A-Painted-House-Research-Paper

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Criticism of A Painted House Some may say that John Grisham is more of a “legal thriller” type author. However, he strayed from that specific style of genre in the social realism novel, A Painted House. In an interview with Jeff Zaleski, John Grisham is asked why he departed from the intense law novels, to Grisham answers by stating he “wanted to mix it up.” The novel consists of stories from Grisham’s childhood and his grandfather’s childhood. Grisham states, “It’s an accumulation of old family stories, most of which are probably fictional anyway, that I’ve heard all my life” (Zaleski 108). John Grisham was inspired by his own life, as well as his grandfather’s, to write A Painted House (jgrisham.com). Luke Chandler, the main character and the narrator of the novel, is based on Grisham and his grandfather (Zaleski 108). John Grisham’s vivid use of characterization throughout A Painted House is used to develop his theme, the foundation of family. The novel A Painted House shows many examples of characterization. Grisham puts Eli Chandler (Pappy) in the category of farmers whom he describes as “hardworking men who embrace pessimism only when discussing the weather and crops” (Grisham 1). However, Luke sees in him the baseball player that he used to be, saying that his “large, callused hands” were assets to catching balls (Grisham 7). He is a very loving man, but he can also be stubborn at points. He and Luke’s father, Jesse Chandler, do not talk much about feelings, but basically just talk about farming. At times Grisham portrays him as grumpy and selfish, but he receives great respect from other civilians of the small town of Black Oak, Arkansas (ciao.co.uk). Pappy cares about everyone he loves. (In A Painted House, Grisham uses flashback to depict World War I when Pappy meets a girl, Isabel, a French woman who saved his life in the war. In memory of her, he

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