Melissa+Agee's+A+Death+in+the+Family

= =  =     __A Death In The Family__      By: James Agee                       =

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  **<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">About the Author: ** <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">      ======

<span style="COLOR: #c784d7; FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">
=<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia, serif"> = <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">James Rufus Agee was born on November 27, 1909, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was the son of Hugh and Laura Agee. When Agee was six, his father died in a car accident. That event strongly influenced his life. A short time after his father's death, the Agee family moved to south-central Tennessee. There he attended a small Episcopalian school, St. Andrews, from 1919 to 1924. Following St. Andrews, was a year of high school in Knoxville. After that he attended Philps Exeter Academy in New Hampshire from 1925 to 1928. From there he went to Harvard College for the years of 1928 to 1932. In the 1930's James Agee was married and divorced twice. Once to Via Saunders and once to Alma Mailhouse, which he had one child with. He then later married Mia Fritsch. With her he had three additional children.

James Agee was writer, poet, journalist, novelist, and screenwriter. After graduation he wrote for the magazines //TIME// and //Fortune.// After that, Mr. Agee then reviewed books and movies for //The Nation// magazine//.// That work led him to write scripts for movies and tv. Agee wrote a diverse body of work, including essays, poetry, essays, novels, books, and scripts. Agee's best known film scripts were those that were for //The Night of the Hunter// and //The African Queen. A Death in the Family// and //Let Us Now Praise// //Famous Men// are his two best known books. A Death in the Family was posthumously published in 1957, and went on to win a Pulitzer Prize. //Let Us Now Praise Famous Men// helped define a new genre of personal journalism. Those two pieces of literature helped James Agee establish his reputation as one of the most talented writers in his generation.

Agee's lifestyle was not the greatest. It included heavy smoking and drinking. That interfered with his writing and impaired his health extremely. In 1951, James suffered his first of several Heart Attacks while working on //The African Queen//. On May 16,1955, James Rufus Agee died of a heart attack, while riding in a New York taxi. Agee died at the young age of 45. <span style="COLOR: #ff6b00; FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">All the information regarding the biography of James Agee was found on the site below: <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">"James Agee Biography." __Book Rags.__ 2005-2006. 8 Oct 2008. http://www.bookrags.com/biography/james-agee/ <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">For more information on James Agee and __A Death in the Family__, visit the website below: "Biography for James Agee." __The Internet Movie Database: IMDb.__ 2008. 6 Nov 2008. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0012938/bio

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<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif"> **<span style="COLOR: #181111; FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fffc00">Plot Synopsis: **   ====== <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">  <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">__A Death in the Family__ by James Agee is about an emotional moment, a death in the Follet family. Jay and Mary Follet live in Knoxville Tennessee and have a seven year old son named Rufus and a younger daughter, Catherine. Rufus is an intelligent and sensitive young boy that idolizes his father. The book starts out with Jay and Rufus on an outing to the theater. Both of them enjoy spending the time together, just the two of them. Late that night, when everyone was asleep, the telephone rang. It was Jay’s brother Ralph, who is an alcoholic. He called to tell him that their father is dying. Though Ralph’s alcoholic tendencies often lead him to exaggerate, Jay decided to go to the family farm where his father was in case his condition was serious. The book spends some time going into great detail about how Jay was getting ready to leave to go to his sick father, letting us learn about him. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">When Jay arrived at the farm, he became angry that he made the trip. Sure enough, Ralph greatly exaggerated their father’s condition. Meanwhile, at the Follet home, Hannah, Rufus’s great-aunt, called Mary and asked her if she can take Rufus shopping. After Rufus got home from school, he goes over to meet Hannah and the two went shopping together. The highlight of the trip for Rufus was when Hannah bought him a hat that he desperately wanted. That night, when Jay was supposed to return home, mary received a phone call. The call was from a man that told her that Jay had been in an accident and to send a male member of the family. She immediately called her brother, Andrew. He dropped of Hannah on his way to Jay so that she could wait with Mary. As the two women waited, they became tense and worried. Mary grew more and more alarmed as the time passed.

Then Andrew returned to Mary's home. Mary guessed right away that Jay was dead, and Andrew confirmed her guess. She, her parents, Andrew, and Hannah were all together after the news of Jay's death. Andrew told them that a cotter pin fell out of the steering mechanism of Jay's car, and that when he hit a rock in the road he lost control. His head was thrown forward into the steering wheel, causing a concussion that was instantly fatal and likely painless. He then was thrown clear of the car. The all sat together drinking to help cope with the tragic event.

When Rufus woke up the next morning, the first thing he wanted to do was show his father his new hat. He ran into his parents' room, and his mother told him to go get his little sister because there was something that she had to tell the both of them. She told them that their father died and that they will never be able to see him again. The children were upset, but did not fully understand the import of the news. At breakfast, Hannah told them the details of the death and said that they could ask her questions about anything. The kids simply did not know what to do with themselves.

Jay Follet's funeral was planned and everyone was edgy. It was a time of sadness and the emotion of the characters were shown by their actions. The day of the funeral, things did not go as smoothly as planned. Jay Follet was never baptized, which led to a problem at his burial service. To find out the "ending" of the outstanding, unfinished novel, read the book!

<span style="COLOR: #f4f32f; FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif"> Information about the plot summary was found in the book: <span style="COLOR: #f4f32f; FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif"> Agee, James. __A Death in the Family__. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, Inc, 1967.

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">**The book was made into a film and a part of the film is found on this website:** <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/americancollection/death/ntof_walk_qt.html



<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">**Criticism:**
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">What worked? There were many things that made this novel a great novel. Narration, the way in which the story was told, and time travel worked very well in the story. James Agee narrates the story in many different ways, traveling from on point-of-view to another. This technique gives the readers a range of perspectives. Each point-of-view is used to show the void the death of Jay Follet creates. This makes the reader see how each individual felt and how it affected them. It focuses on the impact on Rufus and Mary Follet. Agee showed a good artistic sense when he avoided telling the story through action and dialogue. That could have tilt the writing toward being over-sentimental. Agee writes the story as if the characters are in a daze and shrouded by the dark of night and the sheer weight of sorrow. The significance of that situation is not shown entirely by character interaction, so Agee fills in the missing elements about Jay and Rufus and their personalities by implying a great deal with the setting of each scene. Another thing that worked well is the travel of time throughout the book. The story of Jay’s death takes place across a span of a few days. It ranges from the night before it to a few days after, at his funeral. Though, the book goes back in time when Rufus, Jay’s son, was very young (Agee 11-21). The past events were added which rounds out Rufus’s experience in a way that a chronological telling would miss. This is effective and works well because in such a short period of time, putting things from the character’s pasts gives you a better feeling of who they really are and the full impact of Jay’s death. It effectively describes emotion through narration, the way the story was told, and time travel, and that worked in the story. <span style="COLOR: #47f613; FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">What did not work? <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">There are not very many things that did not work in the book. Though there is one that sticks out. Agee died before he produced a definitive final draft. Therefore, his publishers had to put the book together in a way that they believed would make most sense. They indicated places where they added materials that came from outside the flow of the story, such as the opening section "Knoxville: Summer, 1915," which was first published in the 1940's (Agee 3-7). By putting outside information in the story where it does not neccesarily fit or make sense does not work. It does not fit the chronological order that the story is mostly put in. Also, it makes you confused while reading because the story suddenly jumps to a new subject. The fact that unchronological things were put in the book, was the only thing that did not work for the novel. <span style="COLOR: #27ff00; FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">Things cited in this section are from the book: Agee, James. __A Death in the Family__. New York: Grosset & Dunlap Inc, 1967.

<span style="COLOR: #8b0ad1; FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif"> ** <span style="COLOR: #1206f9; FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">What makes the book outstanding: **<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">__A Death in the Family__ is an outstanding book because James Agee did not waste a single word. Every description is so perfect that you can actually see and feel it. The book is so sweet and sad, but really lovely. According to the New York Times Book Review, the book is "An utterly individual and original book...one of the most deeply worked out expressions of human feeling that I have ever read" ("A Death in the Family"). The book does not just say what happened. Instead, it goes into great detail about each and every little event. That stresses the importance of everything while portraying the characters' attributes ,and it gives the reader a feeling of relation to the characters.

A relation to the characters makes the reader feel as if they were involved in the book. The emotion spills out through the actions of the characters, both minor and major. Both the minor and major characters are extremely important in the book. They are all so different, but without one of them the book would not be as excellent. Each plays an important role and shows emotion, which is another reason why the book is outstanding. Every event is detailed with emotion and it makes the book move along well. Critics agree that the end product is a consistent novel, one of the most moving works ever written about one of the most traumatic experiences a child could ever face ("James Agee Biography"). Emotion usually tends to have a theme that goes along with it.

In the book, there are many themes. One is when Jay's family found out that he was dead, his children immediately wondered how anybody could hurt him. Jay’s death in a car accident could have been rendered as a bloody and violent, but Agee makes a point of noting frequently in the story that it actually takes very little to kill him: it is not the car careening up an embankment and flipping over on its back that does Jay in, but a mild little bump on the chin, causing a nearly imperceptible mark (Agee 132-133). Agee’s point seems to be that, despite the sturdiness of the human body and its capacity to withstand a lifetime of pain and suffering, life can be cut short by just about any unexpected action. That is only one of the many themes portrayed in the book. Though, the theme explained is one that can be related to every reader. It is true to any human being. That helps make the book outstanding.

There are so many different reasons to why the novel is outstanding and significant. It pulls at the heart strings of people, relates to the reader, and has themes. Those are only three reasons why this book is great. However, there are many, many more reasons. The book was awarded the 1958 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction ("James Agee Biography"). The book has had many honors and is of high regard. There is no doubt that __A Death in the Family__ belongs on the College Bound Reading list. It is an outstanding book!

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif"> Pieces of information cited in the section are from the sources below: "A Death in the Family." __Powell's Books__. 2008. 6 Nov 2008. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">http://www.powells.com/biblio?isbn=0375701230 <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif"> "James Agee Biography." __Book Rags.__ 2005-2006. 8 Oct 2008. http://www.bookrags.com/biography/james-agee/

Book: __A Death in the Family__ Author: James Agee Genre: autobiographical/ fiction Symbolism: personal, cultural, & spritual meanings Point-of-view: alternate points of view Protagonist: Rufus Follet <span style="COLOR: #a001f9; FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">The above information was found from the following website. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">"A Death in the Family (Style)." __Answers.com.__ 2008. 6 Nov 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/a-death-in-the-family-style
 * Literary Information: **

<span style="COLOR: #eb0505; FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">** Recommendation:  ** <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">I highly recommend anyone who loves to read books that have a great deal of description, to read this book. __A Death in the Family__, is a fantastic book that made me emotional because of the strong emotions portrayed. James Agee did a great job describing the characters through their actions and dialouge. I think that that anyone who has experienced a death, not necessarily in the family, should read this book. It shows feelings very well from each character and it lets the reader relate to their emotions. When I read the novel, I never got bored. Through each event, more suspense rose and it is hard to wait until the next chapter to find out what is going to happen next. This book is awesome because it is greatly detailed and is a fine piece of literature. There is no wonder that it was placed on the Outstanding Books for the College Bound list. I highly recommend __A Death in the Family__ to anyone who wants to read a phenomenal book.

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