of love and dust
From Dust to Gone
By Steven P.
“Of Love and Dust” by Earnest Gaines, details the dramatic story of a young man who clashes with the system that he is illustrated into. Marcus Payne, once imprisoned for killing a man with a knife, has been bonded out of jail and sent to do work on a plantation. Jim Kelly “our narrator” was grudgingly assigned to watch over him by his godmother Miss Julie. On the plantation belonging to a Marshall Hebert, Marcus immediately begins to clash with Sydney Bonbon-the white overseer- while working in the fields. Their conflict becomes the bases of the story as each man, not realizing what they have in common, subconsciously try to prove their superiority over the other; Sydney Bonbon by constantly harassing Marcus in the fields, and Marcus by attempting to first seduce Bonbons mistress and lover Pauline, and then his wife Louise. As the plantation witnesses the events, Jim tell us the story as he see it and as others see it.
Gaines uses the character development and growth as the story progresses to communicate more efficiently to us, the strength of the effect Marcus has on the plantation, the inhabitants and thus, our narrator Jim. Gaines purposely depicts the characters in the light he does, so that as the story continues, we are able to analyze their change in diction, and actions as we progress to the end of the novel. As these characters go through mood alterations at the presence of Marcus we see some of them come to understand and appreciate the value he brings to the fields. Gaines depicts Jim’s character as he does so that Jim is able to develop a certain amount of ethos with the reader. If the character were too old, he would have the experience of an older generation, and thus his mentality would have been harder to change. If the character were too young Marcus would be able to relate all too well to him, and there would be no type of mind set change. But with Jim being thirty three years old, he has experienced a
By Steven P.
“Of Love and Dust” by Earnest Gaines, details the dramatic story of a young man who clashes with the system that he is illustrated into. Marcus Payne, once imprisoned for killing a man with a knife, has been bonded out of jail and sent to do work on a plantation. Jim Kelly “our narrator” was grudgingly assigned to watch over him by his godmother Miss Julie. On the plantation belonging to a Marshall Hebert, Marcus immediately begins to clash with Sydney Bonbon-the white overseer- while working in the fields. Their conflict becomes the bases of the story as each man, not realizing what they have in common, subconsciously try to prove their superiority over the other; Sydney Bonbon by constantly harassing Marcus in the fields, and Marcus by attempting to first seduce Bonbons mistress and lover Pauline, and then his wife Louise. As the plantation witnesses the events, Jim tell us the story as he see it and as others see it.
Gaines uses the character development and growth as the story progresses to communicate more efficiently to us, the strength of the effect Marcus has on the plantation, the inhabitants and thus, our narrator Jim. Gaines purposely depicts the characters in the light he does, so that as the story continues, we are able to analyze their change in diction, and actions as we progress to the end of the novel. As these characters go through mood alterations at the presence of Marcus we see some of them come to understand and appreciate the value he brings to the fields. Gaines depicts Jim’s character as he does so that Jim is able to develop a certain amount of ethos with the reader. If the character were too old, he would have the experience of an older generation, and thus his mentality would have been harder to change. If the character were too young Marcus would be able to relate all too well to him, and there would be no type of mind set change. But with Jim being thirty three years old, he has experienced a