Biliography
Mourlevat, Jean-Claude. 2006. THE PULL OF THE OCEAN. tr. from French by Y. Maudet. New York : Delacorte Press. ISBN 0385733488.
Plot Summary:
Yann, a tiny mute, plans an escape from his abuse parents. He and his six brothers, three sets of twins, run away on a rainy night to take a journey to the ocean. The characters that they meet narrate each chapter and tell how they met or came in contact with the brothers. The towns, the rainy climate, and the children's name were all authentic of France. Yann' s family was poor and his parents were abusive. Yet, as any loving parents, they came to rescue their children. Yann never returned home he continued on his adventure as he left town on a merchant ship.
Critical Analysis
It resembles Tom Thumb but in a modern day fashion. The setting was in France which was shown by the Yann's surname, Doutreleau and the names of his brothers, Fabien, Pierre, and Victor. Names of food and towns also mark the location.
Written as individuals narrating the part to the story, the style kept me reading to see their connection in the story. I don't understand the purpose of identifying the girl as a "black girl" on the train. It didn't make the story more authentic. The only makers were the names of people and locations. You can locate the towns Perigueux and Bordeaux on the map to show they are along the ocean coast.
They see the ocean. Get locked in a beach house. Give up and call home. Yann manages to escape the return and finds his way on a merchant ship. Some what unbelievable. It's not a believable story because if his brothers were near death then Yann should have been dead. Chapter sixteen leads you to believe he drowns. I'm glad that Yann gave an account of the ending along with the merchant marine.
The story could be a modern day fair tale but I agree with the Best of the Best Committee at PSLA. The novel doesn't really fit any genre. It has been placed under realistic fiction.
Review Excerpts
Winner of the Prix Sorcieres,
WINNER 2007 - Mildred L. Batchelder Award Winner
WINNER 2007 - ALA Notable Children's Book
School Library Journal--"Poverty and hardship echo throughout this modern "Tom Thumb" story, but it is ultimately the spirit of brotherhood that is the highlight of this tale. It is a memorable novel that readers will find engaging and intellectually satisfying."
Best of the Best Committee at PSLA on April 12, 2007--
"Most of the students that I spoke to about the story felt that it was lacking something critical. They had difficulty pigeon-holing it into a genre, which annoyed them. It was not outlandish enough (no dragons, magic, faeries, princes, etc…) for them to classify it as a fantasy, but by no means real enough for it to be realistic fiction. According to some of my students the book is not historical fiction, it’s not science fiction, it’s not anything. When I suggested that it could be a fairy tale, they weren’t buying it. (There were no talking animals and, again, no princes or princesses.) Most of the children who finished it were surprised by the ending, but not satisfied. Of the few children that liked the book and were able to grasp the somewhat surreal atmosphere of the novel, all were extremely competent readers."
Connections
Teachers could use the novel in Social Studies to introduce France. It could be used to show the strength of brotherhood or sisterhood. A discussion on loving abusive parents could connect with The Pull of the Ocean.
Look at RULES by Cynthia Rylant for another novel of realistic fiction.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment