Responses to Hardships in Blackberries in June by Ron Rash example

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Responses to Hardships in Blackberries in June by Ron Rash

In his book Blackberries in June Ron Rash explores the lives of a couple, Matt and Jamie who are cynical about family life any young couples accomplishing goals in life. The family of the couple has the main characters in the book. The novelist uses them to paint a picture of a family in turmoil. Both Matt and Jamie undergo hardships that seemingly are a result of other family members such as Charlton and Linda. Rash shrewdly illustrates the different hardships that various characters face such as alcoholism, extravagance, and rebuke and how each of the characters interrelates with each other to either worsen the hardships or absolve them.

Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a hardship that faces the entire family. Either directly or indirectly, Rash depicts how each of the family members is affected by the drinking habits of Charlton. First, the readers are drawn to how the habit
has affected his life. Charlton owns a skidder machinery facility that he uses to provide for his family. However, an accident happens when he gets drunk, and his leg gets caught up in the machine. Charlton’s leg is amputated, and he, therefore, cannot provide for his family as before. Alcoholism is, therefore, a hardship that faces both Charlton and his family directly.

On the flip side, Charlton’s drinking habits also affect his mother, Matt and Jamie that have to step in and provide for his family after the accident. Although another character brings the hardship, Rash depicts how it later affects the entire family. Matt and Jamie are forced to make a few adjustment to their life goals and dreams to accommodate the other family. The whole family looked up to Jamie to help his brother meet his needs. It
is from this situation that another hardship manifests.

Rebuke
Jamie and Matt face criticism from their mother. First, she comments that although they are trying to save some money, they should at least buy a phone (Rash 239). Jamie and Matt are therefore rebuked and scolded for been mean and inconsiderate. Their family does not respect their choice and the sacrifices they have had to make to get to where they are. Jamie comments that people will forget that they had to work near full-time jobs while in High school “They will forget how we worked near full-time jobs”(Rash 243). While the ridicule is caused by the couple’s hard working nature, they choose to ignore it and focus on their goal to own their property, have
better education and raise a better family than those of their families. Linda and Charlto scorn both Matt and his partner Jamie. They claim that Matt’s owes them everything since they took they offered them a job that
later enabled them to buy a lake house. “ You owe us everything if Charlto had not taken you on” (Rash 246). Linda and Charlto rebuke Matt with the hope of demoralising him and manipulating him into helping …

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