One theme seen very consistently in All the Living by C.E. Morgan was the theme of hope. This was seen in the preamble quote saying that “all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion” (Ecclesiastes 9:3). This quote is a particularly somber one, but helps outline the type of desperate hope that the Aloma and Orren in this book hold on to and find throughout their time on the farm.
Orren seems like he has completely given up on life, and has no hope or aspirations left after his family dies. Aloma is seen to be very critical of this as she tells him that he does all this work on the farm for them, when they're already dead. Throughout much of the book i agreed with Aloma. I thought that Orren was hopeless and just on this farm as he saw nothing else that he could do with the rest of his life. However when he and Aloma were fighting, he said that he “never left a thing I [he] loved” (Morgan 162). Seeing his true love for his family and their work on the farm put his actions into a new perspective for me. It seemed that he had hope, but it was a sadder hope, where he thought if he ran and tended the farm, they would be proud of his work and he would make them happy, even though they were dead.
The strongest form of hope seen throughout the book was Aloma’s hope to make it off the farm and into school for piano, where she could then make a career out of it. Aloma was itching to leave the farm as soon as she got there, and told Orren “someday I’m gonna be a great piano player and we’re going to get out of here” (Morgan 22). This dream was seen consistently throughout the whole book, as she took on a piano job at the church where she was able to make some money as well, and even by the end of the book where she lost the job at the church and she had to suffice to teaching kids at the house. Though unsuccessful in what she initially set out to do (piano school), Aloma is a very good representation of the living dog personality. Especially compared to the desperate hope that Orren experienced, Aloma lived out her days in a fiery pursuit to play the piano, making her overall a more optimistic and driven character.
I liked that you tied the epigraph into your response. I think that the epigraph is key to reading the book in the way Morgan intended– especially when it comes to seeing that, as you said, Orren was not “hopeless and just on this farm as he saw nothing else that he could do with the rest of his life”, that he has a sadder kind of hope despite his circumstances.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Orren’s statement that he “never left a thing I [he] loved” is a turning point in how the reader sees him in many ways (Morgan 162). It ends all speculation about why he refuses to leave the farm as well as why, despite constant fighting and doubt, he stays with Aloma. He can’t leave the farm because he loves it, but also because it represents his deceased family members, whom he loved dearly. This statement also reveals that although he may not be excellent at showing it, he does love Aloma and could never leave her, even though she accuses him of trying.
I liked how you likened Aloma to the “living dog” from the epigraph. Her pursuit of beauty and undying hope show that despite her circumstances, she appreciates being alive and having the opportunity to better her situation. Throughout the narrative she experiences many ups and downs, but the one thing that remains unchanged is her placement of value on life and the beauty that can be found in dissonance.