This weeks reading set the full scene for what seems to be the rest of the book. Entertainment is minimal... It is Benjamin, Tom and Ren living in this old wrecked apartment building. It starts as winter is setting in. Ben and Tom bring back a bunch of jewelry and teeth; they went grave digging. They polish and sell the items. Right before this, The two pawned off "The Lives of the Saints" that Ren had been given at the orphanage. Ren stole another book, "Deerslayer" to get even. This surprised me because he is a devout catholic, it would seem he is letting that go? However, now at the table, Ben uncovers the book, "What else did you take?" (75), and Ren hands over the ring he had already stolen. Ben and Tom are overjoyed at the boy's skill and willingness to steal for this is how the two live. The lifestyle really doesn't lay a storyline that is worth my time to read but maybe this will get better.
The sheep shaving festival is being held in town. Benjamin is a wanted man and is afraid he'll be recognized. Tom and Ben use Ren to sell their product; by changing the label it is now a behavior medicine. Ren decks a little kid and gets beat up. Tom scoops him up and rants about how terrible Ren is. Benjamin pops out and sells Tom a bottle of the behavior medicine for 5 bucks, which is rediculous for the time. Ben then sells the whole case, however, he gets recognized. They're chased out of town by gunshots. Ren, is left laying in the back of the wagon where Tom threw him, "He's high as a kite" (85). The medicine is a fake, it makes one high, but they change the name so they can sell it. This is just one of the many plots to make money that dominates this book. I still don't see any relevence of the title; "Good Theif..?" How is he good? I guess one must read to know...
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JZ's ELA Tenth grade blog! My first ever!
3 comments:
It's interesting to see how Ren is becoming less and less christian as his life becomes worse and worse. He's done everything against the bible, especially revenge which is something Jesus taught against. It's a story that shows the opposite of Job; as his life gets worse and worse, he believes less in God because God isn't looking out for him the way he should, or so he feels.
I think the title Good Thief will become obvious as the book progresses. It might have something to do with the fact that as you pointed out, Ren is a devout Catholic yet he steals. Maybe their is some secret reason for this? Or else maybe the young thieves will discover the wisdom of their ways later on.
I thought it was interesting to learn what Tom and Benjamin had to go through just to get some old teeth and jewels. But I guess that if you are a thief, then you will not lead the most clean of lifestyles. In the beginning of the book, Benjamin tells tom that Ren was perfect for them, but Tom is reluctant to the idea of having a kid around. I am starting to see how Benjamin is right though, simply because of Ren's bum arm, because it can easily gain sympathy from a clueless crowd.
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