Requa I

1. Requa I By: Tillie Olsen Presented by: Gaby Saavedra and Maddie Smith

2. Background • Requa: poor, small town in Northern CA during 1930’s • Difficult to read b/c it does not follow traditional story structure • The second part of Requa has not been found

3. Requa I • Stevie begins his new life in Requa with Wes • Fixation and depressive mindset: • “He had been his head up forever… like too sick people” (pg. 100). • “He didn’t understand how it was… forever” (pg. 101). • Stevie and Wes try to deal with their new living situation

4. Requa I • Stevie finally decides to not just lay around • He works with Wes. • The healing begins • He goes shooting • “He is warmer now.” p.118 • Wes gets drunk, Stevie does not like the smell. • Stevie remembers his mom. • “Far down where..” p.123

5. Cont. • Wes and Stevie go to bed. • His face reminds Stevie of his mother. • Wes sees the slow change in him and apologizes for his frustration at times. • “his Dad… …all he has” p. 128 • Stevie goes to the cemetery with Mrs. Ed. • “stealthily secretly reclaiming” p.130

6. Themes • Movement • Stevie is physically moving and mentally and emotionally moving • He is displaced and struggling • “…and swing himself round and round… Waiting moving sliding trying” (100). • Death and Grief • Stevie is broken. • Intro states “brokenness is the condition that elicits human bondedness” • Slow healing for Stevie – began with his job at the junkyard