MAJOR SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT READ MY POST IF YOU INTEND TO READ HOME BY TONI MORRISON, AND WOULD NOT LIKE TO KNOW THE ENDING.
I was captivated by the author's constant use of trees in the novel. I read this on my nook, so I was able to search the book for the number of different trees she talked about. She references 11 different trees: Magnolia, Butternut, Pecan, Sweet Bay, Oak, Peach, Pear, Cherry, Apple, Fig, & Dogwood.
The sweet bay tree plays an integral part in the novel, almost a character itself.
- It is where Frank invented escapes as a kid and investigated the territory while playing near the stream. "Often they sat by the stream, leaning on a lightning-blasted sweet bay tree whose top had been burned off, leaving it with two huge branches below that spread like arms."
- It is where he found himself when he needed to 'find himself'...
- It is where the novel ends, with Frank and Cee getting some closure in the small town of Lotus, on the bank of the Wretched, at the base of the tree with its arms spread one to the right and one to the left.
I chose to make a tree pendant, but I decided to use waxed linen and knotting instead of wire...
I wanted to show the split down the middle of the tree, so I used a white waxed linen in the center.
I used a polymer clay 'moon' bead that I made for another book club book.
When I was finished, the white linen was TOO bright, so I stained it with coffee (by dripping coffee on it and letting it sit in the sun). I like it much better now.
I will say it is a HUGE pendant but I did wear it once already!
I also made some earrings for the town of Lotus, Georgia. I love how the author used Lotus as the fictional town's name. Lotus flowers are breathtakingly beautiful but grow out of mud. They flower above water in gorgeous blooms but their roots are based in the muck and mire of the yuckiest ponds. These are cut wood lotus flowers from
Allegory Gallery layered on top of pink enameled disks from C-Koop resting on top of green lucite leaves.
Check out
Andrew Thornton's blog to see what others made when they were inspired by reading the book Home by Toni Morrison!