73
B. Data Analysis
The data that has been described above will be analyzed by using sociological analysis and mimetic theory by a Hungarian philosopher, Georg
Lukacs 1885-1971. In Lucaks’s theory Endraswara:2003, a literary work does not only portray the phenomena of life, and closely it can be a photograph of “life
process” in the world. And here these the explanations about social life in
Grisham’s “A Painted House” and its reflection in rural America of the twentieth century:
1. The Social Problems of Rural Arkansas in Grisham’s “A Painted House”.
In Grisham’s “A Painted House” there are social problems such as poverty, labor and social status, which are phenomenal in rural Arkansas. The
term of social problem has been defined by Soekanto 1993: “suatu keadaan di mana cita-cita warga masyarakat, tidak terpenuhi karena keadaan sosial dalam
masyarakat.”
35
Therefore, the society has to find the right solution to overcome the social problems and create the life harmony as good as possible.
In the novel, Luke’s family rent a field from the owner of the land. They had been trying to own the land, though they had to work hard and helped by the
labors. Mostly the farmers became sharecropper, who had not own the land and split their cash crops to the owner of land as an agreement. And it needed many
years to own the land.
35
Soerjono Soekanto, Kamus Sosiologi, Edisi Baru, Jakarta: PT RajaGrafindo Persada, 1993, p.345
74 Renting a field was the effort of the farmers to survive in rural area. As the
renter of land, Luke’s family worked in the field almost every day and they were helped by the hill people and the Mexicans, who worked as the labors. Thus,
Luke’s family got the income form the crop which was harvested in every year. So, they could hire the labors and pay the bills.
“The only farmers who made money were those who owned their land. The renters, like us, tired to break even. The sharecroppers had it the
worst and were doomed to eternal poverty.” Grisham, 2001:25
“The Latchers were sharecroppers who lived no more than a mile from our house, but they might as well have been in another county. They run-
down shack was in a bend of the river, with elms and willows touching the roof and cotton growing almost to the front porch. There was no grass
around the house, just a ring of dirt where a horde of little Latchers played.”
Grisham, 2001:121 Luke’s family life in rural Arkansas was fairly normal; however, he had a
sharecropper neighbor that lived a mile from his house; they were the Latchers. Their life was so apprehensive, there was no grass in front of the house, no garden
to be growth and their house was not painted. Sometimes they separated form the other farmers and wasted time with their family.
The condition of Latcher’s family describes the American life in rural area of the twentieth century. The people worked hard for many days to get enough
income and survive in rural area. The agriculture systems are the choice for them to fulfill their need, and of course for paying their bills to the owner of gin.
Actually, these systems were applied as a post Civil War development, and it happened in the northeastern part of the state.
75 However, it was different from Luke’s family; Pappy was able to hire the
migrants to pick the cotton in the field. The hill people and the Mexicans annually migrated to Black Oak to search for jobs. They would be hired by the farmers to
help them for picking the cotton in the field. Definitely, they worked so hard to earn the money and pretended to be poor people.
“The hill people had been migrating from the Ozarks for decades to pick cotton. Many of them owned their own homes and land, and quite often
they had nicer vehicles than the farmers who hired them for the harvest. They worked very hard, saved their money, and appeared to be as poor as
we were.”
Grisham, 2001:15 In America, the hill people has migrated from the Ozarks region of
Arkansas; it is located in the extreme northern and western portions of the state. This area is marked by flat-topped mountains, or plateaus, which have been
eroded over millions of years. Because of the diversity of the Arkansas landscape, the state has long been fragmented, or divided. For instance, the hill people of the
Ozarks and Ouachitas are much different than the farmers of the Delta.
36
Previously, the producing of cotton in rural Arkansas was not satisfied for the farmers; because in 1950 the migration of the hill people had slowed.
However, the effect of postwar brought them over to seek for the jobs in rural Arkansas as the labors. Accordingly, the parts of hill people brought their family
along to be hired by the farmers to pick cotton in the field. “By 1950 the migration had slowed. The postwar boom had finally
trickled down to Arkansas, at least to some portions of state, and the
36
Anonymous, Delta Arkansas, Geography. Accessed on August 31, 2007. http:www.deltaculturalcenter.comgeography p.2
76 younger hill people didn’t need the extra money as badly as their parents.
They simply stayed at home. Picking cotton was not something anyone would volunteer to do. The farmers faced a labor shortage that gradually
grew worse; then somebody discovered the Mexicans.” Grisham,
2001:16 The migrations of the hill people and the Mexicans gave a change for
social life in rural Arkansas, where the newcomers could spread the culture out or involved the people’s culture. However, they had to follow the people activities as
immigrants in rural area. And this case would be existed as long as they stayed with the farmers and worked hard in the field.
Historically, the labors came to America for years ago. The people used their energy to work at the certain places, such as industry or rural area. In the
rural South of America, the labors were employed to help the farmers work at agriculture area. They signed the contract of employment and begin to work with
the farmers as good as possible. Occasionally, the labors were treated unnaturally. When the Mexicans
came to the town, the board carried them away by the worn out truck like assemble of the cattle, they worked like dog, and owned a little time to rest.
“Those poor Mexicans. Haul ’em like cattle, work ’em like dogs, and their one day of rest was taken away while the owner hid in church.”
Grisham, 2001:161
However, Luke’s family treated them as human, because as Baptist he must love each other without seeing the employment. Although he could
experience his church doctrine; but he was not comfort with his unpainted house. It was revealed when Hank Spruill, one of the hill people underestimated him, in
77 which Luke’s house indicated his social status was lower than other farmers.
Luke’s house was built before World War I, when the indoor plumbing and electricity was not supplied yet. The front of his house was made from the
clapboards and Luke’s family had been living there for many years. There were many Luke’s unforgettable memories with his family. Unfortunately, the house
was not painted yet, and it became a problem for his family. “Our house had been built before the First War, back when indoor
plumbing and electricity were unheard of. Its interior was one-by-six clapboards made from oak, probably cut from the land we now farmed.
With time and weather the boards had faded into a pale brown, pretty much the same color as other farmhouses around Black Oak. Paint was
unnecessary. The boards were kept clean and in good repair, and besides, paint cost money.”
Grisham, 2001:76 The paint was being a problem for Luke’s house. As a result, his family
argued that paint was unnecessary. However, the “paint” was a sensitive word for the Chandlers. Until he found someone had been painting his house quietly, that
was Trot Spruill; the cripple son of the hill people that worked at his field. Of course, it was a Trot’s initiative to paint Luke’s house, after his oldest brother;
Hank Spruill pointed toward Luke’s unpainted house. The social status in rural America occurred while the people had
something different from the others. This issue was verily sensitive in the twentieth century, especially for the migrants who came to America. In this
decade, there were two people who stayed in this country; the Black and White America. Although the Black people came from another country, however they
had freedom and rights to live independently without discrimination.
78 By 1950 the failed crops in Arkansas, on that time; the flood destroyed the
farmer’s crops in the field. Therefore, the hill people and the Mexicans decided to leave the farm even they got a little money from the farmers. In spite of that, Luke
continued Trot’s work, before he went to Chicago with his parents to work at Buick factory. He sacrificed his dream, to own a new Cardinals jacket; he loved to
paint his house and made his family’s social status stable like other farmers. Even he spent his money to buy some paints and he did it by helping the Mexicans
before their leaving. From the description above, the social problems in rural Arkansas are
really dominant and apprehensive. The poverty has knocked the farmers down; parts of them have to be the sharecroppers, and they split the cash crop to the
owner of land. This reality must be experienced by the Latcher family, who lives with the poor condition; and decides to separate from other farmers.
The poverty that occurred in rural America has knocked the farmers down. They decide to get credit from the owner of gin and become the sharecroppers.
And the farm is the effort of people in rural area. It is the way to get income and survive with disability. Therefore, they work hard every day and will not stop in
searching for need. The presence of the hill people and the Mexican, who come to the town to
seek for the job erupts the exploitation of labor’s power in rural Arkansas. Sometimes, the farmers treat them unnaturally, and the labors must work hard in
the field almost every day like the slave. However, it is a way to survive and increase their income.
79 The arrival of migrants in the twentieth century to rural America will bring
the changes to that area. They live in rural area for many years and work as the labors of the farmer. Actually, it is not the right job for them; but they can be
sharecropper, although their life is not lucky like the other farmers who have an acre of land.
The painted house becomes a measure for their social status. It is revealed when Hank Spruill, one of the hill people’s son points toward Luke’s house. He
realizes that his family’s social status is lower than the other farmers. So, he moves to buy a can of paint and begins to continue Trot’s work, who has painted
his house quietly, and make Luke’s social status is stable. The social status which exists in rural America occurs between the White
and the Black people in the twentieth century. There is a distance between them, and the right of Black people is little bit disturbed. However, this is a serious
problem which has to be solved at that time. And it can be overcome if the White people respect them as human beings that live at the same area.
2. The Cultural Life of Rural Arkansas in Grisham’s “A Painted House”.
The term of culture has been already explained previously; it is “the total life way of a people”
, in which doing their activities together. As for 1940 there were nine cities with 10,000 or more residents and nearly 78 in 100 Arkansas
were still classed as rural.
37
37
Anonymous, The Encyclopedia Americana International Edition, Connecticut: Grolier Incorporated, 1829, p.314
80 In rural Arkansas, almost of the people were cotton farmers, who worked
hard though the weather bad for the crops of this year. “They were farmers, hardworking men who embraced pessimism only
when discussing the weather and the crops.” Grisham, 2001:1
“My father had been reading the almanac and offered the opinion that the weather would cooperate throughout the month of September. But mid-
October looked ominous. Bad weather was on the way.” Grisham,
2001:41 In Grisham’s novel, Pappy and Dad were the cotton farmers; they lived in
rural Arkansas with the family. However, they worried about the weather of the month; occasionally, it would be bad and became a problem for the crops.
However, they were always ready to get risk of failed crops of this year. As the young boy in the family, Luke helped them to pick cotton in the field, and earned
enough money to settle their debts. In America, the vast majority of rural counties depended on farming as
their primary source of income. The farmers produced the cotton in every year and it was able to give contribution for the country. And this even occurred in
rural America of the twentieth century. On that time, the farmers made the country better than last year.
Almost of rural Arkansas society were devotees of the sport, baseball. Luke’s family really liked baseball team; The St. Louis Cardinals, and it was
Luke’s favorite baseball team. The St. Louis Cardinals also referred to as the Cards or the Redbirds are a professional
baseball team based in
St. Louis, Missouri
. They are members of the Central Division
in the National League
of
81 Major League Baseball
. The Cardinals have won 10 World Series
, the most of any National League
team, and second only to the New York Yankees
in Major League Baseball, who have 26.
The Cardinals were founded in the American Association
in 1882 as the St. Louis Brown Stockings, taking the name from
an earlier National League team
. They joined the National League in 1892 and have been known as the Cardinals since 1900. The Cardinals began play in the current
Busch Stadium in
2006, becoming the first team since 1923 to win the World Series in their first season in a new ballpark. The Cardinals have a
strong rivalry with the
Chicago Cubs
that began in 1885.
38
While the America was involved in the Korean War and the Cold War in 1950s, the people were kept entertained through sports. The sports provided a
release from the problems of the world, where the fans could forget about their life problems and celebrated in the accomplishment of talented athletes. Thus,
they struggle to defend the nation’s honor, especially in the sports. Baseball
39
was a huge sport in the fifties. Many sports had not developed yet and were not broadcasted yet as much as baseball. At the moment, there were
38
Anonymous, St. Louis Cardinals, Wiki. Accessed on November 22, 2007 http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiSt_Louis_Cardinals, p.1
39
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal of baseball is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four
markers called bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond. Players on one team the offense take turns hitting while the other team the defense tries to stop them from
scoring runs by getting hitters out in any of several ways. A player on offense can stop at any of the bases and hope to score on a teammates hit. The teams switch between offense and defense
whenever the team on defense gets three outs. One turn on offense for each team constitutes an inning; nine innings make up a professional game. The team with the most runs at the end of the
game
wins. Anonymous,
Baseball ,
Wiki. Accessed
on November
10, 2007.
http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiBaseball, p.1
82 three events in baseball, which was captured the attention of spectators nationwide
such as Bobbie Thomson’s home run, Willie May’s “catch”, and Don Larson’s perfect game.
40
Thus in the 50’s, baseball was important enough that it could be compared to a famous moment in American of the twentieth century.
The society of rural Arkansas dominated to believe in Christians, and there were Baptist and Methodist Christians. Luke’s family was Baptist; they used to
worship in the church on Sunday or Sabbath, where the people had to leave their work in the field to worship, included their labors. It was a routine ritual of rural
Arkansas society to clean their sins after a week working in the field. The Baptist church was located in Black Oak; they usually came to the
town on Sunday morning after having breakfast. Consequently, in the church they would hear the long preaching of the Brother Reverend. The worship of Baptist
and Methodist were slightly different. The Baptist did not see the person backgrounds, as long as he or she could be consistent to worship regularly. The
Methodists thought that they were slightly superior to the Baptists, and it was the distinction between them.
“Most things were sinful in rural Arkansas, especially if you were a Baptist. And a great part of our Sunday worship ritual was to be preached
at the Reverend Akers, a loud and angry man who spent too much of his time conjuring up news sins.”
Grisham, 2001:98 “The line between Baptist and Methodist was never straight and true.
Their worship was slightly different, with the ritual of sprinkling little babies being their most flagrant deviation from the Scriptures, as we saw
things. And they didn’t meet often, which, of course, meant that they were
40
Anonymous, Sports, Dalton. Accessed on January 26, 2008 http:intranet.dalton.orgms8thstudentsdecades99muffins1950Pagesindex.html, p.7
83 not as serious about their faith. Nobody met as much as us Baptist. We
took great pried in constant worship.” Grisham, 2001:296
The doctrine taught them to follow his God’s way to life. As the Baptist they must have good moral and should not underestimate the others, because all
human beings were God’s creature that must be gloried. There was no perfect human in the world, but they were recommended to respect each other without
seeing the status. As elaborated above, there are many activities and habits that have been
done by the society. The rural sphere indicates their culture will be not lost for many times. Their occupations as the farmers bring them along to experience the
life in simplicity. They also predict the weather for the crop of this year, in order to avoid the attack of flood.
In the twentieth century, the farmers of rural America worked hard in the field for increasing their income. Sometimes, the weather did not cooperate with
them and they must get risk in failed crops. The farmers should be ready about these troubles, because they should predict the weather before starting to plant.
And this way was useful to overcome the farmer’s problems. Beside their activity as farmers, baseball was a favorite sport for the
people, and this sport was played in their leisure time. Baseball became a famous sport in America. While the country involved in the wars, the people kept on
fighting to defend the country’s honor through sport. They celebrated this sport and intended to be the winner of game in World Series.
84 The high fidelity in worship was characterized by the society. Most of
them had been following to the doctrine of Baptist Christian. In the worship, they never saw the people’s background. As told in the story, they allowed the
Mexicans to follow the church event. Thus, it was a distinction between the Baptist and the Methodist, which applied the rule of church.
The Baptist Christian entered to the rural America before the twentieth century. This belief was admitted by the people and became a major religion in
rural area. In the South of America, there were many Baptist churches that built to fulfill the people’s need in worshiping. They believed that Baptist Christian was
the right belief and it taught the good doctrines. However, they live in a rural area, in which experience this life together.
So, they are united in one event, which is held by these believers to create a harmony in the religion. The reverend taught them that life is so short and the
people will always have the problems. So, they must think about the sins that increase in every day and should decrease the bad deeds without veil.
3. The Economic Systems of Rural Arkansas in Grisham’s “A Painted House”.
The rural simplicity of Arkansas farms has ended. As elsewhere in the nation, there was a notable decrease in the farm population and number of farms
after World War II. The farms in the state have become increasingly mechanized and have developed a diversified output of crops and livestock, rather than relying
85 on a single crop such cotton.
41
In Grisham’s “A Painted House”, the rural Arkansas produced Stoneville cotton. In the same time, the cotton was already to
be harvested; so the farmers intended to find the hill people and the Mexicans for helping them to pick cotton in the field.
In America cotton was a necessary product of farming to increase the country’s income. This product was distributed to other places of whole states to
fulfill the people’s need. In 1950, the result of this product was able to cost the farmer’s necessity in producing the best cotton and it was used by all people or
industries in the US. Sometimes the production of cotton could not be predictable in the market.
When the price was high, automatically the farmers would struggle to produce it better and distributed to other states. Nonetheless, the weather destroyed their
hope for many months and willy-nilly they must pay the labors early. After picking and gaining the cotton was carried to Co-op in Black Oak to be processed.
“When the rains flooded the land and wiped out the crops, the prices went up because the traders in Memphis couldn’t get enough cotton. But the
farmers, of course, had nothing to sell. And when the rains cooperated and the crops were huge, the price went down because the traders in Memphis
had too much cotton. The poor people who labored in the fields didn’t make enough to pay their crop loan.”
Grisham, 2001:78 Luke’s family cost the farm autonomously. For the first cotton planting,
Pappy and Dad borrowed the money from the owner of gin. They hoped the crops of this year would be satisfied and they could settle the debts. However, the
farmers must be ready to take any possibilities that occurred in the field, both
41
Anonymous 2005, Op. Cit., p.315
86 tornado and flood. So far, Luke’s family and the labors picked the cotton without
worrying. And they attempted to settle the debts that carried from the previous year.
“But, like most farmers, Pappy and my father carried debt from the previous year. They owed the owner of the gin two thousand dollars fro
1951, which had seen an average crop. They also owed money to the John Deere dealer in Jonesboro for parts, to Lance Brothers for fuel, to the Co-
op for seed and supplies, and to Pop and Pearl Watson for groceries.” Grisham, 2001:15
“Pappy and my father had borrowed fourteen thousand dollars in March from the owner of gin. That was their crop loan, and the money was spent
on seed, fertilizer, labor, and other expenses.” Grisham, 2001:14
Crop-lien was a system that applied in rural America around twentieth century. This system was widely used in this country after the
Civil War in the
South . It was a way of farmers to get credit for costing the farm in rural area, and
the farmers were given the tools of farm by the owner of gin; while the crop was coming they should pay the bills. It was different with the sharecropping; a farmer
would farm someone elses land and gave a portion of his crops to the land owner. Sharecropping had a long history, and there were a wide range of different
situations and types of agreements that had encompassed the system.
42
After the American Civil War many planters had ample land but little money for wages. At the same time most of the former slaves were uneducated
and impoverished. The solution was the sharecropping system, which continued
42
Anonymous, Crop-lien System, Wiki. Accessed on February 03, 2008 http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiCrop-lien_system, p.1
87 the workers in the routine of cotton cultivation under rigid supervision. Economic
features of the system were gradually extended to poor white farmers. Although, Luke’s family lived with crop-lien system in rural Arkansas;
however, Pappy and Gran had owned the land for planting cotton. They had been renting it from the owner in Jonesboro around thirty years.
“Pappy and Gran had been renting the land since before the Great Depression, which arrived early and stayed late in Arkansas. After thirty
years of backbreaking labor, they managed to purchase from Mr. Vogel the house and three acres around it.”
Grisham, 2001:25 Finally, Luke’s family had the land, house, truck and so forth. It was the
struggle of life that brought them out from shortage. They could hire the labors to help them picking cotton in the field. They also managed their money as good as
possible to cost the farm and source in rural Arkansas. However, the capitalism had knocked the farm down, and the farmers must struggle to earn the money for
paying the debts. From the explanation above, it is revealed that the economy of rural
depends on the cotton production. The farmers have been distributed the cotton to another districts outside Arkansas, and receive the income from the traders.
Nonetheless, the farmers have to sacrifice their power to plant this cotton, and sometimes they take the debts from the owner of gin.
There are two systems that applied by the owner of gin, and make the farmers are concerned to cost the farm. First, the crop-lien system, this rule is
applied to farmer, who wants to develop the cotton farm accurately. They take the debts and must be paid in time, and sometimes it is used up to repair the tractor.
88 Second, the sharecropping, this system is applied for the farmers, who have not a
field to be worked. And after the time of crop has come, they have to split the cash crop to the owner of land.
The economic systems that applied in rural America have been used by the farmers around the twentieth century. Those Agriculture systems involve the
farmers to produce the cotton as good as well. They get credit from the of gin to work the field through crop-lien, and parts of the farmers who have not land; they
become sharecroppers, which must split their cash crops the owner of land. The effect of capitalism has knocked the farmers down in rural Arkansas,
which cannot be avoided. Thus, they do not predict the result what have they done; but it is the way of life in rural Arkansas. The society has to survive with
this condition and manage their income as good as possible. And it is the reality, which must be experienced by the farmers. In reality, it becomes the most
important thing for American economy change. And the people must realize that there are many risks living as the farmers in rural area.
4. The Novel “A Painted House” and American Social Reflection
Living in rural area is verily impressed for the native people. They can express their soul as the farmer for example. In the statistic, usually they live in
rural area less than 2000 occasionally 5000 people. According to American books, the people who live in rural area it is called ‘face-to-face group’, which
recognize each other and bound to customs and traditions, such as economic and
89 cultural factors.
43
They also live depend on the climate and the weather that can change anytime and followed by limited resources.
The events of rural Arkansas was described in Southern America around 19
th
and 20
th
century, specifically in few counties of rural America. One of the social problems that appeared in this area was the immigration, when in the early
19
th
century the White people were lower than the outsiders. At the time, the slavery became the case that involved the immigrant of Africa, and then
implicated to create new culture. “The greatest exploitation of slave in colonial Southern begins from the
most necessary thing, which appears from two additional components in Southern culture. One of the effects is the exodus of African to that area
and the fusion of these aspects with the native cultures.”
44
The consequence of culture about slavery was not being a case and did not need to be debated. However, by the crack of Civil War in 1860s, which
performed the slavery as the basic case in the Southern. One of the cultural lives in the Southern America was farmer, which was
potential to produce the cash crop. The powerful agrarian and rural aspects in Southern culture had been formed a pattern, it was verily necessary up to the
middle of 20
th
century. The biggest crop that produced by the people was regulated well. The production of cotton dominated to develop the economy in the
Southern of 19
th
century.
43
Bouman, Ilmu Masyarakat Umum, Jakarta: PT Pembangunan, 1956, p.127
44
Stephen S Birdsall and John Florin, Garis Besar Geogafi Amerika, Edisi ke-4, New York: John Wiley Sons, Inc., 1992, p.74
90 “In 1860, the domination of cotton is not limited only in the Southern
economy, yet it increases to the income aspect of whole states; more than 60 percents from the total of product that exported from America of a year
is produced from the cotton.”
45
The other cultural aspect was the high fidelity of people to worship. The influence of Baptist in Southern region was an interesting case. This doctrine had
been brought to America by the European in early of their coming. Previously, it was not legal doctrine in the Southern, and they were allowed to find their belief.
Around thirty years after 19
th
century, Baptism was almost being the religious expression and influenced church regional of Southern culture. Thus, one of the
proof; it was existed in Southern Baptist.
46
In Grisham’s “A Painted House”, the hill people and the Mexicans were employed as the labors in the field. It was described in Southern; the little
employments was persuaded them to find the jobs in the rural area. Most the Black people had been made an agreement to the owner of gin to work in the
field. They were given the tools of farm and work as the sharecroppers. “Sharecropping is applied for the Black people, they receive the credit for
the farm tools, seed, home stay, and food as the payment for the sharecropping of crop that they plant on the people’s land, and it is the
way of life for them to seek for the necessity, as equal as much poor native, which loose their own land”
47
This event refers to the Latcher family, who lived a mile from Luke’s house in Grisham’s novel. They struggled to survive as the sharecropper that had
45
Ibid.
46
Ibid. , p.31
47
Ibid.
91 to split the crops to the owner of land. It was so hard to own the land by them;
because the native had been made a distance between the owner of the land and the Black people.
The social life is really seen in the Southern and the events almost equal as provided in Grisham’s “A Painted House”. Through it can perform the condition
of society life in rural America. However, Grisham’s inspiration is able to bring the reader along to recognize American culture and compare the life condition in
rural America on that time. The events both the rural Arkansas and the Southern America are almost
equal. During 19
th
and 20
th
century, the colonial and slavery are really exposed. In Grisham’s novel the hill people and the Mexicans attempt to survive with being
the labors. And in the Southern the Black people are willing to be sharecropper, in which must experience their life with the apprehensive condition.
92 2.
3. Labor
Social Status “Even the poorest of the sharecroppers
managed to grow tomatoes and cucumbers. Every farm family had a few chickens laying
eggs.”
“The hill people and the Mexican arrived on the same day. It was a Wednesday, early in
September 1952.”
“Pappy, my grandfather, was worried about the price for labor when we went searching
for the hill people. They were paid for every hundreds pounds of cotton they picked.
“The hill people had been migrating from the Ozarks for decades to pick cotton. Many of
them owned their own homes and land, and quite often they had nicer vehicles than the
farmers who hired them for the harvest. They worked very hard, saved their money, and
appeared to be as poor as we were.”
“By 1950 the migration had slowed. The postwar boom had finally trickled down to
Arkansas, at least to some portions of state, and the younger hill people didn’t need the
extra money as badly as their parents. They simply stayed at home. Picking cotton was not
something anyone would volunteer to do. The farmers faced a labor shortage that gradually
grew worse; then somebody discovered the Mexicans.”
“The subject of day laborers came up. These were locals who went from farm to farm
looking for the best deal. Most were town people we knew.”
“And their house was painted, the first one on the highway into town. White was the color,
with gray trim around the edges and corners. The porch and front steps were dark green.”
“With time and weather the boards had faded C.15
P.180
C.1 P.1
Idem
C.2 P.15
C.2 P.16
C.4 P.41
C.6 P.76
Idem
93 into a pale brown, pretty much the same color
as other farmhouses around Black Oak. Paint was unnecessary. The boards were kept clean
and in good repair, and besides, paint cost money.”
“Paint” was a sensitive word around the Chandler farm.”
“There was a clear social order with the sharecroppers at the bottom and the
merchants at the top, and every one was expected to know his place. But folks got
along.” C.6
P.77 C.23
P.296
2. The List of Rural Arkansas Cultural Life in Grisham’s “A Painted House”. No.
Cultures Corpus
Chapter Page
1.
2. Farming
Sport “They were farmers, hardworking men who
embraced pessimism only when discussing the weather and the crops.”
“For a second, I stood there the semidarkness of an already hot September morning, staring
down a very long, straight row of cotton, a row that had somehow been assigned to me.
I’ll never get to the end of it, and I was suddenly tired.”
“The week began in the semidarkness of Monday morning. We met at the trailer for the
ride into the fields, a ride that grew shorter each day as picking slowly moved away from
the river back toward the house.”
“Though he was a quite man who never bragged, Eli Chandler had been a legendary
baseball. At the age of seventeen, he had signed a contract with the Cardinals to play
professional baseball.”
“Wary of the front yard, I headed for the C.1 P.1
C.4 P.44
C.11 P.131
C.1 P.8
C.11
94 3.
Worship back. Near the silo, where the Spruills were
supposed to be camping, there was no grassy area where baseball could be played. It
wasn’t as long and wide as my field in the front, but it was open enough and ran to the
edge of the cotton. I tossed pop flies as high as I could, and I stopped only after I’d caught
ten in row.”
“Most things were sinful in rural Arkansas, especially if you were a Baptist. And a great
part of our Sunday worship ritual was to be preached at the Reverend Akers, a loud and
angry man who spent too much of his time conjuring up news sins.”
“As general rule, the merchants and schoolteachers
worshiped there.
The Methodist thought they were slightly superior,
but as Baptist, we knew we had the inside track to God.”
“The line between Baptist and Methodist was never straight and true. Their worship was
slightly different, with the ritual of sprinkling little babies being their most flagrant
deviation from the Scriptures, as we saw things. And they didn’t meet often, which, of
course, meant that they were not as serious about their faith. Nobody met as much as us
Baptist. We took great pried in constant worship.”
“We rarely missed a Sunday worship, but the threat of rain occasionally kept us at home.
We hadn’t missed a service in months, and so when Gran suggested we eat late breakfast
and listen to the radio we quickly agreed.” P.135
C.8 P.98
C.8 P.99
C.23 P.296
C.28 P.359
95
3. The List of Rural Arkansas Economic Systems in Grisham’s “A Painted House”.
No. Systems of
Economy Corpus
Chapter Page
1.
2. Crop-lien
Share- cropping
“Pappy and my father had borrowed fourteen thousand dollars in March from the owner of
gin. That was their crop loan, and the money was spent on seed, fertilizer, labor, and other
expenses.”
“But, like most farmers, Pappy and my father carried debt from the previous year. They
owed the owner of the gin two thousand dollars fro 1951, which had seen an average
crop. They also owed money to the John Deere dealer in Jonesboro for parts, to Lance
Brothers for fuel, to the Co-op for seed and supplies, and to Pop and Pearl Watson for
groceries.”
“Pappy and Gran had been renting the land since before the Great Depression, which
arrived early and stayed late in Arkansas. After thirty years of backbreaking labor, they
managed to purchase from Mr. Vogel the house and three acres around it.”
“The only farmers who made money were those who owned their land. The renters, like
us, tired to break even. The sharecroppers had it the worst and were doomed to eternal
poverty.”
“The Latchers were sharecroppers who lived no more than a mile from our house, but they
might as well have been in another county.
“Even the poorest of the sharecroppers managed to grow tomatoes and cucumbers.
Every farm family had a few chickens laying eggs.”
C.2 P.14
C.2 P.15
C.3 P.25
Idem
C.10 P.121
C.15 P.180
96
B. Data Analysis
Kategori