Summary
Mitchell Cooley
Chapter 13 is titled Sarah, and is focused around Michael Perry’s brother’s wife Sarah. The chapter starts out nice, discussing how Jed Perry brought Sarah Posey to the Sundial Supper Club and how this was the first introduction the author had to Sarah. The author then goes on to talk about how he hasn’t really found anyone, at least not like his brother. Then he goes on discussing everything that has made the author happy and how his brother changed when we married Sarah. The final chapter of the book ends with Sarah Perry getting into a car accident, which ends with the tragic death.
Chapter 13 is the most shocking and depression chapter of the entire book. The sudden death left me completely unbalanced and stunned. This seems to bring the book into a full circle, as it started with the death of the previous fire chief’s daughter, and now ends with Sarah’s tragic accident. Though it was a sad chapter, it was poorly executed, as these characters were thrown for this one chapter. There was no time for us as readers to develop an emotional bond with the characters, which diminish our response to the situation of the characters. This seemed to be Population: 485 biggest draw back, from the Beagle to Sarah.
Discussion Leader
Moria Caulfield
Q: What caught your eye about Jed?
Jed wasn’t mentioned much in the book until the final Chapter. Perry speaks about how Jed is his younger brother but Perry looks up to Jed and admires his for being a heroic, strong individual. We question whether Jed was mentioned solely due to his tie to Sarah. However, Perry was trying to strongly incorporate a family idea throughout the book and Jed is obviously an intricate part of Perry’s family. We wish Jed had highlighted earlier in the book.
Q: Perry speaks in detail about his relationships in the past and how he has never married. What do you think was the significance of this?
Perry is showing his independence in being a free man however, it is clear to the readers that Perry has protected himself in the past and perhaps not opened up fully in his relationships. Perry saw the pain that Jed went through when Sarah passed away and he didn’t want the same pain inflicted on him. Perry also speaks of how he loves his open schedule and how he when do activities when he pleases. Perry doesn’t have to answer to anyone. Perry might love this lifestyle because that is the lifestyle that Perry was raised in and what Perry is comfortable with.
Sarah’s death was extremely abrupt and surprising to our group. We agree that readers would have been more emotional about her death if she had been introduced earlier in the book. The way in which Perry was speaking led our group to believe that Jed and Sarah were possibly headed for a divorce. We thought that due to the fact that Jed was such a free spirit and he didn’t know how to be tied down. The chapter was entitled Sarah so our group should have shown she was an intricate part of the book however we found her extremely insignificant. One nice aspect about Sarah’s story was that the readers really got in touch with Perry’s emotional side.
Q: What were your feelings about the end of the book?
Our group was torn about the end of the book. Some individuals felt the ending truly left us hanging however others believed it left readers intrigued and interested. At the end of the book we were given a better insight into Perry’s life and why he is the way he is but also left us wondering, “What just happened? I want to know more.” We felt at the beginning at the book that things would eventually come together and we would receive a better explanation but all the stories were never explained to us.
Graphic Organizer
Kenzie Hoefs
Vocabulary Builder
Kenzie Hoefs
This graphic design represents the cycle that we go through in our lives. Throughout chapter 13 titled Sarah Perry discusses the tragic and yet exciting way our lives work. From his perspective we revolve around a cycle of highs and lows and find it difficult to settle down. Perry tells us you must take pride in your own life and self-worth because people are always going to be coming in and out of your life. How you interact with these individuals is what you create your life to be.
Stephen Fong
Page 216- Onus
Onus- noun- A difficult or disagreeable obligation, task, burden, etc. / A burden of proof / Blame of responsibility.
Page 216- Bathyscaph-
Bathyscaph-noun- a navigable, submersible vessel for exploring the depths of the ocean, having a separate, overhead chamber filled with gasoline for buoyancy and iron or steel weights for ballast.
Page 216- Feral
Feral- adj.- Existing in a natural state, as animals or plants; not domesticated or cultivated; wild / having reverted to the wild state, as from domestication: a pack of feral dogs roaming the woods / Of or characteristic of wild animals; ferocious; brutal.
Page 217- Yukking
Yukking- verb- To laugh or joke
Page 217- Euchre
Euchre- –noun- A game played by two, three, or four persons, usually with the 32, but sometimes with the 28 or 24, highest cards in the pack / An instance of euchring or being euchred.
Page 220- Cuckold
Cuckhold- noun- The husband of an unfaithful wife.
Page 220- Erudite
Erudite- adj- Characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly: an erudite professor; an erudite commentary.
Page 221- Exculpate
Exculpate- verb-To clear from a charge of guilt or fault; free from blame; vindicate.
Page 222- Emu
Emu-noun- A large, flightless, ratite bird, of Australia, resembling the ostrich but smaller and having a feathered head and neck and rudimentary wings.
Page 222- Abattoir
Abattoir- noun- Slaughterhouse
