Journal #9 Pastiche

Abby slumped onto her bed, the muscles in her body relaxing for the first time since dawn. With some struggle she tugged off her worn boots and peeled of her wool socks. Laying down, she took a moment to enjoy the soft threadbare blankets. The washed out colors from years of use were familiar and comforting, but eyeing the small heart sewn into the corner, a familiar pain worked its way into her heart.

It was a pain that had dulled over the years, but it was pain none the less. "Miss you mama" she murmured, stroking the heart with her fingertip. The blanket was made for her by her mother when she was born, the heart a reminder that the family always loved her.

It'd been a few years now since the accident that took Mama away, but the heart always reminded her to love family above all else. Abby pulled out a paper from under her pillow. It was crinkled, but "Northeastern College for Girls" still stood bold against the white paper. Mama always wanted her to go to college, told Abby she had a gift for writing and if that's what she wanted to do, then she should go after it.

She just had to find a way to get Papa to agree. It'd be difficult, convincing him that Mattie was old enough to help him milk the cows, and feed the hogs, and plow the ground, and collect the crops and...The list went on, but she would make him see. She would be famous, she would make enough money so none of them would ever have to see a plow ever again. It would just take a few years...

The clomp of boots entered the room and she shoved the paper into pocket and she flung herself up, beginning to clean up Mattie's side of the room.

"Abby, I should tan yer hide ten times over!" the bellow came. The hulking frame came through the door and fixed it's firey gaze on her. "What? I-"

"I jest wasted the last bit o daylight herdin those heifers back inter the barn bicause you was so anxious tu git back in hur tu relax you left the barn door undone! I bust my ass the whole day and then i hav tu go and bust it some more cause uh your idiocy!"

"Pa, I didn-"

"oh, of course you didn do it! Don't lie tu me cause it don't get you no where but inta more trouble! You need tu stop thinkin so much about yirself and start thinking about your family more!"

"uhm...Papa?" Mattie's voice broke in just when he took a breath.

"What?!"

"Papa, Abby didn leave the barn door open. You left it undone cause you was gonna get some hay to throw the cows, and you tripped on dat gopher hole so you decided to go get a shovel and fill it in first. Then you went to do somethin else and the cows decided to come out cause they was hungry..."

Papa blinked a few times before flushing redder than he already was. He muttered some semblance of an apology and tramped back down the hall.

After giving her sister a quick hug of thanks, Abby hurried downstairs and into the kitchen. If dinner wasnt ready soon there was sure to be a repeat.

Once the dinner of cornbread and meat had been finished, Mattie headed up to bed and Abby set about cleaning the dishes. Papa sipped his coffee for a while before finally saying,

"Abby, I'm sorry bout earlier. I just, there's been a lot of work tu do this year nd...well I'm sorry I'll try to keep my temper in better control."

"it's ok Papa, I know you have a lot tu do and I'm the only one who can help with the big stuff for a few more years"

There was another pause of sipping coffee and scrubbing dishes.

"Well we may have some more help on the farm soon..."

Abby stopped to look at her Pa, puzzled. "Pa we don't have enough to hire on a farm hand"

"He's not lookin tu be hired..."

"He? You gunna tell me who 'he' is?"

"You know that neighbor boy?"

"Ryan? I've met him a few times, he seems like a good worker...We tradin them somethin for his help?"

"Yeah Ryan...he's been comin over n helpin me work the fields while you've been repairing the harness...And he's lookin to marry you"

It was all she had to not drop the stack of plates she was putting away.

"Marry?! But Papa! I haven't met him but a few times! And..and..I'm only sixteen! And...". She was choking on the suddenness of it all, trying to hold back tears as she saw her future self, the famous writer that wouldn't have to see a plow ever again, torn to pieces and scattered.

"I know, I'm sorry I shoulda told you earlier, but I've been strugglin with it myself. I still feel like we lost your mama yesterday, and now I feel like I'm losen you." He got up from the table and took her in his arms. "Abby, I know you didn't want this so soon, but we need this. Were bout to lose the farm, and this will save it. And us. If we lost it, we'd be on the streets starving. And I can't stand tu see my babies hungry. Abby I love you more than you can imagine, but this is something we have to do..."

He gave her one final squeeze, then left her alone to absorb the news.

For the longest time she sat and sobbed quietly in front of the fire. At first she was angry. She cursed her father for making her do this and she cursed her mother for leaving them and putting her in this position. That made her cry even harder. After some time the tears slowed and she drew the slip of paper out of her pocket and threw it in the fire. She watched stoically until all traces of it were gone. She then put out the fire and made her way up to bed.

After collapsing into her bed, she could no long see the sewn heart, but she knew it was there and she felt a wave of responsibility consume her. Tomorrow she would get up smiling, and help feed, plow and fix. It was silly to think that she could've ever gone to college. Her family needed her here, and she would play whatever role required of her as long as it helped them.



so, I'm not so good at the pastiches, but my attempted theme was: When you let go of your own wants, other's plans for you will become your own.


I used dialect to emphasize the fact that the family is a poor farming family. Hurston uses dialect throughout the entire book tp reemphasize where the characters are located...

The slip of paper for the college was a symbol of Abby's want to leave the farm and go to college, and once Abby let's go of this want her family's plan for her to take care of her family becomes her own. Hurston uses several symbols throughout the book.

I tried to create a circular feeling by starting and ending with her on her bed, but I don't think that I was that successful...Hurston creates circular feeling in her book in small chunks and in the entire book...