Charms For The Easy Life, By Thomas C. Foster: An Analysis

One of the constants in life is that there is always meaning. Without meaning, mankind struggles to set itself apart from the beasts, it loses it’s way, and so it creates meaning in every aspect of it’s existence. Whether it’s as momentous as leading a nation, or as simple as a kind word to a friend, man always trusts that there is a reason for it’s actions, that there’s a purpose behind their gestures, and that fuels their drive to live. One of mankind’s proudest achievements, literature, is simply a reflection of it’s world, a massive collection of knowledge and experience that waits to be tapped by both scholars and students alike. Through years of study and analysis, Thomas C. Foster, author of How to Read Literature like a Professor,

Due to the challenges that come their way, the quester finds himself/herself making decisions that determine his/her future, which changes their character and promotes growth overall. In the novels Charms for the Easy Life, by Kaye Gibbons, and Two Old Women, by Velma Willis,, two seemingly different journeys are depicted, with each carrying the same message, that message being that the reason for their hardships and struggles was so that they could know themselves, and grow.

What starts the protagonists in each story on their journey is a series of events beyond their control. In Two Old Women, the brutal winter was what brought their tribe leader to the decision of leaving them behind. As stated by Willis, “The moose, their favorite source of food, took refuge from the penetrating cold by staying in one place, and were difficult to find”(2). This absence poses a problem to the tribe, as the only animals left are too small to act as complete nourishment. And since the food is distributed fairly equally, the more people there are, the less food there is for each individual. The chief knows that the food supply is not about to increase drastically, so he is left with what he thinks to be the only decision possible: to