Areeba Hasan
Pictures of Hollis Wood
A family is the most important thing in the world. However, many of us don’t realize a family’s importance. It’s the people in life that want you in theirs. It’s the people that accept you for who you are. These are the people that would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what. However, not everybody is blessed with a family. Such was a story of a girl named Hollis in the book called Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff.
Pictures of Hollis Woods is the story of 12-year-old orphan Hollis Woods who has been moved to countless families and has the amazing talent to draw things just as they are. Her whole life unfolds through the pictures she draws. She has been placed with …show more content…
It is important to know who you are. Hollis never really had a self-identity. Hollis has to decide who she was with nothing, but drawings of memories she created. These drawings were proof that she existed and mattered. At first, she had a negative self- identity. Her ignorance towards her name showed that. “I was found in the corner… no blanket…and a note that called her Hollis Woods. That’s a real place.’ I said in my I don’t care voice.” The foster care system had imprinted Hollis as a runway, a troublemaker, and a liar. After she met the Reagans, she started to think positively of herself especially of her art skills. After the accident, she lost her self-identity. Making Steven her conscious voice, Hollis was forced to make some critical decisions that will affect her future and self-identity. Josie is able to get Hollis to look at herself again. As she said, “I wish you could see yourself as I see you.” Josie made Hollis look at herself through her drawings. Hollis Woods is not only a place’s name, but is a 12 year old girl that is marvelous …show more content…
It changes how much information the reader gets and how he/she looks at the story. This story was written in first person. This meant that the narrator was the character from the story. This was the perfect point of view for the story because the readers were very close to the main character. In this case, the narrator was Hollis. We were inside Hollis’s head and emotions, seeing what she sees, feeling what she feels, and understanding how she thinks. The reader knew why Hollis was running away with Josie to Branches. The reader was able to feel the pain Hollis went through when she saw Steven hurt because of her and when she decided to run away. The reader saw the injustice the mustard woman was doing to her when she tried to take her away from Josie through Hollis’s eyes. This whole idea of getting close to the character helped with understanding the theme. All the themes had to do with Hollis making a mistake and then learning a lesson through her life’s events. In order to fully understand that theme, the reader must be with Hollis and see how she thinks. If the story was Third Person, we would never understand why Hollis left Reagans, why she didn’t want to leave Josie, or why she ran away to the Reagan’s summer home. First person point of view allows the reader and the main character to connect more. It also allows the theme to have a last effect on the
Pictures of Hollis Wood
A family is the most important thing in the world. However, many of us don’t realize a family’s importance. It’s the people in life that want you in theirs. It’s the people that accept you for who you are. These are the people that would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what. However, not everybody is blessed with a family. Such was a story of a girl named Hollis in the book called Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff.
Pictures of Hollis Woods is the story of 12-year-old orphan Hollis Woods who has been moved to countless families and has the amazing talent to draw things just as they are. Her whole life unfolds through the pictures she draws. She has been placed with …show more content…
It is important to know who you are. Hollis never really had a self-identity. Hollis has to decide who she was with nothing, but drawings of memories she created. These drawings were proof that she existed and mattered. At first, she had a negative self- identity. Her ignorance towards her name showed that. “I was found in the corner… no blanket…and a note that called her Hollis Woods. That’s a real place.’ I said in my I don’t care voice.” The foster care system had imprinted Hollis as a runway, a troublemaker, and a liar. After she met the Reagans, she started to think positively of herself especially of her art skills. After the accident, she lost her self-identity. Making Steven her conscious voice, Hollis was forced to make some critical decisions that will affect her future and self-identity. Josie is able to get Hollis to look at herself again. As she said, “I wish you could see yourself as I see you.” Josie made Hollis look at herself through her drawings. Hollis Woods is not only a place’s name, but is a 12 year old girl that is marvelous …show more content…
It changes how much information the reader gets and how he/she looks at the story. This story was written in first person. This meant that the narrator was the character from the story. This was the perfect point of view for the story because the readers were very close to the main character. In this case, the narrator was Hollis. We were inside Hollis’s head and emotions, seeing what she sees, feeling what she feels, and understanding how she thinks. The reader knew why Hollis was running away with Josie to Branches. The reader was able to feel the pain Hollis went through when she saw Steven hurt because of her and when she decided to run away. The reader saw the injustice the mustard woman was doing to her when she tried to take her away from Josie through Hollis’s eyes. This whole idea of getting close to the character helped with understanding the theme. All the themes had to do with Hollis making a mistake and then learning a lesson through her life’s events. In order to fully understand that theme, the reader must be with Hollis and see how she thinks. If the story was Third Person, we would never understand why Hollis left Reagans, why she didn’t want to leave Josie, or why she ran away to the Reagan’s summer home. First person point of view allows the reader and the main character to connect more. It also allows the theme to have a last effect on the