A HOME IN THE WEST By Emilia Rockwell, Sharon wood

BOOK REVIEW OF A HOME IN THE WEST By Emilia Rockwell, Sharon wood

         This book is written by M. Emilia Rockwell and Sharon wood. This book was published in 1858. It is Counted as Immigration literature. It is  a short story which revolves around a poor, common man’s family. The main characters in the story are Mr. Walter Judson, Mrs. Annie Judson and their relatives. The story has other supporting characters also. The story takes us through Walter’s and his family’s struggle, his willingness to give better life to his family and his migration to the West for better earning and happy life.

            In this story, Walter is an honest carpenter who had been exploited and betrayed by his senior and  has debt to pay off. After knowing there is  no other way to stop this abuse and to get rid of this debt, he decides to go to the West where there are good opportunities for livelihood. By selling their furniture and by other means they manage their expenditure and leave for the West with their young baby. They leave without thinking about the consequences. In the West also, they face so many challenges, problems but in spite of so many difficulties, Walters succeeds to secure a Home In The West. And the story ends on a sweet note.

            The storyline is really very catchy which we can relate to the people nearby. We get to know how people who  Also, the main characters catch the attention of the readers due to the way they are portrayed. For example, Annie, Walter’s wife is really very loving and  caring lady & a loyal wife who always stand by her husband in any decision. Her nature is self sacrificing as She leaves her home, her old friends, her mother- father & siblings just because she wanted a better life for her husband and children. She doesn’t think about her own wishes. Walter, the lead character is an honest man, a loyal husband and a hardworking person who tries to do the best to keep his family healthy and happy. He asks for his wife’s opinion, respects her. After the mill burns, he along with his wife thinks about the labourers before thinking about their own future. This shows the kind nature of both of them. Each and every character is portrayed so well that we can actually visualize them in our minds. This book makes us remind of the struggles of our loved one’s for making us happy and about people who stood by us in difficult times.

         The depiction of various places of East and West is done so beautifully that, it takes us to a beautiful , mesmerizing trip. We can imagine  those places around us. The words and phrases used to portray characters and to describe places enhances the quality of the story. This book gives us a combination of fiction and reality. And the language is not complex. So, one can easily understand it. These book is worth reading. It was a wonderful and heart melting experience to read this book.

Tanavi Pitale, Roll No: 34 (FY. B.Ed)

BIBLIOGRAPHY: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/inflibnet-ebooks/detail.action?docID=843104

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