This Week, I'm currently reading the book Yellow Line by Sylvia Olsen. Some characteristics that I feel make this book great are:
1.Conflict
2.Plot
3.Setting
4.Suspense
5.Conclusion
I felt that Conflict was the most important part in this story because most of the book is built around the conflicts between the Indians and Whites in the village. The unwritten rule is that the two races stay away from one another, do not date another, and carry a certain prejudice towards one another. This also makes the reader feel pathos because in the story, Vince wants to be with an Indian girl named Raedawn but he's terrified of how his friends or his parents will react to this. Steve, an Indian, wants to be with one of Vince's close friends Sherry, and this also creates more conflict between the White people and the Indians throughout the story.
Page 24: "My fists are clenched like I'm a tough guy. But the truth is, I'm terrified. That's how you feel when you're a pathetic weakling and a gang of tough guys promises to kick your ass. "Keep looking over your shoulder white boy," says one massive guy. "We're ready to beat the crap out of you"."
This quote describes the conflict in the story perfectly. There is so much racial tension in the two villages, and it feels like it is only a matter of time before something blows up. The fact that an Indian can't even date another because of their skin color and vice versa is really surprising, at least in this day in age. This is a perfect example of conflict because it stops the main protagonist, Vince, from reaching his goal. All he wants is to play basketball, be popular, and be with Raedawn. In this point in the story at least; it seems like those goals will be very hard to achieve.
MLA Citation: Olsen, Sylvia. Yellow line. Victoria, BC: Orca Book Publishers, 2005. Print.
