The Four Winds. How difficult is it to defy both family and society in a small town? That hope is quickly dashed when they encounter discrimination, a lack of jobs, and the reality of life in a muddy squatters camp. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Did you identify with Elsa and her journey throughout this book? The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. One note the pronunciation of drought as drouth is deliberate and the reason is addressed in the story. Rafe dreams of leaving for the big city, but does his duty. As the drought continues, their animals die and supplies run out. She feels restless and destined for spinsterhood. He is also not afraid to employ violent means, as he knows that the justice system will side with a wealthy, influential man like him over the impoverished migrant workers. The Four Winds was published in February of 2021 and immediately hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstore's bestseller lists. Loreda, too, skips school during cotton-picking season to help, though Elsa's ardent wish is for Loreda to go to college. Describe that unique and complicated connection. Uncertain and scared, Elsa reluctantly leaves with just Art and Loreda. She is enthralled by Jacks charisma and the devotion of his fellow organizers to the cause of fair pay. Conversely, do you think the way Loreda sees Elsa is accurate? When Jeans baby dies in childbirth, Loredas anger at the inequity of their situation boils over, and she runs away. The Four Winds is also a true historical fiction novel, bringing in bits and pieces of historical facts from the time periods it covers. THE FOUR WINDS DISCUSSION GUIDE Book Club Collection (630) 232-0780 x366 bookclub@gpld.org . She had to believe there was grit in her, even if it had never been tested or revealed. (9) This sentence highlights Elsas essentially hopeful nature, even though she doesnt believe in herself. How is the modern world different? Gia: Composto: Rafe's fianc. The Greatest Generation was shaped by the Great Depression and World War II. "Hope is a coin I carry. Sam Shepherds work or Truman Capotes work denies the power of the kindness of strangers you may want to read Cold Millions by Jess Walters and then be that kind person who reaches across to do great good work. Was there anything in particular that you feel you learned or which surprised you. What did you think about the ending and Loreda returning back to California to attend college? The Four Winds Chapter Summaries - eNotes.com Lets talk about the climax of the story. Is this some type of pronunciation that Im not aware of? Rafe's fianc. What does it say about Elsa that she went with Rafe so willingly? So many characters, like Jean, were really two dimensional. . How does Elsa aim to fill his void, and why does she believe she loves him even after the abandonment? Elsa, fearing the violence will break the strikers spirits, picks up Jacks megaphone and exhorts the workers to stay united. Do you or your family have any keepsakes that represent your familys hope for the future? Elsa is reluctant to leave Texas, as she has found the only true happiness she has ever known on the Martinelli farm. While both these novels are survival stories, The Four Winds is the one Id recommend if youre on the fence between the two of them. I think the narrator does a good job with it, and its easy to listen to. Thirteen-year-old Leni, caught in the riptide of her parents passionate, stormy relationship, has little choice but to go along, daring to hope this new land promises her family a better future. It also occurred to me while reading it that, given the strong and complicated mother-daughter relationship in this book, that this could be a great mothers day gift or a good book give to your mom to read together, if youre looking for an activity to do with them remotely. eNotes Editorial. Dust storms roll relentlessly across the plains. Elsa soon realizes that Welty's camp is designed to keep their workers poor and indebted to them, but she doesn't want to risk her job. They are disheveled and unkept by the time they arrive, and people are rude to them. Elsa thought the childrens grandparents would join them on the journey but they refuse to leave behind the land. By 1934, Loreda is 12 and has a difficult relationship with her mother. Why is it a risk to associate with them and what is Elsas hesitation? Books became Elsas escape, and she carries a deep love of reading with her throughout her life. His efforts seem largely inspired by the memory of his mother, a single woman who died in a factory fire after her employers locked the factory doors to prevent employees from taking smoke breaks. In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinellilike so many of her neighborsmust make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. The Four Winds: A Novel - B&N Readouts It is Ants bout of dust pneumonia that ultimately forces Elsa to journey to California, as the constant dust storms put his health at further risk. Life was very different for unmarried young women in earlier generations. Although she is initially ambivalent about Elsa, she comes to genuinely care for her, viewing her as the daughter she never had. Texas, 1921. Rafe is her only surviving child, and she admits to having spoiled him as a result. It is Rafes closeness with Loreda that turns her against her mother, as she comes to view Elsa as the one holding her father back from achieving his dreams. As the situation worsens, Elsa is forced to make a decision to stay and fight or leave for the uncertain and unfamiliar lands in the West. Rafe was set to go to college but once Elsa is pregnant with his child, those plans are canceled. The Communists claimed that communism is the new Americanism. Can you understand why people believed in that? What does the Martinellis' lucky penny represent in The Four Winds? Why do you think that is? The Four Winds Themes. What does the Bible mean when it refers to the four winds? The Four Winds Chapters 5-8 Summary & Analysis | SuperSummary Already a member? When he loses yet another job, he makes the impulsive decision to move his wife and daughter north where they will live off the grid in Americas last true frontier. The catalyst for her decision is the death of her best friend, Jean Dewey, who dies from typhoid in a roadside encampment. by Kristin Hannah. During the COVID- 19 pandemic, Americans were faced with many of the same challenges of the Great Depression. If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance How are the workers exploited on the Welty farm in The Four Winds? by Kristin Hannah. However, as time passes, Loreda comes to appreciate Elsas quiet strength, and she begins to realize that it is Elsas parenting that has turned her into the sort of person who can fight for her dreams and ideals, unlike her ineffectual dreamer of a father. Embittered by their terrible luck in California, Loreda resolves to take her mothers body back to Texas and bury her on the farm, in the land she grew to love. Elsas character arc follows a well-worn path, although no less engaging for its familiarity. The Four Winds - BookPage In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own. Tony tells Elsa about the importance of . View my Affiliate Disclosure page here. Source materials at the University of Texas in Austin also helped, including the writings of novelist Sanora Babb and the memoirs of many who lived through the Dust Bowl and westward migration, Hannah says. The first day of the strike is successful despite Weltys threats of a further pay cut, but the next day, the strikers are met with law enforcement and hired vigilantes. This strains their marriage, and Elsa acknowledges that Rafe never really loved her in the way that she came to love him. After a grueling journey across the Mohave Desert, Elsa finally reaches the lush fields of Californias San Joaquin Valley, and she is hopeful for the first time in months. . As the Texas panhandle parches out, Elsa watches their crops wither and has to send her children scrambling through the dirt to find any scrap potatoes that might remain in the fields. 1. Earned his first newspaper paycheck at the Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat, fled the Midwest for Los Angeles Daily News and finally ended up at the Orange County Register. She and Jack fall in love as they help to plan a strike. An Italian immigrant, Tony and his wife, Rose, came to the United States with only a few dollars and some grape vine cuttings. He employs underpaid migrants as farm laborers and sets up an encampment for them on his property. At the prospect of needing governmental assistance? Did it add to the experience of the book? I hold The Nightingale as Kristin Hannahs best work but this one does come a very close second. Roses dreams for the next generation are ultimately obtained through Loreda, who will be the first Martinelli to attend college. . How did she finally come to understand her mother and her choices through a new lens? What did you think about their romance? Q&A with Sarah Penner, Author of The Lost Apothecary. Anyway, not a big deal, just wondering. He's taught one or two classes a semester in the journalism and mass communications department at Cal State Long Beach since 2006. After 1936/37 did work pulling cotton improve for the workers? The doctor says he must leave to survive, so Elsa packs up the household into the car. By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. How would you describe the Texas landscape the author paints? He took off his cap, twisted it in his hands. Kristin Hannahs The Four Winds, 'Mike Nichols: A Life', Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. T he main themes in The Four Winds are prejudice, love and family, and the American dream.. If youre a fan of Kristin Hannah or a historical fiction fan in general, I think youll really like this book. After Elsas death, Loreda returns to the Martinelli farm in Texas. Theyd sewn their lives together in the silent way of women unused to conversation. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. Rafe is unhappy, drinks heavily and dreams of going West to pursue new opportunities. Follow along on Goodreads, or keep in touch via the newsletter. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything. But when Elsa and her family arrives to the state, they instantly realize reality is much different. Kristin Hannahs absorbing new novel begins just a few years before, when it seemed as if Elsa Wolcottmight finally have a peaceful, fulfilling life ahead. She has the capacity to dream big and embrace change like her father, but she also has her mothers stubborn determination and fierce protective drive. The locals treat them badly, are afraid of them. Book Club Questions for The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah What do you think the idea of owning land and working the land means to people? Along the way, Elsa develops a greater consciousness of the plight of laborers in Depression-era America, joining them in protests against the larger political and economic engines that exploit people and land alike, leading to the Dust Bowl in the first place. Did you understand her? How do Elsa and her family remain unbroken even while enduring crippling poverty, food and shelter insecurity, and living in a town that is hostile to them? One day, Rafe abandons them with only a note. Did you dislike Loreda during these years? Spoiler Alert:Please note that the discussion guide below contain spoilers to the book. The Four Winds : The Fiction Addiction September 7, 2020 The Four Winds The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah, tells the story of Elsa Martinelli and her family through many hardships and struggles. Why is land so important to that dream? Elsa is likewise drawn to Jacks forceful personality, but she sees his ideas as dangerous. The Four Winds : The Fiction Addiction Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. How does the treatment of migrants in California during the Great Depression mirror the treatment of immigrants today? I enjoyed The Great Alone and The Nightingale, Ill have to check this one out! The two protagonists of the book, Elsa and Loreda, are both fully drawn and compelling characters. Disowned by her parents for casting shame upon the family, Elsa marries Rafe and is taken in by Tony and Rose Martinelli, Rafes parents. Elsa and Rafe now also have a son, Anthony ("Ant"), 7. Rafe opened the door and stood in the opening, his face dusty. The Four Winds Themes - eNotes.com However, after Rafe abandons his family, it becomes clear that he is a cowardly man who does not know how to put his dreams into action. After the family arrives in California, Elsa feels a mounting sense of guilt as Ant is continuously forced to take on more adult responsibilities, including picking cotton instead of attending school. These indomitable female characters foreshadow the nation's sweeping change through their fierce commitment to each other and to a common, timeless goal. What similarities? Jack eventually finds Elsa and her family a permanent residence on Welty Farms, but Elsa soon discovers that its not the boon she expected. The Four Winds is a historical fiction that recounts a survival story centered on a mother and daughter. They pack up the truck and head west, while Tony and Rose stay behind to salvage what they can of the farm. Hannahs writing is at its strongest when she takes us into the vivid hardships of the drought, as overuse of the land results in storms of topsoil that flay skin from muscle and fill the bellies of staggered cattle with dirt. There were times in my journey when it felt as if that penny and the hope it represented were the only things that kept me going. (1) What is the significance of the fact that it is an American penny? The Four Winds : A Novel by Kristin Hannah (2023, Trade Paperback) - eBay There are greater forces in the world than love and dedication, however. And through her marriage, which turns out to be difficult, the embracing of her in-laws and motherhood and becoming a farm wife, she really goes through this journey where she becomes fearless and a warrior. In The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, Elsa Wolcott is a woman trying to raise two children on farm in the Great Plains during the Dust Bowl following the Great Depression. One of the Martinelli's neighbor. How does it weaken her? He has dreams of moving to a big city. And you couple that with the reality of the impacts of climate change. The police lob tear gas, and Weltys thugs beat Jack senseless. Courage is fear you ignore. Discuss this. She had hoped to send him to college so that he could truly live the American dream, but she is ultimately grateful that Elsa came into her life instead. Before she started writing, Hannah says she did extensive research in order to be as accurate as possible about the history and the people about which she planned to write. What choices do they have, and what might you have done during the drought? Poor simplistic review. I listened to the audiobook and loved it. In her early research into the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, she realized that as a woman born in Southern California and raised there and in the Pacific Northwest, where she lives still today, she didnt know much about the struggles faced by people in that time and place. . What do you think prompts the changes in her behavior or in their relationship? She understands the impossible odds her mother faces and the sheer tenacity it takes to simply keep the family together and put food on the table. With your friends? Tony Martinelli is Rafes father and Elsas father-in-law. Eventually, however, even Elsa is forced to admit that the way the migrant Okies are being treated is unjust. What about the land they farm? Why do you think Rafe abandons his family instead of just saying hell go find a job and send money home? (Photo by Kevin Lynch). Unloved by her family, she falls for the sweet words of Rafe, a younger man who woos her but is not ready for the responsibility of fatherhood. And I really began to want to write a quintessentially American novel about some story of lost history that I thought would be as emotional and as inspiring as The Nightingale.. A gangly, awkward spinster with no self-confidence, Elsa is forced by her circumstances to find the strength and courage she never knew she had and confront a life marred by seemingly endless tragedy. Last Updated on June 9, 2021, by eNotes Editorial. The Four Winds Characters Listed With Descriptions - BookCompanion The Four Winds. Going into the novel, I had wondered how much of the trip from Texas to California would be covered. In yourself? online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. PDF THE FOUR WINDS DISCUSSION GUIDE - Google The death of the baby is the last straw for Loreda, who hates their life there. Jack takes her to the hospital, but the damage is too severe. Back home, Elsa tells Tony & Rose first, and they blame Rafe. What dreams do they share? The Four Winds tells the story of Elsa Wolcott, a young woman born and raised in Texas during the boom years of the 1920s. How does motherhood strengthen a woman? When she's finally able to leave with her kids, they become migrant workers in California -- which she quickly realizes is an exploitative system. All of that hardship, its remarkable and its inspiring, Hannah says. Ana determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered among the most impactful in human history. But she is shot and eventually passes away. Somehow managed to get a lovely lady to marry him, and with her have two daughters. "The Four Winds - Characters" eNotes Publishing Through that door, Elsa saw whole other lives, other futures. There, Elsa discovers a tight community of fellow migrants, and she befriends Jean Dewey, who shares resources and survival tips. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I really enjoy yourBook club suggestions and Book Club Questions, Preview: The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin, Q&A with Peng Shepherd, Author of The Cartographers, Book Club Questions for Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton, Q&A with Maxine Mei-Fung Chung, Author of the The Eighth Girl, Q&A with Ann Mah, Author of The Lost Vintage, 10 Book Club Books to Read in Summer 2023, Book Club Questions for Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, Review: Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, Book Club Questions for The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes, Book Club Questions for Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, (Updated April 2023) Reeses Book Club Picks: Entire List, Book Club Questions for Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, Book Club Questions for Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.