Josh's Mother example essay topic

1,232 words
Throughout the poignant novel Red Sky at Morning by Richard Bradford, the readers came in contact with three key experiences, that helped Josh grow, and also understand himself into becoming the person that he turned out to be at the end of the novel. Josh dealt with numerous changes, and difficult things to adjust to. Josh had to deal with moving to Sagrado, his father's death, and his own mother slapping him across the face. These events made Josh mature, and grow, and they also helped him understanding himself, and what he was all about as a person.

Moving to Sagrado for Josh, taught him the realities of his life. He knew that he was not in the overall best position that he could have been in. He was worried about his father back home, but he showed maturity eventually, and grew by accepting the fact that he had moved for his own protection. He realized by moving to Sagrado, that everything that his father had done was for his family. At first Josh was not too thrilled about his new home to Sagrado, he had not been there for about seven years, but he learned to accept it, and turn it all into a positive experience. He realized as the book continued that him moving there was for the best.

"As we left the room Chango kneed me in the tailbone so hard my legs almost buckled. Jew gone look fanny with your chorizo cut off" (43). Chango said this to Josh in chorus class, this class was crazily out of hand, the teacher had no control over the kids, and it made Josh think about the differences in Mobile Alabama. Josh took all of the trash talk and critisizm from Chango like a man, he did not really strike back or anything. He knew that by doing that nothing would get accomplished. In the end Josh became friends with Chango by showing him that he was a good, honest person.

Josh did not immediately explode and become down on himself, he accepted change, and even with numerous students giving him a hard time, he stuck in there and showed them that he was a strong individual. Josh not only by moving to Sagrado matured by realizing that his moving to Sagrado was only for the best, but it taught Josh how to deal with new situations and new people. He learned that to adapt to change well, he needed to be patient, and strong for himself and his mother. Throughout the novel readers anticipated Josh's dad to die. Him dying is an enormous part in Josh's maturity and growth. With his father dying Josh needed to take full responsibility of his mother.

He was not a child anymore, he was a responsible man. His father dying meant to Josh that he needed to be strong and do whatever it takes to make his mother happy. He needed to care for her all day long. She came first.

Without Josh's father around he lacked much guidance, and constructive critisizm that he received a bit throughout the novel. He was all alone now and need to really learn how to live without his father. He needed to make sure that his mother was always safe and sound in every way possible. It was just Josh and his mother now, nobody else.

"Your mother's very sick Joshua" Jimbob said, "Broken up. She's going to need care, she's a sensitive little lady, your mother" (230). This was all Josh's responsibility, it was not his father's job anymore to make his mother happy, it was Josh's. Josh realized this, and did his best to help his mother.

He also faced major responsibilities by his needs to sell the shipyard his father had owned. Their were numerous financial things that Josh needed to do. For a young man to do this is remarkable. "That's a lie, that's nothing but a hideous and childish lie. Mr Gunther I implore you. To think.

To think of letting the future of an important southern shipyard get into the hands of a boy!" (231). At Josh's age you normally do not deal with financial matters for a long time. Josh needed to grow up fast and face the harsh reality that his father was gone. Throughout conversations with Jimbob and Mr. Gunther, Josh declared himself and spoke his mind, he seemed to have a full grasp on the situation, and what he need to do about his father's will. Months before this Josh would not have been able to keep up, but he got it through his head that he needed to act more mature than he actually had been for his mother's sake, after his father's death. Josh had grown very much, and proved to himself that he could maintain his family by himself.

This novel had a very strange turn in it when, Josh's mother had slapped him across the face. This came shocking to Josh, and showed him how hard she was struggling with life in Sagrado. It showed him that he needed to care for her even more without his father, and that she was under very much stress at the moment. Josh never had pictured his own mother hitting him across the face, but it happened. Josh realized than and there that his mother was not adjusting well in Sagrado, her life was much different. Josh started to realize the effects his father had on his family.

Josh had always pictured his mom to be a perfect, caring person, but he saw different sides of her by moving. He realized that she was not as mentally strong as he had thought, he started to realize that his mother needed much care and time. He needed to put his mother before anyone and everything. At this point in the novel Josh realized to himself that there was a tough long road ahead, and that life in Sagrado would not continue to go along as a happy time, there would be a bump in the road along the way. Josh knew he needed to stop trying to be so social with all of the other teens in Sagrado, and put his main focus with his mother. She had scared him and shown him different signs he had never seen before.

He was very puzzled with the situation, but realized that his mother needed much care. These experiences all played major roles in the maturity, and grown of Josh. Through these experiences he got to understand himself as a person better. He had grown into a man, that needed to take on many new, mature situations. Through his move to Sagrado, his father's death, and his mother slapping him, he got to understand himself as a person better, and matured through those experiences. Throughout the novel Josh changes greatly, things go through his head, that he knows he must do to make life as could as it possibly could be for himself, and his mother.