The field that Ray builds is a symbol in itself. Ray first describes "coddling that field like a child" (page 8). The field is the repository of dreams, and Ray builds it and nurses it like it is a child. Eventually, the field becomes magic when "Shoeless" Joe Jackson shows up. Then, the field is described as "soft as a child's breath," while "moonlight butters the whole Iowa night" (page 13). The field, a shabby...
The field that Ray builds is a symbol in itself. Ray first describes "coddling that field like a child" (page 8). The field is the repository of dreams, and Ray builds it and nurses it like it is a child. Eventually, the field becomes magic when "Shoeless" Joe Jackson shows up. Then, the field is described as "soft as a child's breath," while "moonlight butters the whole Iowa night" (page 13). The field, a shabby stretch of crabgrass, becomes as real as any baseball field, with players, vendors, and a crowd. The field is a symbol of Ray's dreams and of the hopes that players will show up.
Ray's farm is also a symbol. Ray describes it in the following way: "All around me the clean smell of earth and water. Keeping my hands buried I stirred the earth with my fingers and I knew I loved Iowa as much as man could love a piece of earth" (page 16). He describes this experience as having "religious significance." The farm stands for earthly things that can also become magical. Many aspects of nature also take on magical symbolism in the book. Ray describes the stars as acting in a magical way: "I swear the stars have moved in close enough to eavesdrop" (page 19). Nature is alive in the book, and the stars are also symbols of this type of magic.
No comments:
Post a Comment