Professor Broadus
LTED 3513-002
10 October 2017
Crafting of Bud, Not Buddy Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, takes place in Flint, Michigan and Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is about a boy who lost his mother at an early age and was placed in foster care. With a poster in his suitcase his mother gave to him, he set out on a search for his father, based off what the poster had said. In order for Bud to get to the places he needs to go, he lies throughout his journey. The author portrays this book as having realistic fiction with realistic characters, themes and setting. The author crafted the characters in this book to be relatable to the readers. Although not all can relate to being in foster care, many can relate to Bud’s …show more content…
The first one is fear. Bud is living in fear a majority of the time. He has fears of ghost and goblins, having to sleep outside, and not knowing when he will eat again. These fears were created because of all the situations he has endured. “The only thing I could hear was my own breath. It was so loud that it sounded like there were six scared people locked up in the shed,” ( Curtis p. 21). In this scene the author shows the reader how scared Bud is, the bigger the description, the more scared Bud sounds. Another theme the author uses is poverty. This book took place around the Great Depression so many families were poor because of the lack of jobs. Bud is not along poor but he is also homeless. Throughout the book, he shows how not having any food or shelter can be a scary thing for a ten year old boy. “The new clothes were just a little big, but they were long pants and not knickers…man, my first pair of trousers,” (Curtis p. 120). It was not mentioned if bud had any clothes, however, I as the reader believe he wore the same clothes all the time. This quote has a powerful message behind it because it shows that Bud has not gotten new clothes in his ten years of life. The last man theme the author uses is, the home. Bud has been going home to home for the past four years since his mother has died. “Now that the school year has ended, you both have been temporary-care homes starting this afternoon,” (Curtis p. 2). He was never in one home for a long time. Bud is on a journey for an actual home where he can sleep, eat and play. He is looking for the home where his father