THEMATIC IMPLICATIONS

Thematic Implications

A lot of the themes in this story have to do with legacy, and the influence that the people around us, specifically our family, has on us-whether we welcome it or not. Grandfather Connor influenced Vanessa in such a way that `he proclaimed himself in (her) veins.` (Laurence 191). Vanessa didn't even really like Grandfather Connor all that much, but some of the best things about him; his steadfast nature, his strength, his perseverance, his stubborness. She can leave the brick house because Grandfather and his legacy manifests himself in her veins. This is true for the rest of us as well. Whether we like it or not, our personalities and qualities are influenced by our friends, our family, and all those who we spend time with.

OTHER AUTHOR'S CHOICES

Other Author’s Choices

 Margaret Laurence does an excellent job in the entire collection of showing how the environment people grow up in can influence their choices in life. Everyone that comes through the Brick House is a result of their environment in one way or another. We see this in the first story, in the juxtaposition of Uncle Dan and Grandfather Connor, in the Half Husky when we begin to understand why Harvey acts the way he does, and in this story, we see how Aunt Edna, Beth, and Vanessa have adapted to suit living in their environment-specifically, in living with Grandfather Connor. Not necessarily that they all adapted the same way. Beth has developed a gentle spirit to counteract how hard her father is. But she has also been influenced greatly by her mother, like how it says on page 171, “...something in her voice reminding me of the way Grandmother Connor used to speak, gently but with certainty.” Comparatively, Aunt Edna hides behind her humour to deal with him, and Vanessa turns to the world of her imagination, making up stories and creating things. These things are also a reaction to the time period they live in (the Depression).

IMAGERY

Imagery

• `...the Brick House had always been a Sunday place to me.` (Laurence 161)
• `It`s like batting your head against a brick wall. He`d get his way in the end. He always does.`(Laurence 163)
• Description of the car on page 164.
• “In my grandfather’s room the pipe was a bright light crimson. From inside it’s dragon throat came a low but impressive rumble.” (Laurence 175)
• “The music seemed the only music that ever was or ever would be. I had no means of knowing that it was being set into the mosaic of myself, and that it would pass away quickly and yet remain always as mine.” (Laurence 180)
• `More or less,` my mother said calmly, as though the tigress beneath her exterior was nothing to be surprised about` (Laurence 187)

SYMBOLISM

Symbols

-The brick house
-Grandfather Connor
-The car
-Winnipeg
-Wes Grigg
-Vanessa's writing

Jericho Children Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=H3QUS4B0iaM

PLOT

Jericho's Brick Battlements is the last story in Margaret Laurence's "A Bird in the House". As this is the last story, the majority of the action is wrapping things up and tying loose ends. The story begins with Vanessa and her family moving into the Brick House. Vanessa is 12. As everything is being unpacked, Vanessa ventures out to the stable in the backyard that houses Grandfather Conner's old Buick. In the stable she is reminded of the story she is writing and Grandfather Connor’s past. As she turns 14, Aunt Edna falls in love with a railwayman named Wes Grigg. Wes argues with Grandfather, enchants Beth, keeps the Brick House from starting on fire, and eventually marries Edna. After Edna moves away to live with Wes, Vanessa falls in love with a boy from the RCAF named Michael. Michael dazzles Vanessa but when she brings him home with her, Grandfather Connor causes them to have a falling out. Vanessa finds out that Michael is already married and Vanessa is heartbroken. She moves on and grows up and goes to University. During her second year, she gets a call that her Grandfather Connor has a stroke and dies. During the time after the funeral, Vanessa has realizations about her Grandfather and how important the Brick House was to him. By the end of the story, Vanessa is 40 years old. Her mother has died and Vanessa has started a family of her own. Vanessa returns to the Brick House to pay tribute to her Grandfather and then drives away forever.

CONFLICT

There are numerous examples of conflict in this story 

EXTERNAL

• Vanessa vs Beth (her mother) - Man vs Man - Vanessa and Beth are arguing about their impending move to the Brick House. Vanessa doesn’t want to live with her Grandfather and her mother, out of duty to her father, tells Vanessa that they have to.
• Grandfather Connor vs The Movers - Man vs Man - Grandfather Connor is yelling at the movers, ensuring they watch the furniture.
• Grandfather Connor vs Vanessa - Man vs Man - Grandfather Connor gets mad at Vanessa because she isn’t helping her mother unpack.
• Grandfather Connor vs Beth - Man vs Man - Grandfather Connor and Beth are arguing about what to do with the MacLeod china.
• Aunt Edna vs Beth - Man vs Man - Aunt Edna gets mad at Beth for being a pushover and implores her to stand up for herself.
• Grandfather Connor vs Aunt Edna - Man vs Man - Grandfather Connor is irritated with Edna for her loud piano playing. Though this isn’t a direct conflict, it is a power struggle between Edna and Grandfather Connor.
• Wes vs Grandfather Connor - Man vs Man - Grandfather gets mad at Wes for coming over right before dinner and asks Aunt Edna to go to Winnipeg with him.
• Vanessa vs Grandfather Connor - Man vs Man - Vanessa and Grandfather Connor argue about whether or not the weathermen are right.
• Grandfather Connor vs Aunt Edna - Man vs Man - Grandfather Connor yells at Aunt Edna for inviting Wes to stay for dinner and for taking to long in the kitchen. They also fight about if Edna is going to go to Winnipeg with Wes.
• Grandfather Connor vs Pipes - Man vs Environment - Grandfather Connor gets mad at the pipes for starting on fire and not coming under control.
• Grandfather Connor vs Wes - Man vs Man - Grandfather Connor is mad that Wes was able to fix the pipes and he wasn’t.
• War - Man vs Environment - Times were hard because of the conflict and death that the war caused.
• Grandfather Connor vs Vanessa (and Michael) - Man vs Man - Grandfather Connor fight over whether or not Michael is a good match for Vanessa. Grandfather Connor suggests that Michael is already married.
• Vanessa vs Michael - Man vs Man - Vanessa finds out that Michael is already married.
• Vanessa vs Beth - Man vs Man - Beth and Vanessa argue about whether or not Beth should sell the MacLeod china to pay for Vanessa’s university.
• Grandfather Connor vs Death - Man vs Environment - Grandfather Connor dies from a stroke.

INTERNAL

• Beth - Man vs Self - Beth struggles with whether or not she should stand up against her father.
• Vanessa (12) - Man vs Self - Vanessa thinks about her grandfather’s journey and decides that some things, like the Buick, are best left alone.
• Vanessa (40) - Man vs Self - Vanessa contemplates her grandfather’s past and his legacy and realizes how much she’s like him. She feels angry about the mistreatment of her grandfather’s monument the Brick House. As she drives away from the house, she leaves her past with it.

FIRST LINE/LAST LINE

"Before we moved into it, the Brick House had always been a Sunday place to me." 

This is the first line of the story. In this line, Vanessa alludes to her feelings about the Brick House. The way that she uses the word "Sunday" associates the Brick House with something sacred. It describes the Brick House as something forbidden and formal. Moving into the Brick House causes Vanessa to lose some of her childhood innocence and grow up.

"I looked at it only for a moment, and then I drove away."

This is the last line in the story. This line concludes Vanessa's trip to the Brick House and her recollections of her childhood. This represents the finality of her childhood and as she drives away she doesn't look back for fear of bringing up the pain and old hurts of the past. 


The first and last line of the story are both referencing the Brick House. Both of these lines describe the feelings that Vanessa has about the Brick House. Both of the quotes portray the dark sense of foreboding and the memories that Vanessa has about her time at the Brick House. They describe her loss of innocence and her finally growing up, a likeness of her grandfather. 

POINT OF VIEW

 The point of view in this story all in first person. It is told from the perspective of Vanessa MacLeod. For the first part of the story, Vanessa is twelve and a half. During this time she recounts memories of driving with her grandfather and describes her move into the brick house. In the second part of the story Vanessa is fourteen. This is a very important time for Vanessa. It is here that Vanessa's aunt Edna falls in love and moves away. This is a turning moment for Vanessa as she realizes how hard it is to “escape”. Over the next part of the story Vanessa slowly grows up, graduates high school, dates boys, joins the army, goes to university, and gains a life of her own, becoming her own person. At the end of the story, Vanessa is about 40 years old. She returns to the Brick House and recounts her childhood. She describes her family beliefs from her point of view and explains how her views have changed overtime. It is here that Vanessa finally realizes that she is indeed, a Connor.

SIGNIFICANT QUOTES

“What’s the use?” my mother replied. “It’s like batting your head against a brick wall. He’d get his way in the end. He always does.” (Laurence 163). This quote is significant because it really draws a parallel between “Jericho” and Grandfather Connor. They’re both these hard, steadfast walls of dense brick that can’t be moved. It also really ties into the title, “Jericho’s Brick Battlements”. Grandfather is the brick, unmoving site of battle.

“I lay on the seat of the MacLaughlin-Buick feeling disenchantment begin to set in. Marie would not get out of the greystone inn. She would stay there all her life. The only thing that would ever happen to her was that she would get older.” This totally represents Vanessa’s fears for her own life. She doesn’t want to stay in the brick house her entire life without escape. It parallels the story she’s writing and the story she’s living. It seems like everyone living in the Brick House with Grandfather Connor feels trapped. This is further backed up by her mother and Aunt Edna’s conversation a little bit later in the story, after Wes Grigg asks Edna to go to Winnipeg with her, then the women talk about the possibility of Wes asking Edna to marry her:

“‘...It’s just that it would be wonderful if you could get out.’

‘What about you?’ Aunt Eda said. ‘How are you going to get out?’

‘It’s different for me,’ my mother replied in a low voice. ‘I’ve had those years with Ewen. I have Vanessa and Roddie. Maybe I can’t get out. But they will.’” 



“I did not mean this in any critical sense. It made me like him better. There was something solid and reassuring about him, and yet he was the reverse of stern. He was quiet-spoken and never argued, but he laughed a fair amount, especially at his own jokes, which were usually pretty corny, and he did his damnedest to please Aunt Edna.” (Laurence 163). This is at a point where Vanessa is describing Wes Grigg. I think the reason Vanessa likes him so much is because not only does he possess a personality almost completely opposite of Grandfather Connor, but he emulates the gentleness that her father had. Vanessa admires these qualities.

“Aunt Edna hesitated. ‘I guess I’ve got used to being back here in the old dungeon.’” This is even more evidence of how trapped the family feels. She even refers to the Brick House as a dungeon! This points back to the “brick battlements” title as well. We get some imagery of a huge, confining, fortress. 




“‘Because,’ Aunt Edna said, and although she was smiling, neither of us took it was a joke, ‘it’ll be your turn then.’” Even more evidence that the legacy of confinement and control is suspected to be passed on to Vanessa, as she fears.

“Enough was enough. I ploughed into the living room and stared at Grandfather I did not speak. I only stared my anger, and he stared his right back. Finally I turned away” This is important because not only do we see how strong of a young girl Vanessa is, we get insight into Grandfather’s characteristics. He’s built up a persona of stoickness, so even when people anger him, it’s short lived because no one wants to go up against him. That’s part of the reason all of his family has tons of pent up anger towards him that turns into bitterness more and more as they are unable to openly communicate with him. By trying to be strong for his family, he’s become tough on them instead of for them. 


A super crazy important part of Vanessa’s realization of how she is, is when she goes back to the brick house. “I had not thought it would hurt me to see it in other hands, but it did. I wanted to tell them to trim their hedges, to repaint the window frames, to pay heed to repairs. I had feared and fought the old man, yet he proclaimed himself in my veins.” Woah. Bombshell. Vanessa totally realizes that however hard she may try to hide or suppress it, she is her Grandfathers kin, and his temperament and personality runs through her veins. This is a pivotal moment where she realizes the crazy impact her grandfather has had on her life.

BRICK HOUSE

SETTING

THE BRICK HOUSE

The brick house was always a sunday place for Vanessa. It was a dull and proper place that held high expectations. The only thing she ever wanted it to be was a sunday place but when her father died her mother, her and her brother all moved into the brick house. Vanessa had to adapt to live in the big house. She had to become accustomed to Grandpa Connor hovering around and having his grip on everything around him. We see the effect of this when suitors come into the house such as Micheal or Wes Griggs. The house is not warm and welcoming but rather harsh. The house is always described as the brick house. Bricks are jagged and rough. They are not flexiable or smooth. This is a parallel to Grandfather Connors character. When Grandfather Connor dies the brick house becomes part of his legend. It is what he leaves as his legacy. He leaves behind him bitterness, hate and a pile of bricks.

MANAWAKA

Manawaka is a small town in Manitoba where Vanessa and her family live. Vanessa has lived in the town her whole life and does not know the rest of the world as her home. To Vanessa Manawaka is much like a cage that she can not escape.  At the end of the chapter Vanessa leaves Manawaka when her grandfather dies of a stroke. She leaves to go to college. She stays away from Manawaka for twenty years. The only reason that she finally returns is to burry her mother next to her father at the community grave.

 

CHARACTERIZATION

VANESSA

Vanessa is a very elaborate character that is developed by her desire to see more of the world. She is a character that is created by the events that occur in her life. Vanessa had many deaths that effected her. Her father passed on when she was twelve. This changed many things in her life. Vanessa had to move houses and adjust to the hardships that came along with this kind of loss. Vanessa is not censored from the real world. She is constantly hearing kitchen gossip from her mother and her Aunt Edna. Vanessa does not get to enjoy the innocence of childhood like many other children do. In the last chapter Vanessa is finally grown up. She is fully aware of the consequences of her actions. She knows that everything comes with a cost. She must decide if that cost is worth it.

GRANDFATHER CONNOR

Grandfather Connor is a static character. We do not get to experience  first hand all the things that happen to him. We know that he has been through hardships. Grandfather Connor has become a hard and ignorant man. He has no grace for his guests. This is displayed every time a suitor comes into the Connor house. Grandfather Connor is set on his ways and his opinions. Even if he is wrong, he will not admit his weakness to others. We see Granfather's stubbornness when the pipes catch on fire in the brick house. Wes Griggs has a solution to fix the fire very quickly and even though it works very well he still calls Wes a fool. Everyone close to Grandfather is bound by his critical words. He does not know grace for others yet everyone around grandfather only shows him grace.
 

Jericho's Wall Veggie Tales

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXM2o_Hb9Ls 

TITLE

The title holds great significance in the last story of A Bird In The House. The title, Jericho’s Brick battlements, is a symbol for many elements within the story. Jericho is widely recognized from a Bible story in the book of Joshua. In the bible story the Israelites, God’s chosen people, need to conquer Jericho. God’s chosen people do not conquer the city by metal weapons. The Israelites take the city by walking around the walls of the city and finally shouting at the wall.  When the people shout at the wall the wall comes tumbling down. Grandfather Connor is known to yell if he is unsatisfied. He is a very uptight and controlling man. The Israelites at Jericho is the same way that Grandfather Connor wants to live his life. He wants to have complete control over what is in front of him. Grandfather has a hard time conquering the huge walls in his life like the people did of Jericho. He is constantly battling with others around him for control. Although he does take control in most situations it makes those around him very angry.