OTHER ELEMENTS

FORESHADOWING

There are several other literary devices that pop up at various times in the story. One of the most prevalent ones is foreshadowing which frequently presents clues of something that will happen later in the novel.

Some examples of foreshadowing include:

1.) Boobie comes to the realization that the coaches have no intention of playing him the night of the Midland Lee game. That’s when we are.......

IRONY

Another element that is important to note is irony - when something happens, or is seen, or is heard that we may know, but the characters do not, or that appears opposite of what is expected. Some examples of irony include:

1.) Boobie has planned to quit the team in the middle of a game, but is convinced not to by one of the coaches. He reluctantly puts his pads back on even though, ironically, it seems as if he’s wearing a Halloween costume.

2.) At the Watermelon Feed, Boobie Miles is introduced as the player who will take the great Shawn Crow’s place on.......

QUOTATIONS - IMPORTANT QUOTES AND ANALYSIS

The following quotations are important at various points in the story:
(Da Capo Press, 1990 -main narrative; 2000 --afterword)

1. “Those lights become an addiction if you live in a place like Odessa, the Friday Night fix.”

(pg. xiv - Here is the real explanation by the author for the problems in Odessa.)

2. “It’s like gladiators.”

(pg. 7; This is Jerrod McDougal’s explanation of........

........19. “He lingered by his locker and started to sob again. ‘That’s why it hurts so much, to lose to someone you know hasn’t worked as hard as you.’ “

(pg. 335 - This is Jerrod McDougal’s agony after the loss to Carter.)

20. “When I first arrived in Odessa, I anticipated a book very much like tradition of the film Hoosiers. . . But along the way some other things happened - the most ugly racism I have ever encountered, utterly misplaced educational priorities, a town that wasn’t bad or evil but had lost any ability to judge itself. It would have been a journalistic disgrace to ignore these elements.”

(pg. 363 - this is the author’s ultimate analysis of the purpose of his book.)

The complete study guide is currently available as a downloadable PDF, RTF, or MS Word DOC file from the PinkMonkey MonkeyNotes download store. The complete study guide contains summaries and notes for all of the chapters; detailed analysis of the themes, plot structure, and characters; important quotations and analysis; detailed analysis of symbolism, motifs, and imagery; a key facts summary; detailed analysis of the use of foreshadowing and irony; a multiple-choice quiz, and suggested book report ideas and essay topics.

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