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"This my way to find that. Find what?" "A song. The place is the song, and I'm going to be part of the song"(183) 

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"This my way to find that. Find what?" "A song. The place is the song, and I'm going to be part of the song"(183) 

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This quote suggests that the characters are on a journey to find something meaningful and connected to their sense of home. The "song" is a metaphor for a deeper understanding of their role or purpose in the world. What Richie says can be seen as the way that he interprets home, in the form of a song. He might be looking for a specific harmony in which he finds a feeling of belonging, calmness, and security. Using the idea of a song makes his definition of home more complex and abstract because it adds much more meaning to it. It adds more depth to the emotional connection someone would have to the place that they call home.

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"Leonie and Michael leave without walking out to the garden. The red car cranks to life and growls down the road, and they disappear in the tunnel of trees...I follow Jojo and River and Kayla instead...I watch the way River ushers them and furrows and troughs, how he cooks them beans for dinner, the way he makes sure they are clean when they lie down to sleep"(Ward 240). 

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"Leonie and Michael leave without walking out to the garden. The red car cranks to life and growls down the road, and they disappear in the tunnel of trees...I follow Jojo and River and Kayla instead...I watch the way River ushers them and furrows and troughs, how he cooks them beans for dinner, the way he makes sure they are clean when they lie down to sleep"(Ward 240). 

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Richie provides an outside perspective on the family dynamics.  Richie perceives Pop to be the main person of comfort and care in the family because Michael and Leonie often leave or go about their own business, and Pop is the one who looks out for Jojo and Kayla. He "cooks" and helps to keep the children healthy and "clean", demonstrating his support and care. An ideal home is a supportive and loving space, and Pop brings those values into his house therefore creating a home for Jojo and Kayla. Richie also envies and longs for the feeling of being home that he once experienced from Pop during their time at Parchman. Pop was welcoming to Richie, and allowed him to feel valued and safe, something that his own family struggled to do before he was sent to jail. Seeing Pop take care of Jojo and Kayla is a constant reminder to Richie of the home he once had and yearns for, but is not able to experience because he is trapped between the living and the afterlife as a ghost. Richie's view on Pop’s role in Jojo and Kaylas life stresses the importance of having a home and the need to be cared for and protected, especially as a child.

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" 'We could drop the kids off. Go get something to eat before we go home.' 'Home?' 'To your mama and daddy's,' Micheal says. I knew that's where we were going, knew there was nowhere else for us to go" (196)

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" 'We could drop the kids off. Go get something to eat before we go home.' 'Home?' 'To your mama and daddy's,' Micheal says. I knew that's where we were going, knew there was nowhere else for us to go" (196)

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Leonie never really felt at home when at her parents house. She never really referred to it as her home. The only person that feels like her home is Micheal. The sound of him calling her parents house home is very shocking to Leonie and kind of unsettling. Once she has time to think it through she knows its the only place that she could call home, but due to all of the pain in that house she doesn't want to give it as strong a meaning as home. She's distancing herself because of all her poor relationships and bad memories in that house.

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"Home is about the earth. Whether the earth open up to you. Whether it pulls you so close the space between you and it melt and y'all one and it beats like your heart. Same time. Where my family lived...it's a wall. It's a hard floor, wood. Then concrete. No opening. No heartbeat. No air'"(182-183)

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"Home is about the earth. Whether the earth open up to you. Whether it pulls you so close the space between you and it melt and y'all one and it beats like your heart. Same time. Where my family lived...it's a wall. It's a hard floor, wood. Then concrete. No opening. No heartbeat. No air'"(182-183)

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The first part of the quote says that "Home is about the earth." This probably means that there is a deep-rooted,  connection between a person and the place they call home. It's not just about a physical location but a sense of love, a connection that goes beyond a day to day thing. This connection is so strong that it can make the space between the person and their home "melt", which is a way of showing a close bond.

The phrase "it beats like your heart" probably means that a true home resonates with the persons heartbeat. This shows unity. Where the home and the person are in sync emotionally. It's a place where the person feels alive and comfortable. The other idea is then shown by describing another place, which is not a true home. It shows as a "wall," a "hard floor, wood," and "concrete." These symbolize barriers and a cold feeling almost. There's a lack of any "opening" or "heartbeat," which means a disconnect between the person and this place. It's a place that doesn't have warmth, and the emotional connection, and the sense of belonging that comes from a real home.

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"I wonder if the reason I couldn't I couldn't leave Parchment before Jojo came was because it was a sort of home to me: terrible and formative... Today when Jojo came to Parchman, I woke to the whispering of the white snake.. If you would rise, I can take you across the waters of this word to another. This place blinds you...Go south, to River, to the face of the waters. He will show you" (Ward 191). 

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"I wonder if the reason I couldn't I couldn't leave Parchment before Jojo came was because it was a sort of home to me: terrible and formative... Today when Jojo came to Parchman, I woke to the whispering of the white snake.. If you would rise, I can take you across the waters of this word to another. This place blinds you...Go south, to River, to the face of the waters. He will show you" (Ward 191). 

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A home is often a place of guidance and support. Homes are where you learn and grow as children into adults, therefore a home can be any place, even if it is not usually perceived as one. Parchman was a home to Richie, and the place where he continued to learn about real life. For Richie, Pop has become a figure of home because he guides and teaches him when they were together at Parchman. In his afterlife Richie is stuck at Parchman and describes it as a "home", that is "terrible and formative", which demonstrates the home does not always have to be a positive place. Richie lived a rough life in poverty before Parchman, and although Parchman was a jail where he served time every day it provided him with food, protection in the form of a room with walls to sleep. Richie also met River who would become a mentor to him, something Richie did not have before he arrived at his new "home". When Richie sees Jojo, River's grandson, and is free of Parchman he immediately starts to seek out River. All humans crave and rely on the feeling of home, similarly to how one needs food or water. For Richie, home became River. Therefore, Richie tried to connect with River because it was River who provided the comfort of home while at Parchman, which is important because his time served consisted of harsh labor and abuse.

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"Home ain't always about a place. The house I grew up in is gone. Ain't nothing but a field and some woods, but even if the house was still there, it ain't about that" (182)

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"Home ain't always about a place. The house I grew up in is gone. Ain't nothing but a field and some woods, but even if the house was still there, it ain't about that" (182)

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Richie made some realizations about the important parts of life once he died. Ever since he came into the story he has talked about getting home, to River. Richie still feels a connection with River even after he is dead which means Richie and River must of had a very strong connection before he died. River and Richie experienced Parchman together and they bonded through that, River protected and cared for Richie the whole time. Nobody's whole family is stable/together so every character needs to find someone to comfort them. The house they live in never really feels like home so they find it in each other. Kayla has Jojo, Jojo has Mam and Pop, Leonie has Micheal, and Richie has River.

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"When I run out of the hallway and see Michel standing in the milky light, my anger turns so quickly to love I stop, silenced" (147-148).

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"When I run out of the hallway and see Michel standing in the milky light, my anger turns so quickly to love I stop, silenced" (147-148).

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Leonie doesn't find love and comfort in her children the way she does in Micheal. She doesn't have a strong connection with her children and Jojo and Kayla resent her for it. Leonie saves all her love for Micheal. After a long time of being away from each other, Leonie and Micheal finally get to hold and comfort one another again. Once Micheal came back Leonie disregarded her children and went straight to Micheal because that's who she is. She's never been a caring or loving mother and always thought of herself first. Although Leonie and Micheal are questionable parents they have a special connection, they are each other's home. They understand and help one another. They look after each other when everybody else is looking after their kids.

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"Little rabbit saw the gray barn and the fat pig and the red horse and Mam and Pop. She dug all the way to our house, Kayla. And when she saw Mam and Pop she loved them, and she decided to stay. So when we get home, she going to be waiting for us."(109-110)

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"Little rabbit saw the gray barn and the fat pig and the red horse and Mam and Pop. She dug all the way to our house, Kayla. And when she saw Mam and Pop she loved them, and she decided to stay. So when we get home, she going to be waiting for us."(109-110)

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This quote symbolizes home as a place of comfort, love, and belonging. Elements like farm animals and caretakers add to the feeling of being grounded and at home. When Little Rabbit sees Mam and Pop and decides to stay, it symbolizes a choice to be with loved ones and remain in a place where it feels safe and secure. This emphasizes the emotional aspect of home, where the people you care about are an essential part of what makes a place "home." The idea that Little Rabbit will be waiting for "us" when you get home suggests that home is a place where you are expected and welcomed. It's a place where you are loved and missed when you're away.

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"But now, as I walk through the clearing and peer into the woods, looking for milkweed, I wish I'd listened more carefully. I wish I could remember more than the fact that it has pinkish-purple flowers. And even though milkweed grows wild on parcels of land like this and flowers in the spring, I don't see its white-beaded, downy leaves anywhere"(Ward 103).

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"But now, as I walk through the clearing and peer into the woods, looking for milkweed, I wish I'd listened more carefully. I wish I could remember more than the fact that it has pinkish-purple flowers. And even though milkweed grows wild on parcels of land like this and flowers in the spring, I don't see its white-beaded, downy leaves anywhere"(Ward 103).

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Leonie's lack in knowledge of plants demonstrates her yearning to be with Mam, because Mam acts as her home, or a person of comfort to her in times of need. Mam taught Leonie about plants and how they can be used to cure people. Leonie often ignored her mother teaching her, and then when she was trying to help Kayla, she was unable to figure out what she needed to do. Leonie recognizes that she once had a close bond with her mother felt close to her when she states, "And even though milkweed grows wild on parcels of land like this and flowers in the spring, I don't see its white-beaded, downy leaves anywhere". The flowers that don't grow in the field are representative of their dwindling relationship. Mam cared for Leonie, and when Leonie is looking for the flowers to support her own daughter, she really is looking for the comfort of her mother among the fields. Leonie often fails to carry out the responsibilities and duties of a good mother, and therefore, lack of flowers and milkweeds represents that Leonie has also lost her strong relationship with her mother, and no longer has her full support and care. Mam is no longer a symbol of comfort or home to Mam.

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"That don't make no sense." Misty glances over at me. I look out the window. "It will," Richie says. "It's why you can hear animals, see things that ain't there. It's a piece of you. It's everything inside of you and outside of you." "What else?" I lower my hand and mouth. "What?" "What else I don't know?" Richie laughs. It's an old man's laugh: a wheeze and a croak. "Too much." "The biggest ones," my lips form. "Home." I roll my eyes. "Love.""(183)

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"That don't make no sense." Misty glances over at me. I look out the window. "It will," Richie says. "It's why you can hear animals, see things that ain't there. It's a piece of you. It's everything inside of you and outside of you." "What else?" I lower my hand and mouth. "What?" "What else I don't know?" Richie laughs. It's an old man's laugh: a wheeze and a croak. "Too much." "The biggest ones," my lips form. "Home." I roll my eyes. "Love.""(183)

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Richie's explanation that the "song" (a little bit before this quote) is "everything inside of you and outside of you" means that home isn't held to a specific space. It's a feeling that goes beyond the walls of a space. It's an internal and external connection, that holds a person's identity and relationship with the world. The ability that Jojo possesses comes only from being one with his idea of home and in sync with people like Mam who also share his gift.

The quote ends with Richie saying "home" and "love." This is there to further reinforce the idea that home is not just a place but a feeling. "Home" means a sense of belonging and connection, while "love" represents the emotional attachment with that place

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"All the while, my heart beating so hard I can hear it in my ears, because I knew what Kayla was saying. I knew. I love you, Jojo. Why u make me, Jojo? Jojo! Brother! Brother. I heard her" (118).

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"All the while, my heart beating so hard I can hear it in my ears, because I knew what Kayla was saying. I knew. I love you, Jojo. Why u make me, Jojo? Jojo! Brother! Brother. I heard her" (118).

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Jojo is being his loving and caring self again, even if it doesn't seem like it to Kayla. Kayla is so little she isn't understanding the meaning behind Jojo's actions. Kayla feels betrayed by her brother trying to make her throw up because they have such a close-knit loving relationship. Jojo and Kayla's connection is very deep and unlike the rest of the families due to the fact, they never had loving and supportive parents. Jojo stepped into the role of a parent and helped Kayla knowing that it would cause her pain and it would kill him to hear her cry. Jojo reads Kayla's face and knows she thinks it's her fault somehow but all Jojo can do is sit here holding her.

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"At that moment, Mama became more than my mother, more than the woman who made me say my rosary before I went to sleep with the words,  Make sure you pray to the mothers. She'd been doing more than mothering when she put homemade ointments on me when I broke out in rashes or gave me special teas when I was sick."(42)

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"At that moment, Mama became more than my mother, more than the woman who made me say my rosary before I went to sleep with the words,  Make sure you pray to the mothers. She'd been doing more than mothering when she put homemade ointments on me when I broke out in rashes or gave me special teas when I was sick."(42)

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This quote demonstrates the idea that home is not just a physical space. It's where meaningful relationships, like the one between Leonie and Mama, can evolve and grow. It demonstrates how the concept of "home" can have not only the physical environment but also the emotional bonds that exist in it it.

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“They sleep as one: Michaela wraps herself around Jojo, her head on his armpit, her arm over his chest, her leg over his stomach. Jojo pulls her in him: his forearm curled under her head and around her neck, his other arm a bar across them both to lay flat against her back His hand hard in protection, stiff as siding" (Ward 151).

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“They sleep as one: Michaela wraps herself around Jojo, her head on his armpit, her arm over his chest, her leg over his stomach. Jojo pulls her in him: his forearm curled under her head and around her neck, his other arm a bar across them both to lay flat against her back His hand hard in protection, stiff as siding" (Ward 151).

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In this moment Jojo is protecting himself and Kayla while they are sleeping. Protection is a key component to what makes something a home. In this instance Kayla does not have a physical structure to protect her, she has Jojo. The image that Ward provides by stating that Jojos arm was a "bar across them both", indicates that he was using his body as a barrier to Kayla. Bars are typically used to keep danger away, so by holding her in such a way, Jojo is a symbol of protection and comfort to her. Kayla and Jojo sleep together, portraying their love and dependence for one another, especialy Kaylas need for Jojo. Feeling such as protection and comfort are common ideas that can be used to describe a home, and therefore are used to describe Jojo because he acts as a representation of a home to Kayla.

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"You remember how to change a tire? Check the oil and coolant? I nodded again. Pop taught me all of that when I was ten. Good. I wanted to tell Pop I didn't want to go, that I wanted me and Kayla to stay home" (Ward 60).

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"You remember how to change a tire? Check the oil and coolant? I nodded again. Pop taught me all of that when I was ten. Good. I wanted to tell Pop I didn't want to go, that I wanted me and Kayla to stay home" (Ward 60).

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To Jojo, Pop is the father figure that he never had in his life. Pop's present role creates a loving and supportive childhood for Jojo and his sister Kayla. Therefore, since Pop is a mentor and acting father, Jojo feels at home with him. It is clear that Pop immediately steps up and teaches Jojo basic life skills such as changing tires and checking for oil in a car. Jojo appears to have a strong relationship with Pop and has been trusting and learning from him since he "was ten". His childhood memory demonstrates that Pop has always sustained his mentor role, and has always been there for Jojo. It is not just what Pop taught Jojo that causes him to be a reliable figure, but it is how he makes Jojo fell. Due to their close knit relationship, it is clear that when Jojo stated, "I wanted me and Kayla to stay home" he didn't just mean his physical home, he meant staying with his Pop. Pops role in Jojo's life as a grandfather, mentor, and friend, causes him to be a figure of comfort and home.

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"His pleading eyes the only thing that spoke to me in that moment and told me what he said without words: I love you, boy. I love you" (Ward 61). 

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"His pleading eyes the only thing that spoke to me in that moment and told me what he said without words: I love you, boy. I love you" (Ward 61). 

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Jojo and Pop exchanged a hug and Jojo knew what Pop was thinking and understood exactly how he felt at that moment. Pop and Jojo share a very deep connection that nobody else understands. This hug gives each other comfort and reassurance that everything will be okay. They are the caregivers in the family and it shows by how sympathetic, kind, and loving they are. Jojo takes very good care of his sister and also his mom but Pop takes care of the whole family. And Pop knew that Jojo needed to be reasured that he was there for him because thats the type of person he is.

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"Pop built our house himself, narrow in the front and long, close to the road so he could leave the rest of the property wooded." (pg. 2)

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"Pop built our house himself, narrow in the front and long, close to the road so he could leave the rest of the property wooded." (pg. 2)

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When things are homemade or made
by a person you love, they usually
have a more sentimental meaning. Pop built this house because that is who he is, he is a caregiver and takes care of the people he loves. A home is more than just a house and
part of what makes this house a
home is all of the value that is behind
it. All of the hard work that Pop put
in.