Bastard Out of Carolina Analysis

Stop us if you've heard this one before: "'What's a South Carolina virgin?' 'At's a ten-year-old can run fast.'" Oh, you've heard it? Probably from Bone (9.44). Go on and figure that one out for yo...

It's pretty clear that Bone is telling the story of her childhood from her point of view, but here's a question to get you thinking: how old is she as she's telling it? We know that she talks about...

Does thirteen count as "of age"?Hey, why not? "Of age" doesn't necessarily mean when you turn eighteen and get to do fun things like vote; it's really about a moment of transition to some kind of m...

We know those aren't happy words, but don't despair. This novel might not be cheery, but it's not as much of a complete downer as you'd think. Keep in mind that the book is told from the perspectiv...

Think about the first sentence of the book: "I've been called Bone all my life, but my name's Ruth Anne" (1.1). Kind of a strange way for a person to introduce herself, right? A "Hello" would be ni...

Our first question is: which Carolina? We'll get to that in a minute. First, let's focus on the word that really draws our attention.Bastard Out of Carolina is a pretty harsh title. If you came acr...

People pay for what they do, and still more, for what they have allowed themselves to become. And they pay for it simply: by the lives they lead. —James BaldwinTechnicalities first: this epigraph...

When looking at a book's ending, it's a good idea to also take a look at the beginning. Makes sense, right? They're two of the most important parts of the book, after all.In Bastard Out of Carolina...

The most difficult time that you'll have with this book will probably be keeping all of the Boatwrights straight (there are always new aunts and uncles and cousins cropping up to keep track of) and...

Meet the FamilyThe first four chapters of the novel set the scene for what is going to become the escalating conflict of the story—Glen's abuse of Bone. We meet Anney, we learn about her life and...

The Heroine Falls under the Shadow of a Dark PowerThe heroine is Bone and the "dark power" is Glen. Easy, right? But it isn't immediately clear that Glen is a "dark power" until he molests her; in...

Act I in this case is the same as Exposition, so it lasts up to the point when Glen molests Bone in the hospital parking lot. This is the moment when everything changes forever, and there is no com...

Bastard Out of Carolina was one of five finalists for the National Book Award in 1992 (source). That's a big freakin' deal.It took Dorothy Allison ten years to write Bastard Out of Carolina (source...

We're stamping the big ol' R on this baby for sex, violence, sexual violence, masturbation, and swearing. We're pretty sure that's everything you can be rated R for.Oh, you wanted specifics?Well, t...

Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind (14.7)Kitty Wells (2.7, 10.1, 10.14, 22.29)Teresa Brewer (10.14, 10.16)June Carter (10.1, 10.16, 10.70)Johnny Cash (10.1, 11.22, 14.30)Al Dexter and the Troope...