force them to settle in for the long haul. How are the workers exploited on the Welty farm in The Four Winds? Or losing their land? How do you think these perceptions have changed over time? Businesses have been devastated and so many people have lost work. Have you seen it at work in other people? Thank you Kristin for hours of enjoyment while listening to The Four Winds! 1. When a flash flood hits the migrant camp, everyone there, including the Martinellis, lose everything. Elsas parents view her as a sickly and unlovable person. Loreda longs to leave as well, and she prefers her father's dreams to her mother's dreary, joyless work ethic. Jean and Jeb Deweyand their four childrenare fellow migrants that Elsa befriends at the ditch campsite. Rose Martinelli shows Elsa to her new roomRafe's bedroom; he will sleep in the barn until they are marriedwhile Rafe vows to try to be a good husband. Elsa ends up doing seasonal field work for larger farms. Going into the novel, I had wondered how much of the trip from Texas to California would be covered. By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. With biting dialogue that holds nothing back, The Four Winds is classic in its artistry. Her 2015 novel The Nightingale was voted a best book of the year by The Wall Street Journal, Library Journal, Buzzfeed, and The Week. Why do you think Elsa is reluctant at first to go to the relief office or stand in the food line when they arrive in California? Does anyone know where that may be on the web? The catalyst for her decision is the death of her best friend, Jean Dewey, who dies from typhoid in a roadside encampment. Uncertain and scared, Elsa reluctantly leaves with just Art and Loreda. Should Elsa have agreed to go with him? 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. Although the story dragged along, the ending was abrupt and I felt, cobbled together. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. Elsa, fearing the violence will break the strikers spirits, picks up Jacks megaphone and exhorts the workers to stay united. By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. She would never fall in love, never have a child of her own. (8) Literature is, quite honestly, the opening of a door. She becomes a farmer with her husband's family, though he leaves them, and they struggle with the unending drought. Elsa and Rafe now also have a son, Anthony ("Ant"), 7. Why is land so important to that dream? Elsa uses her voice to speak out against the oppressors. And a dog named Buddy. 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. Do you think the way Elsa sees Loreda is accurate? How did this treatment impact her later relationships and her search for love? She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret. If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ($2, $3, or $5) or joining the Patreon! date the date you are citing the material. With a new sense of direction, Loreda no longer wants to run away and goes home. I was much more interested in their lives in California and how they would try to make it work. Do you have sympathy for how broken he felt by the poverty and hardship? Unloved by her family, she falls for the sweet words of Rafe, a younger man who woos her but is not ready for the responsibility of fatherhood. Hope is a coin I carry. After a rough childhood with parents who didnt love her, she met Rafe Martinelli, the soulful and handsome son of Italian immigrants. There are greater forces in the world than love and dedication, however. At last, the choice she has struggled with for monthsto stay on the farm or try her luck in Californiahas been made for her. How do the characters in the book react in the face of poverty? After falling ill during her childhood, Elsa was told she had a weak heart, and her family kept her isolated. What lessons can be learned from this time in history. Sturdy. ahh awesome thank you! The harsh realities that await the family in the San Joaquin Valley further strain Loredas relationship with her mother, whom she lashes out at in order to relieve her own dissatisfaction and guilt over their circumstances. In yourself? If youre looking for a feel good type of book. The doctor says he must leave to survive, so Elsa packs up the household into the car. In 1936, Jean goes into labor, but the hospital refuses to admit migrants like her, and the baby is stillborn. Conversely, do you think the way Loreda sees Elsa is accurate? Prejudice: In California, the Martinellis face the dehumanizing prejudice . T he main themes in The Four Winds are prejudice, love and family, and the American dream.. Rose Martinelli is Rafes mother and Elsas mother-in-law. Why do you think that is? Her daughter, Loreda, returns home to Texas. 20 Best Book Club Books for 2022 (New & Anticipated), Best Mystery & Thriller Books for 2022 (New & Anticipated), 20 Best Books with Asian American Protagonists (for Adults), Persephone by Madeline Miller: What We Know, Books to Movies & TV in 2022: 25+ Adaptations Coming Soon, Your email address will not be published. What books influenced you when you were growing up? We plant, we tend, we harvest. Jack has a strong sense of justice, and he uses it to fight for those who lack the social capital to fight for themselves. It is men like Mr. Welty that Jack and the Workers Alliance are attempting to stand up against. It was published in 2021. Rafe and Loreda are described as two peas in a pod, and they share both a similar look and temperament. I also thought it was charming that at the heart of the story is a mother-daughter relationship. Mr. Welty is a wealthy plantation owner in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Amazon Barnes & Noble Bookshop Books-a-Million, Kindle B&N NOOK Apple Books eBooks.com Google Play Kobo. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Reading The Four Winds, its impossible not to notice parallels between the fictional past and factual present. Kristin Hannahs new novel The Four Winds is a historical epic about about a woman finding the strength to keep her family going during the hard times of the Dust Bowl and the Depression in Texas and California. So even the 30s were so long ago, I think people will see some of our societys current problems made an appearance then as well. The cynical part of me thinks that this book overly optimistic when it comes to the kindness of strangers and some of the plot occurrences rely on people just happening to be in the right place at the right time. Was there anything surprising about the audiobook edition? Jack eventually finds Elsa and her family a permanent residence on Welty Farms, but Elsa soon discovers that its not the boon she expected. Rafe opened the door and stood in the opening, his face dusty. Both Rafe and their daughter Loreda are dreamers and believe theres more to life than just the farm. The police lob tear gas, and Weltys thugs beat Jack senseless. The encampment has a range of luxuries that most migrant camps do not have, such as solid walls, electricity, and an on-site school. After 1936/37 did work pulling cotton improve for the workers? It is changing, slowly, and womens courage and determination and victories are being brought to light. He grew up, in order, in California, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oregon. Did he make it to California? Did we learn from previous generations? A time of abundance. When he loses yet another job, he makes the impulsive decision to move his wife and daughter north where they will live off the grid in Americas last true frontier. . Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail and water dries up and the earth cracks open. Why does the Martinelli family stay under such brutal conditionsthe heat, the dust storms, the lack of food, and the dying livestock? The accent she does for the dialogue parts is more southern than Texan (where the characters are from), and it slips in and out at times, but I cant imagine that most people will notice or care. The "four winds" encompass all directions or the " four corners of the earth ": north, south, east, and west ( Jeremiah 49:36; Matthew 24:31 ). Tony and Rose were the kind of people who expected life to be hard and had become tougher to survive. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. What did you think about the ending and Loreda returning back to California to attend college? A first-person narrator announces, "Hope is a coin I carry.". Anas pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Romes occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. The two women often fantasize about better times, and they promise to go dancing and drink gin together someday when their situations have improved. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. What happened to Rafe? She feels restless and destined for spinsterhood. Elsa thought the childrens grandparents would join them on the journey but they refuse to leave behind the land. 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. Before she started writing, Hannah says she did extensive research in order to be as accurate as possible about the history and the people about which she planned to write. Why is it a risk to associate with them and what is Elsas hesitation? Elsa falls in love with a union organizer and helps to organize a strike against their bosses, but gets shot by the farm boss. Although she is initially ambivalent about Elsa, she comes to genuinely care for her, viewing her as the daughter she never had. However, as time passes, Loreda comes to appreciate Elsas quiet strength, and she begins to realize that it is Elsas parenting that has turned her into the sort of person who can fight for her dreams and ideals, unlike her ineffectual dreamer of a father. The Four Windsis a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through itthe harsh realities that divided us as a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the have-nots. He has dreams of moving to a big city. Courage is fear you ignore. Discuss this. She watches as the lands around her crack in their perpetually parched state and the hopelessness threatens to breaks the spirit of those around her. It is Jeans memory that inspires Elsa to commit to going on strike. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. Rafe is unhappy, drinks heavily and dreams of going West to pursue new opportunities. It binds us, one to another, as it has for generations. When Jeans baby dies in childbirth, Loredas anger at the inequity of their situation boils over, and she runs away. How does Elsa aim to fill his void, and why does she believe she loves him even after the abandonment? 1934: 6: Milo : The first time I heard it, I assumed it was a mistake, but the second time I started wondering if there are people out there who just pronounce it that way. Did Elsas married sisters survive? What does the Martinellis' lucky penny represent in The Four Winds? When she's finally able to leave with her kids, they become migrant workers in California -- which she quickly realizes is an exploitative system. Time and again, when life threatens to overwhelm her, Elsa finds strength in those around her. Instead, she meets and sleeps with Rafe Martinelli. In the 1930s, communism and socialism were on the rise, partially in response to the grinding poverty, joblessness, and despair. But we women of the Great Plains worked from sunup to sundown, too, toiled on wheat farms until we were as dry and baked as the land we loved. (1) The stories of women have largely gone undocumented throughout history, and this era is no different. How does one become American? While both these novels are survival stories, The Four Winds is the one Id recommend if youre on the fence between the two of them. by Kristin Hannah. Prior to his work with the Okies, he tried to help organize undocumented Mexican laborers. Did you find the end of Elsas and her familys journey satisfying? Does this idea resonate with you? How do Elsas and Loredas actions embody this idea? In 1935, the three of them embark on the ride towards California. 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. 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. Originally from Alabama, the Deweys were farmers, but they were forced to sell their land to the bank when the drought started. More broadly, he represents the capitalistic interests of the wealthy farm owners, who rely on exploitative labor practices to increase their profits. Most of the things that come up are facts that youd probably heard about in history class, but having it placed into the context of a vivid and expansive story really brought to life a time period that Ive never really spent much time thinking about. 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. Because its a reminder of the strength of the human spirit and our ability to not only survive hardship but to ultimately thrive, she says. Hear a sample of The Four Winds audiobook on Libro.fm. It is Jean who encourages Elsa to pursue a relationship with Jack, and she helps Elsa overcome some of her insecurities about her appearance. Her death is a breaking point for Elsa, who finally realizes that the cruelty and injustice the migrants have faced must be combatted rather than merely endured. As the drought worsens and the dust storms become more severe, Anthony, Elsa and Rafes son, becomes sick, eventually requiring hospitalization. When Elsa gets pregnant, her father disowns her, and Rafe's parents (Tony and Rose) tell him to marry Elsa. And so, Hannah says she steeled herself and made a fresh start. My land tells its story if you listen. This story, about family, love, & struggle during the Dust Bowl, captivated my interest from start to finish! We flash forward to 1934 and the farm is experiencing a severe drought. She believes that Elsa is the one inhibiting their dreams and does not understand how her mother can work so hard around the farm for so little payoff. Rose and Tonys ability to see beyond Elsas appearance and frailty enables Elsa to rise to meet their expectations, and she becomes a strong and capable farm wife. Follow along on Goodreads, or keep in touch via the newsletter. When word of a strike begins to spread, Mr. Welty implements increasingly cruel measures to ensure that his workers cannot organize, including rescinding their federal aid and installing a gun tower in the cotton fields. They have a complex relationship that develops and changes as the story progresses in ways that will challenge you to think about your own relationships. What has been glamorized, and what grittiness has been left out or effectively captured? From the number-one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes a powerful American epic about love and heroism and hope, set during the Great Depression, a time when the country was in crisis and at war with itself, when millions were out of work and even the land seemed to have turned against them. What do you think drives Loredas anger throughout the book? All of that hardship, its remarkable and its inspiring, Hannah says. 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 two protagonists of the book, Elsa and Loreda, are both fully drawn and compelling characters.
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