"You can pay me later," he said. (5)

"Don't worry about it," said Joe Lundy (6)

"For the children" (6)

Analysis:

Joe Lundy's interaction with the mother is a representation of the community's preservation of the family's identity as part of the American community. "You can pay me later" and "for the children" indicate familiarity with Joe Lundy, who is a friend of the family. Their friendship is based on the fact that the family is part of the community. As the evacuation order is on the window of the post office, Joe Lundy probably knows about the evacuation as well; however, his choice of comforting the mother and treating her as usual symbolizes a preservation of the family's identities.

Analysis:

The white dog has been visiting the family for a long time and was part of the family as he listened to the mother. The white dog represents the family's sense of belonging to the community. I think the reason why the mother chose to kill the white dog is because she needs to cut off her relationship with the community to move on. The act of killing is also violent, which is opposite to how the family used to treat the white dog. This is a reflection of the change in their identities in the eyes of the others: they were an ordinary family in the community, but now they are people who may be a threat to the nation.

"Is there anything wrong with my face?" (15)

"People were staring."

"Tell me how I look."

Analysis:

The description of the daughter emphasizes the sense of fear and confusion. Considering the daughter is only 10 years old, but she is experiencing fear that she should not have experienced at her age. The order of evacuation seems to be a turning point for her life, and she seems to be forced to grow up by realizing her surroundings are not the same as before anymore. Her doubt about her looking and the fact that she cannot see herself also symbolizes a doubt on her heritage and identity as part of the community.

Analysis:

The influence of the arrest of her husband which is the family had no one to rely on. Without a husband to take care of the family, the mother has to learn to face life on her own. The reason for the arrest of husband may have been a cause of War, not a crime. Because the note is "War department", he may have been forced to be drafted. If you're a prisoner, you shouldn't be able to write a letter every few days.

IN THE MIDDLE of the night the boy crawled into her bed and asked her,

over and over again,“What is that funny noise? What is that funny noise?” page 21

Analysis:

It was a time of war, but the mother kept the child well protected. She would let him sleep with her to make him feel safe. And the son asked, "what is that funny noise?" This shows that boys are curious about many things, and mothers probably often use white lies to protect boys, which could not only answer the questions but also protect them from hurt.

Analysis: The bird seems to have been part of the family as a pet kept inside their house, however due to the evacuation order, the mother decides to let the bird fly out into nature, rather than keeping it enclosed in the house. The mother's actions are a result of the evacuation and had there been no evacuation she wouldn't have felt the need to let the bird roam into nature.

"Do I have to?"

The woman thought for a moment. "No," she said, "only if you want to."

"Tell me I have to."

"I can't."

The girl went out to the living room and sat down on the piano bench.

Analysis: Had the family's life remained the same without any evacuation order, chances are that the girl wouldn't really want to play the piano and would feel forced to play it, as her mom usually orders her to or has it as part of her routine. However, when she's given the choice to not have to play piano and realizes her mom isn't forcing her to play it, she wants to play it, and this is all a change in their normal routine or behavior that wouldn't have occurred had there been no evacuation order.

Analysis: As they were preparing to leave and she was packing up the essentials she and her children would need, there were other things she had to do, such as getting rid of her pets. She is clearly being forced to make difficult decisions as she doesn't know exactly where she is heading, which symbolizes the sacrifices that come with displacement. She knew she couldn't have animals, so she did not hesitate to get rid of them.

Her husband usually did that. She had not seen her husband since his arrest last December.” (10)

Analysis: This quote shows how the father’s absence affects the family. He used to take care of things like mowing the grass, but since he was arrested, those tasks are left undone. It shows how much they relied on him and how everything has changed without him around.

“Take off your hat then,” said the woman but the boy refused.

The hat was a present from his father. It was big on him but the boy wore it every day.” (14)

Analysis: This quote shows the deep connection the boy has with his father. Even though he's uncomfortable from the heat, he refuses to take off the hat because it's a special gift from his dad. The fact that the hat is too big but he still wears it every day shows how much the boy is trying to hold onto his dad, even though he's not there.

Analysis: Here we see that the mother is very conscious of her public image. Her deliberate actions—wiping her forehead and removing her glasses— shows us how her mannerism is, how her appearance and behavior is like even under stress. The mother indicates a need to maintain composure and control during the hectic time of simply trying to buy a duffle bag so she is able to pack.

Analysis: I came up with the thought that this story takes place during world War 2. Which makes me think the father might have been in a camp, instead of "Jail". Since there has not been evidence on why he left, I can only assume that he got taken away and could only communicate with letters once in awhile. We also know that all of a sudden he was gone and that the children had a strong connection with him.

Analysis: This quote highlights the daughter’s independence and individuality and her budding independence. Despite being only 10 years old, she is already aware of her preferences, from liking boys and what type of candy she prefers, we even learn her favorite and about her pet macaw, suggesting she's very clear about her identity.

Analysis: This quote demonstrates the idea of how the woman carries herself in the public compared to private spaces. She wants to be seen very put together and strong to others. Privately we see she does not care about how she looks and instead pays attention to her children while she is taking care of chores around the house without her husband. The way she carries shows how strong and confident she is which is why the red dress is such a symbol. That dress juxtaposes her blue house dress on how she wants to be seen.

Analysis: The brother, although younger than the sister, corrects his sister when she tries to balance a book on her head and walk. This characterizes the brother as a perfectionist who can see the mistakes of others and have the courage to correct them.

Analysis: The brother in this quote demands his sister to drink the water, almost as if he were a parental figure. The control that the brother feels comfortable exerting over his sister speaks to the potential shift within their relationship dynamic after their father was taken to prison. It seems that the brother has seemingly adopted this parental role to compensate for their fathers absence.

Analysis: The mother is very supportive of her daughter's self esteem. The daughter might struggle with the under-confidence and self-doubt most adolescent girls face. The mother encourages her daughter with intention to build up her confidence, showing an empathetic relationship between the two.

Analysis: This highlights the tension the daughter might be feeling. Something as simple as dinner feels off possibly because they are about to leave behind their home and perhaps face some hardships.

Analysis: This quote demonstrates the absence of the father within their household and how this is affecting the way the household functions. The father was supposed to fix the leak in the roof, but he never did, so now the mother has to place a bucket under the leak to catch the water. This quote exemplifies the reliance the family had on the father for certain tasks around the house. Now, in the fathers' absence, we can see these tasks are left undone.

The brother heard the weatherman say, "Don't forget to take your umbrella tomorrow". (page 16) After that, when he was packing upstairs in his room, "he held it out at arm's length and shook his head sadly. The umbrella was too long. There was no way it would fit inside the suitcase"(page 18)

Analysis:

How the brother couldn't fit the umbrella into the suitcase was a sign for the unpredictable fate for the family in the future. The family was leaving home and heading to the unknown. The thunderstorm in the weather forecast indicates that there future would be terrifying and unheralded. How the brother measured the length of the umbrella and reached the conclusion that it could not fit means that there would be no shelter for them to rely, especially without the father in the family. With nothing to protect them and no one to rely on, the family had to stay strong and face their future.

Analysis:

The girl was the older sibling in the family and she probably already sensed the tension in the air due to the evacuation order. Playing the Debussy piece, the memory, for which her father had applauded is an emotional outlet for how the girl was missing her father deeply. Last summer they were still a perfect happy family, but the war had changed that and took the father away from them. Playing the notes perfectly and starting playing the piece a second time could also be interpreted as the girl's unique way of saying farewell to the family house and the memories.

-Pg.16 parental figure role, telling her sister what to do

Glove

-Connection to his father because both had a glove

-Americas past time

-Represents American Identity

-Radio for sports, called Speaking of sports

Packed up things

-Comic books, war maps, stamps

-All American kid

Hat

-Dad gave to him

-Connection with his hat

-Hat is very grown up man, even though its to big

-He calls for the dog, but does not understand it is dead, not always around

-Knows he's going on "vacation"

-Does not get it fully

-Tries to pack his umbrella, but does not need umbrella at the camps, desert

-Very naive

-He notices her mother crying

While during the first pages, her brother seems immature however at page 16 he displays his maturity when telling his older sister to drink water The baseball glove is a connection to his father because his father also had a baseball glove which means they played baseball together. Baseball at the time of when the book was written or in the past used to be America’s national pastime, so during the war women formed their own leagues when the men went to war. It represents an American identity, the brother is really into baseball. There’s no TVs back then, so the brother played the radio (speaking of sports) Brother was drawing images of stuff or collections in his room like world war 1 map, comics and mail stamps along with a wooden painted indian (trophy?) that he won at the Sacramento state fair. There’s a theme of cultural identity of American and also maturity as seen in page 16. Dad gave son Fedora and son treasures it because his dad gave it to him and it’s a connection to his father. Immaturity or ignorance was shown to son when his mother claimed they’re going on a “vacation” when in reality they’re going to a concentration camp. He also didn’t realize or notice that the dog He tried packing an umbrella in the suitcase and heard about bringing an umbrella because he heard of the weather forecast, however the concentration camps are in the desert meaning there’s no need for an umbrella, as it will be dry there. This shows he is naive.At page 21, he crawls up or woke up and was confused as he heard noises and in reality it was the mother drinking and crying and she told him it was rain and thunder but it was her.

Analysis: This relates to how the mother acted. She killed the dog in a swift way, and she wore gloves so the blood symbolically was not on her hands. She did what she thought was morally right because pets weren't allowed to be taken with them, but she also didn't want to leave White Dog there to die. She is aware that her gloves are unclean and chooses to take them off and bury them with the dog. This also shows that she is hiding the fact that she killed the dog and getting rid of any evidence that it was her. This ties to the idea that the mother is acting to the best of her ideas and beliefs

Analysis: The mom had been sobbing in the scene right before this and then the son questions the noise. He is 7, so he probably knows what rain sounds like but by him questioning the noise it shows that he doesn't see the mother cry very often. It shows that he is innocent and gullible and just takes what she says at face value. It also shows that he feels comfortable with his mother as he falls asleep at once.

Analysis: The mother could have imagined herself in a reality where she was still with her husband, but she decides not to, knowing the truth of where he really is. She knows her own reality and she understands that the she can't have what she wants at this time, but she doesn't waste her time moping around. She prepares for what is to come, as that is her responsibility as a mother.

This quote shows how the mother had to rely on the father for some of the duties around the house. Once he is absent the way of life around the house changes for the rest of the family. The mother did not start doing the tasks that the husband once did, she just let the those tasks slip away and detariate.

This quote shows mr lundy who is a store clerk either hitting on or trying to be very nice to the mother. It is not explicit that he is hitting on her but with context clue I think that was his goal. Most store clerks do not compliment everyone who comes in on there appearance. This is important because the clerk most likely knows that the husband got taken away and is just now making his move.

Analysis: You can tell that the girl is really eager to learn and share her new knowledge. Most people's father's are the one's in the family that have the most knowledge and know about the somewhat random facts of the world and since the girl's father is absent at the moment the girl is almost taking place of him as the older sister. This is a very common trait in older siblings when a parent becomes absent. The girl probably enjoys going to school.

Analysis: The woman changes from her nicer, outside clothes to her older outfit when she gets home so she doesn't get them dirty while she does house work. From this you can tell that she probably does not come from wealth since she has to differentiate between outfits depending on her activity and she cannot afford to get her presentable, outside clothes dirty.