And when she gets home, Elsa tells herself to be brave before chopping off her hair into a chin-length bob. . She falls asleep freshly washed and sleeping on clean sheets. Like a wise and imaginative teacher, Kristin Hannah imbues past events with relevance and significance in her novel The Four Winds. Afterwards, Elsa tries to comfort Loreda, but she refuses to be consoled. When she awakes, she struggles to open the front door, only to discover that outside everything is covered in black dirt. Farmers are fighting to . She feels restless and destined for spinsterhood. what happened to rafe in four winds. It's not until she sees Jean die from typhoid and Welty casually decrease the wages for its workers that Elsa realizes she must join in the fight. They pack as much as they can into the car. There were times in my journey when it felt as if that penny and the hope it represented were the only things that kept me going.". In Chapter 18, we learn that the huge dust storm was on April 14, 1935, an event dubbed Black Sunday by the newspapers. When talking to Loreda, Rafe says that he made a bad choice which limited his options. The Quick Recap and Chapter-by-Chapter Summary for The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah are below. Elsa notes that it was only possible to live without love when youd never known it. She is hurt by Loreda withdrawing and rejecting her because she recalls what it felt like to have that closeness. She excitedly tells her about the meeting she attended, but Elsa recoils at the idea of aligning with communists and antagonizing their employers. Jack encourages Elsa to speak to the crowd, but Elsa pushes Jack to speak. The phrase "four winds" is used principally to describe the whole of the earth or heaven. As the people flee, Elsa turns back to get their truck. The family is overjoyed. They make love. Millions are out of work, and drought has devastated the Great Plains. I read the book a few months ago and have read several others since. It would've been a little weird, but might make sense for his character. But Elsa imagines for herself a life of passionate sex, adventures, love, children and just more. Elsa is initially too proud to want relief, but Jean and Jeb push her to sign up because she needs to wait a year from the date she signs up on. Loreda gets a package from Jack, who is now fighting a different war, against fascism this time. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thank you for this summary. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Outside a small group has gathered and as they head toward the fields they chant Fair pay! as others join them as they walk and the various groups merge into a crowd of hundreds. Life is good for many years for the family until there was a drought and many farm families paid a high price for the way in which they had been farming. The campground is filled with tents and looks like a shantytown, but Elsa doesnt want to drive around and waste gas when they only have $27 left. The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah, tells the story of Elsa Martinelli and her family through many hardships and struggles.This is an emotional epic, all about the life in the Dust Bowl and American migration patterns. He tells Loreda he needs to make a stop before he drops her off. They take over, and together they travel into town. They talk about how they all just live off welfare and have no reason to pick cotton. The cabins have mattresses, concrete floors and electricity for 6 dollars a month, and the workers there get first dibs on the jobs at Welty farm. Instead, the farm with Tony and Rose was always her real home, and therefore yes, they would be back some day. When Loreda assumes the worst about Ants diagnosis, Hannah illustrates how kids will imagine awful things if they know something is being kept from them or if they sense that something is wrong, but they dont know what the situation is. Elsa tells him that he scares her, referring to her feelings for him, but Jack thinks that shes talking about the prospect of unionizing which he acknowledges is dangerous. This episode hints that Loreda has a strength to her that we havent fully explored yet. In California, Elsa is treated poorly because she is assumed to be poor and because shes assumed to an Okie or something like them. Instead, she meets and sleeps with Rafe Martinelli. The Martinellis have had to sacrifice in hopes of giving Rafe a better life than their own. The depiction of the horrors of living through dust. She never saw them again, but their absence and knowing they didnt love her still bothers her. Uncertain and scared, Elsa reluctantly leaves with just Art and Loreda. They run into another farmer, Will Bunting, who says the bank has foreclosed on his land, and hes leaving for California in hopes of finding work and new opportunities. Elsa soon realizes that Welty's camp is designed to keep their workers poor and indebted to them, but she doesn't want to risk her job. She worries of how the car engine will fare in those conditions and what they will do if it fails. She assumes that worst that Ant is dying, but the adults dont want to tell her. He drives out to a barn. Afterwards, Loreda heads to the library. However, Loreda will resume her education after the cotton season is over and Ant will continue his studies. Jack then explains that they need to organize to ensure that they will be paid a living wage and to be treated fairly, unlike the workers who came before them. As a result, hes lowering their wages by another 10%. As she lays in bed, she thinks about what her parents said about no man being able to love her, and she considers that they were right. the four winds what happened to rafe. Hannah is the author of more than 20 novels, including the bestsellers Winter Garden, Night Road, and Firefly Lane. The fact that its a bob (a more modern haircut) seems to imply she is planning on taking her life in a more modern direction. Elsa wants to stay, but there is no space for visitors. The Four Winds is a beautiful work of historical fiction. The Four Winds. I. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is an impactful and epic story set during the Dust Bowl era. The family makes preparations to leave, such as harvesting some viable plants along with their roots and preparing whatever foods they can. She gives Jean some food, not knowing what else to do. Was it human traits? In 1936, Jean goes into labor, but the hospital refuses to admit migrants like her, and the baby is stillborn. Elsa runs inside and looks for the kids, but Ant says Loreda has run away. They work all through the night, getting everyone to safety. Elsa realizes that Welty purposely keeps them in debt in hopes that theyll overspend, need credit, borrow money, get charged interest and stay broke. With most women being married by the age of 20, Elsa worries about the prospect of spinsterhood. That night, Elsa takes out the one article of clothing Rafe left behind, a blue chambray shirt. The characters do what they are expected to do, even if outcome of doing so is obviously worse (such as staying in a marriage with a cheating husband, since divorce is improper). the four winds what happened to rafe. Elsa knows this will be a big, potentially dangerous day. Tony Martinelli: Farmer, Rafe's father. Even without the card yet, the woman still lets her check out a book for now. Elsa feels guilty about ruining Rafes life by getting pregnant. At the station, she recognizes the man she saw get beat up when she was waiting in the food line (Jack Valen). She also makes the calculation that itll be less heartbreaking for them to understand what has happened now. They get a letter back from Tony and Rose who report that the government will additionally be paying them to contour the land and sending them love. The note is short and asks Elsa not to look for him. Ant likens them to an Explorers Club. When Elsa comes to, she has a bloody welt on her head, and she is in an unfamiliar room with Jack next to her. It goes to show that even someone as loving and well-intentioned as Rosa can have old-fashioned thoughts and biases based on their gender. Loredas closest friend is Stella Devereaux. Elsa goes to the police station to report Loreda missing. Its empty. She says that they dont have the luxury of waging a philosophical war. Hes not enthused about it, wanting to learn by doing instead. Elsa unexpectedly gets pregnant and quickly marries. Circumstances? The Four Winds begins in the Texas panhandle in 1921 when twenty-five-year-old spinster Elsa gets pregnant and is disowned by her parents and forced to marry Rafe Martinelli, an Italian who is part of "the other" immigrant community that Elsa's well-heeled family dislikes. Sure enough, Loreda has left a note saying shes gone to look for Rafe. "I'm sorry," she said. Whether you're already a frequent Kristin Hannah reader, or this is your first listen from her, this story is likely to strike a chord as it is especially . Loreda wants nothing more than to leave agriculture behind, but Rafe tells her that Elsa and his parents will never leave the farm. At night, she finds him to tell him that she would consider leaving, but Rafe agrees that its impracticable for them all to go. Elsa knows her savings are slowly being depleted. Loreda, too, skips school during cotton-picking season to help, though Elsa's ardent wish is for Loreda to go to college. I keep thinking that Rafe is younger than he is. The Four Winds begins with Elsa Walcott in Texas in 1921. Finally, Elsa sits down with Loreda, and tells her that they are leaving Texas as soon as Ant is better. Loreda marches up to the woman, Natalia, and announces her intention to be a part of their fight. Elsa is someone who is driven by her survival instincts, so the idea that someone needs her and that shes doing something because she must is enough to motivate her. Jack reminds the workers to stay peaceful, but not to let the strikebreakers in, who arrive in trucks behind them. Jeb and Jean Dewey and their children Mary, Buster, Elroy and Lucy: family that Elsa meets in the encampment. It just won Book of the Month's 2021 Book of the Year Award, based on votes from members . The Four Winds is a deeply moving, powerful story about the strength and resilience of women and the bond between mother and daughter, by the multi-million copy number one bestselling author Kristin Hannah. Doing stuff only out of responsibility and necessity is disheartening to him. Different translations give . pain are too much and too descriptive and colourful. As Elsa sadly looks out at all the dead vegetation around her, Elsa recalls how shed once brought Loreda as an infant to her parents house in hopes that they would accept her back, but they had shut the door in her face. Loreda recognizes Mr. Welty who advocates for ending relief during cotton picking season. Loreda believes that her mother has no fight or fire, but Elsa has shown a number of times she is a fighter when she believes it is necessary. They are disheveled and unkept by the time they arrive, and people are rude to them. She is quick to blame her mother for everything, including her fathers unhappiness and her own. When shes done, she starts up the chant of No more! and the crowd responds. The four time periods in the novel - 1921, 1934, 1935, 1936? Follow along on Goodreads, or keep in touch via the newsletter. Jack offers to take them out for the night. While people want their labor, no one wants to have to see the people who do the work. The next day, her mother offers little sympathy. Even when her father sees her and calls it a harlot dress, she insists on wearing it out. Later, Elsa sees Rafe crying over how difficult life has become. Rage suggests leaving his parents behind. They are surrounded by wheat farms, and Tony explains that he also makes wine, a skill passed down from his family in Sicily. Back at home, Elsa digs up the small flower shed once planted and places it in the earth near Lorenzos headstone. The Four Winds. The book ends with her about to return to California to become the first Martinelli to go to college. He is portrayed by Drew Starkey. While Elsa manages to find her footing on the farm, Rafe continues to be unable to accept the idea of staying there. She sees Loreda in a truck ahead and follows. The Four Winds by . Hannah's 24th book tells the story of Elsa Wolcott. In 1921, Elsa Wolcott is a 25-year-old unmarried woman who is not particularly pretty and too tall for most men. "Hope is a coin I carry. Elsa feels trapped by the way people see her and think about her. Elsa comes up with a plan to pay down her debt, but the store refuses her money, since they only allow you to buy on credit. That night, Loreda acknowledges that shes been a crumb (a jerk) to Elsa since Rafe left. She runs away and hitches a ride with Jack Dewey, who works for a Communist organization, Workers United. Still, even though no one else knows that Elsa had sex, even just the rumors of it from last night are sufficient to tarnish her reputation. Admittedly, literary fiction is not the surest bellwether of American cultural attitudes. They dont have proper shoes and theyd likely need to walk a thousand miles. After they all have haircuts and are fixed up, Loreda feels transformed. the old farmer's almanac hardcover collector's edition. He takes her for a ride on his truck, and they drive it out to a barn at an abandoned homestead. From the rudeness of other people to the teasing by the other students, Loreda directs all that anger towards her mother because her mother is the only person that there for her to take it out on. Then, he disowns Elsa and leaves. Elsa worries about how they will feed the livestock. If my Twitter feed is any indication, THE FOUR WINDS is one of the most highly anticipated books of 2021, which is not surprising. Her unloving parents keep Elsa . Instead, Rafe jumped a train, leaving only a note. When Betty Ane goes to fetch her husband Ned, Elsa thinks Betty Ane is trying to kick them out, but it turns out that Ned is giving them some old clothes for the winter since they are former migrants as well. by Kristin Hannah. The first week of March, winter is finally over and Loreda turns thirteen. A time of abundance. The woman tells her to take some shoes and clothes, and she instructs Loreda to help pour coffee if she wants to help. The Four Winds is a historical fiction that recounts a survival story centered on a mother and daughter. She puts the gas mask on Loreda and they hide in the darkness, under a sheet thrown over a table. When fruit season is over, they head elsewhere to find other work. After 10 hours of work, the woman is rude to her and then only gives her 40 cents. It could be argued that Loreda is able to be bold because her mother has protected her, whereas Elsa has gone through more disappointments that make her more uncertain and doubtful of whats to come. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. In 1940, Loreda is home on her grandparents farm. Now, its more pared down and everyone looks ratty, but they still show up nonetheless. Jean names it Clea, after her mother. Still, Rafe continues to imagine a life in a big city elsewhere, and he often drinks. She dies giving a voice to the workers. Ultimately, Elsa knows that if she stops trying and admits defeat that it sends the message to her children that even she thinks theres no hope which would be bad for their morale. As with her other books, this one also portrays a woman who overcomes something in her life and turns out stronger in the end. Its 1921 in the Texas Panhandle town of Dalhart, and Elsinore Elsa Wolcott is turning 25 tomorrow. Set during the Dust Bowl and The Great Depression, this is the story of hardship, resilience, motherhood, and bravery. They also explain the farms here owned by large businesses, as opposed to being small farmers. Elsa says that they have no money for gas or even shoes if they wanted to walk, and then there was his parents. But this is the story the way it was, the way it happened. Rosa admits that she spoiled Rafe, since she was so grateful for a child to survive after having experienced the death of three daughters before him. The next day, Loreda spots Ike near the water pump, and he whispers to her that therell be a meeting in the laundry room at night. She goes to the barn to get the truck, which results in their horse Bruno running into the storm. Afterwards, she discards the clothes, leaving her dress on instead. Your email address will not be published. When she attends the party, Elsa is upset at the sight of her sisters red silk clothing. While Loreda and Ant clean up in the shower, Elsa goes with Jack to provide assistance to the other flooded-out migrants. Her dreams of a better future are interrupted by the discrimination they face in the unwelcoming town of Welty, where they are . Before she dies, Elsa give Loreda the pouch containing the familys lucky penny. Her decision to cut her hair is likely because it serves as a loud signal to everyone else that they should look at her differently than before. He continues to try to convince Elsa to join the cause, but she remains against it. Its about a woman locked up in a tower near Camelot. She says that they want to help the migrants to organize, but theyve been met with a lot of resistance. Jack reassures her that Natalia is with the children, watching them back at the cabin. They talk to a couple, Jeb Dewey and his Jean, who have been living there for nine months with their kids. So, chances are by the time she really needs it, itll come too late if she doesnt sign up now. The Four Winds is divided up into four sections, each detailing events from (roughly) that year. In June, Elsa is able to get consistent work on the cotton field for 50 cents a day, but theres rumors that theyll be decreasing the pay for cotton farmers soon. When Elsa gets to the front of the line, she learns that because shes capable of picking cotton (as demonstrated by her address at Welty Farms), shes not eligible for relief during cotton picking season. There, she also learns that the federal government has cut funding for the food line. That night, Loreda is determined to go to the meeting that night. . Elsa oversleeps the next morning, waking to find the entire Martinelli family has eaten breakfast and is busy with farm chores. When Loreda talks about going to Hollywood, Jean tells Loreda, in a nice way, that she will need to grow out of her childish thoughts. 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