Frazier uses verbs and adjectives to make it sound how weak Odell’s wife really is and to make the mood more tense. The words: “small…frail…nervous fatigue…swooned on the fainting couch”, this implies that she is useless and pathetic. However, Odell doesn’t care about that and he loves his wife, he shows dedication towards to his wife. This complicates “the matter” between the wife and Lucianda for Odell.
Frazier uses the theme of time and place because of how they met in the kitchen, because it shows how those two met each and fell in love with each other. Odell describes Lucianda as a woman “with the brittle blackness of her hair, the fine bones of her hands and feet and ankles… looking down at her pretty little feet he wished his wife was dead.” Frazier use of words such as: “brittle…blackness…fine bones…pretty.” These words give an imagery of a woman of purity or a goddess. Also how Odell “wished his wife was dead”, proves that he loved Lucianda and how she is even brought up as woman of beauty.
We sympathise with Odell because, he is in “love” with Lucianda, and the father shows him no care and only thinks he has “raised a fool.” Also he tries to sell her, so Odell can marry someone the father wanted to marry him; this shows how much independence Odell has. When she is gone, “Odell fell into despair.” This makes me sympathise with him, because he has lost his true love, and he tries to fix it by “drinking and gambling.” This shows that love causes pain, and this part of the story makes it heartbreaking.
Frazier shows us the romantic love than the sexual love, by showing that both Lucianda and Odell go into the “woods”, which is a piece of imagery which is represents as pure, innocent and romantic, also being one with nature. Frazier uses the word “hobble” which implies how Odell looks sly and cunning also makes people less suspicious of him, except the readers, who know what he is about to do.
Frazier tells us that love is sometimes overbearing, because you have to tell anyone, to remove the stress and pressure off your heart. Odell wants to tell his father that he wants Lucianda back, so they can get married and be happy together.
However, Frazier makes Lucianda like something you can buy; however Odell is buying her freedom and his love for her. However, the father detests this and proves my point, that he thinks he “raised a fool.” The father is horrible because he thinks black people should only be used for “fieldwork” because they are only good as slaves.
Frazier, makes us the readers feel sympathetic for Odell, for punching the father because he has shown no respect towards Odell, because he called Odell a “fool” and for thinking that Lucianda is a “nigger” slave, with no other purpose in life. When he is locked up, this might mean that it is the end of the relationship between Odell and Lucianda. When Odell is suffering, we feel even more sympathetic, because the father tells us that: “I’ve sold that bitch to Mississippi.” This might mean it is the end of Odell and Lucianda’s relationship.
Frazier uses more sympathy as we read on, because when Odell leaves the shack, Frazier uses words such as: “staggered, out blinking, into the light.” This gives us the imagery he is desperate for the “light” more importantly, he really wants to see his love, because he hasn’t seen her for ages, and she is far away from him.
Frazier shows the determination of love and how it brings denial, because Odell thinks Lucianda is alive, because he gets all of the “money…gold pieces…diamond…ruby brooch…emerald rings…pearls.” This makes Odell use the jewels to bring more money for his journey, he sells “trinkets” to gain more money for himself, to look for his love. It shows that true love never dies and he is still looking for her.
To conclude, this story is very poignant and it shows how Odell’s life is far from easy, also it shows the theme of love and determination. The journey he makes nearer the end of Odell’s story is similar to Inman’s because they are both looking for their love (Ada in Inman’s case) and they want to stay with them till their dying breaths, also the language that is used is very vivid and emotional.
