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An Analysis Of Louise Erdrich's The Beet Queen

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The environment in which one grows up in impacts their development both physically and mentally. This is a part of setting which includes the time period as well. In the except from the opening of The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich. The year is 1932. Around this time in the United States, the Great Depression had taken place. Many people lost their jobs, homes, and families. Some people even died due to dehydration from lack of access to water, food, anr from general illnesses. This particular economic catastrophe hit children hard especially. This is depicted in the same excerpt mentioned before. In the first couple of lines Erdrich uses imagery to describe the two children and the impact the environment has on them. He refers to their lips as having a “violet” color. Most of the time when people turn blue, this is a sign they are cold. He also describes them as being very numb, so numb tbey are unable to properly land in their feet from jumping out of the boxcar. This results in them receiving scrapes on both their hands and knees. This environment in which they are is later revealed to be as North Dakota in lines 28-29. The temperature/weather is affecting them negatively. The author uses specific words/phrases to illustrate the situation the two siblings are involved in and what they’re dealing with. In lines 15 and 16, the boy is described as being “very pale” and having a “girlish” figure. The latter most likely meaning he is very thin and lacking in muscle mass, most
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