Kristen

June 6th, 2011
Setting


state of Oklahoma, red dot is Sequoyah



In class today, we discussed the setting. Destiny lead the conversation and had some questions that really got us thinking.  Where the heart is, is based in a small town, Sequoyah, Oklahoma. It is a town that there is never anybody new that moves there, and if there is, everybody gossips about it. Novalee Nation is on the way to California with her boyfriend Willie Jack. She has to stop a lot because she is pregnant. She has nowhere to go when she realizes that her boyfriend left without her. She decides to live in Wal-Mart, until she finds somewhere else to live. After having her baby, Americus Nation, in the Wal-Mart, she goes and lives with Sister Husband. Sequoyah Oklahoma, is a very small town and there are only the essentials. After going around in a circle, we came up with the conclusion that there is only the necessities in the town a library, a grocery store, a Wal-Mart, a garage, ect... There is absolutely nothing fancy about this town. Nobody is extremely rich, and most people are fairly poor. Most people live in little houses or trailers. She doesn't have much money, but she tries her best with what she has. 

June 7th,2011
Characters
Amber lead this conversations and had good questions. Some of her questions were, who is the main character and somethings that happened to her throughout the novel. Another question was the significance of the secondary characters in this novel, and would the novel have the same effect on people if the secondary characters had different personality traits. Novalee Nation is the only main character in Where the Heart is. She is always there, when they are focusing on another character they are still talking about her. There are several secondary characters that play a big role in determining the fate of Novalee and her baby Americus. The most important secondary character is Sister Husband. She welcomes Novalee into town, and is always there for her. She even lets Novalee live with her after having her baby. Since Novalee's mother left, with all of Novalee's money, Sister Husband is the mother figure for Novalee. Another important character is Moses Whitecotton. The first time that Novalee met him was the first day that she was in Sequoyah. He is a photographer and he was talking to her about strong names. "Get your baby a name that means something.  A sturdy name. Strong name. Name that's gonna withstand a lot of bad times. A lot of hurt."(p.22) Lexie is a girl that Novalee meets while she is in the hospital after having Americus. They become best friends and and they can tell each other anything and everything. Forney Hull, he is the librarians brother. Since Mary Elizabeth, the librarian, is an alcohoilic, it is Forney, her brother that takes care of the library. There was something that intrigued Novalee to Forney from the first time that she went into the library looking for a book on buckeye trees. Benny Goodluck, gave Novalee the tree, as is brings good luck. She takes a picture of all the people that she meets on her first day, the picture that won her a photography award is the one of Benny. 
But none of this would have happened to her if it wasn't for her ex-boyfriend, Willy Jack Pickens. He was impatient and wanted to get to California, and didn't want to stop for Novalee to use the restroom. He decided, for some reason you can call it destiny or fate, to leave her at that stop. The secondary character that means the most to Novalee is Americus Nation. She is Novalee's beautiful baby girl, Novalee does anything to make sure that Americus gets all that she needs. "She wondered if too many could love her too much."(p.108)The secondary characters make the book what it is. 
There are also some minor characters in the novel that have an impact on the main and secondary character. Some of them are; Roger, the guy that Lexie was dating, but he tried top rape her children. There is also the Otriz's that love Americus and they are friends and neighbours with Sister Husband. There is also Troy Moffat, he is Novalee's boyfriends for a short period of time. She was also afraid that she was pregnant with his baby.

June 8th, 2011
Conflict

Novalee's unlucky number

I, Kristen lead this group conversation and we came to the conclusion that there is multiple little conflicts throughout the novel. I asked what the main conflict was and if that conflict interwinded with the other little conflicts. Kayla said that the fisrt conflict that presents itself is that Willy Jack left her at the Wal-Mart in Sequoyah. She also has to find a way to live with only $7.77. Not only does she have to think about what is best for her, she also has to think about what is best for her baby, as she is 7 months pregnant at the beginning of that novel. While we were discussing that we realized that these were not the main conflict, but Novalee vs herself is the main conflict. A few examples of this conflict is; she has to overcome her fear of the number 7, she has to do this because as Americus is getting older she has to go through 7th days, 7th weeks, 7th month and 7th year. Everytime that there is something that has to do with a 7 she tries to keep Americus and herself safe. The 7th month, Americus gets kidnapped to get baptised, and on the 7th year Willy Jack comes back. She also has to overcome the dead of Sister Husband. Sister Husband died from a Tornado that ripped through Sequoyah.

June 9th,2011
Theme

Kayla led this conversation, and really got us thinking if there was more than 1 theme. It got us thinking about the Home is where your history begins theme. There are 2 mains themes that reoccur throughout the novel. One of the themes are there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. No matter what happens to you in life, you always have to look on the bright side, and keep thinking about the good thigs that you will see after you get past the dark part of the tunnel. Novalee beleives that things will get better for her as she gets older. The people that are around her keep her feeling good too.
The other main theme is "home is where your history begins." Sister Husband tells ths to Novalee this when she is talking about her baby. You can' change your past, but the future always has something better in store, you just have to find it. You may not like it, but your home is where you come from and it is the good and the bad that makes you.

It is naver too late to start over. You can always make something of yourself at any point in your life. You just have to accept what is thrown at you and take the good that comes with the bad, and you can overcome anything.