In search of a place in the sun, a place to belong, Codi Noline set out on a journey to return to her hometown of Grace where during her childhood she had felt like an outcast. Lacking both sleep and dreams, sh

Although raised under the same roof with Codi, Hallie was the sister who truly grasped how to live and appreciate her being. Her consciousness of life’s purpose and her spirit blossomed tremendously in comparison to that of her sister’s. Deemed “the luckiest person alive”, Hallie dreamt not of saving the world, but of making a useful contribution to the earth and to mankind (35; ch.4). Her theories on life guided her to choose the right path for herself, not “for the reward at the end, but for the way it felt as [she] went along” (326; ch.26). Her actions to promote elementary kindness were harvested by her wish that one-day kids would neither become the destroyers nor the destroyed.

ll in the way of love, so as not to be disappointed” (117; ch.11). Running from her problems, she constantly searched for something better rather than accepting the fact that the grass in Grace was the perfect shade of green.

Along Codi’s journey to locate her true place in life, she encountered a colorful local woman whose roots were firmly ingrained within the soil of Gracela Canyon. Dona Althea, a member of the Peacock Ladies and Stitch and Bitch Club added an “Erin Brokovich” motif to the novel with her responsibility to save her homeland from the contaminating Black Mining Corporation. A wise and astute member of the community, Dona’s reaction to the deteriorating situation at hand was based solely on instinct because “that’s what the ladies [of Grace] do” (267;ch. 21). She helped mastermind the peacock piñata project in order to raise money and increase awareness of the exploitation of Grace’s agricultural region.

Loyd thoroughly satisfied his desires to keep his life and responsibilities in perspective by respecting and understanding the intricacies of the natural world. Also, his frequent visits to and conversations concerning his family fulfilled his need to feel connected. Loyd depicted his entire outlook on serenity when advising Codi that “it’s one thing to carry [her] life wherever [she] goes. Another thing to always go looking for it somewhere else” (236; ch.19). Rather than searching for his home as Codi does in the novel, Loyd realizes that his home lies within him, in his heart. With Codi on his arm, Loyd’s dream for a family of his own, one to inherit the family orchard, is realized.

Kingsolver created within Dr. Homero Noline a finely crafted character with complicated yet realistic reactions to his hallucinations due to Alzheimer’s disease. With bitter and vengeful wounds, Doc Homer eloped with an Althea sister in order to escape ridicule as a result of their forbidden engagement. Upon return to Grace, Arizona, Doc Homer legally changed his surname in order to escape association with his family, the disgraced Nolina’s. With the death of his wife, he inherited the extensive task of raising his two young daughters “to be untouched by Grace” (115; ch.11). His desires to be sawed from the family tree and for his girls to develop perfectly consumed his spirit and clouded the emotional aspect of his relationship with his daugh

Some topics in this essay:
Loyd Peregrina, Codi Hallie, Doc Homer, Homer Noline’s, Mining Corporation, Native American, Grace Loyd, Hotline” Barred, Codi Noline, Animal Dreams, dona althea, dreams realized, doc homer, loyd peregrina, dr homero noline, reach dreams, ailing father, throughout novel, family own, instead realizing, black mining corporation, dr homero,