The first thing that came to my mind when I read this story was "Do You Believe in Magic" by the Lovin' Spoonful. I just couldn't get this song out of my head, and now it's back in. Thanks Shoeless Joe. :]
Plot
The story begins with the line "If you build it, he will come," (page 1) in the third paragraph which is the catalyst for the rest of the story. At a first glance or a first read, "He" is thought to be simply Shoeless Joe Jackson, who is the narrator's baseball hero. In the end, the audience realizes that the person who the narrator was actually building this baseball field for was his father. The narrator didn't have the best relationship with his father, but they definitely agreed on their love of baseball. The narrator grew up "...on the story of the Black Sox scandal, and instead of Tom Thumb or Rumpelstiltskin, [he] grew up hearing of the eight disgraced ballplayers..." (page 4). His father influenced him to fall in love with the game of baseball, even though he was not particularly the most coordinated baseball player. When the narrator hears the voice that tells him to build "it" [the baseball field" and he will come, the narrator also believes that this is in reference to Shoeless Joe. The narrator, with his supportive family behind him, does build this field because he and his wife see a kind of magic at work. The point of the plot is to illustrate the themes of love, passion, hardwork, and the relationship between a parent and child.
Point of View
This story is told in first person point of view by the narrator whose first name is not given. We can figure out his last name because he says his father's full name, Glen Ullin. This vantage point is very effective because the passion he feels for baseball and for building this baseball diamond shines through his strong, dedicated diction. He makes excuses, similar to his dad, about how there's no way that Shoeless Joe threw the World Series because "He hit .375 against the Reds in the 1919 World Series and played errorless ball," and there was just no way that would be possible if he were trying to lose (page 4). The point of view adds to the theme of the passion the narrator has for his family first and baseball second. He always makes sure it's okay with his wife before he does something and he pays just as much attention to her as to his baseball project.
Characterization
There are five main characters in this piece: Narrator (Ullin), Annie, Karin, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the narrator's father (Glen Ullin).
Setting
This story is set in rural Iowa with "massive old farm homes" (page 2),where "thirty thousand people go to see the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football team while thirty regulars...watch the baseball team perform." (page 3). Most people in Iowa at this time work or live on farms and tend to them. The narrator and his family have a passion for the land, even though the narrator isn't the most seasoned farmer. When he dug a garden for his wife, he claims he "[kept his] hands buried [as he] stirred the earth with [his] fingers and [he] knew [he] loved Iowa as much as a man could love a piece of earth," (page 9). This story is also set around the construction of a baseball field to draw the attention of famous baseball players who are no longer alive. This kind of magic ends up bringing the narrator to his father again and allows his father to play baseball with his heroes.
Theme
Plot
The story begins with the line "If you build it, he will come," (page 1) in the third paragraph which is the catalyst for the rest of the story. At a first glance or a first read, "He" is thought to be simply Shoeless Joe Jackson, who is the narrator's baseball hero. In the end, the audience realizes that the person who the narrator was actually building this baseball field for was his father. The narrator didn't have the best relationship with his father, but they definitely agreed on their love of baseball. The narrator grew up "...on the story of the Black Sox scandal, and instead of Tom Thumb or Rumpelstiltskin, [he] grew up hearing of the eight disgraced ballplayers..." (page 4). His father influenced him to fall in love with the game of baseball, even though he was not particularly the most coordinated baseball player. When the narrator hears the voice that tells him to build "it" [the baseball field" and he will come, the narrator also believes that this is in reference to Shoeless Joe. The narrator, with his supportive family behind him, does build this field because he and his wife see a kind of magic at work. The point of the plot is to illustrate the themes of love, passion, hardwork, and the relationship between a parent and child.
Point of View
This story is told in first person point of view by the narrator whose first name is not given. We can figure out his last name because he says his father's full name, Glen Ullin. This vantage point is very effective because the passion he feels for baseball and for building this baseball diamond shines through his strong, dedicated diction. He makes excuses, similar to his dad, about how there's no way that Shoeless Joe threw the World Series because "He hit .375 against the Reds in the 1919 World Series and played errorless ball," and there was just no way that would be possible if he were trying to lose (page 4). The point of view adds to the theme of the passion the narrator has for his family first and baseball second. He always makes sure it's okay with his wife before he does something and he pays just as much attention to her as to his baseball project.
Characterization
There are five main characters in this piece: Narrator (Ullin), Annie, Karin, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the narrator's father (Glen Ullin).
Narrator
- He is hardworking, dedicated, and passionate.
- He is a family man and would do anything for his wife and daughter. The fact that his wife is behind him in whatever he decides shows their love and devotion to one another.
- When he loves something, he puts his everything into it. He "laid out a whole field, but itwas there in spirit only. It was really only left field that concerned [him]." (page 4).
- He is proof that one does not have to be a great athlete to love a sport. "[He] tried to play, but ground balls bounced off [his] chest and fly balls dropped between [his] hands." (page 5)
Annie
- Annie is the Narrator's wife who is decribed as "soft as a butterfly...with an evil grin and a tongue that travels at the speed of light," (page 6).
- She very much loves her husband and trusts him even if she doesn't necessarily believe what he is doing is completely sane. She not only accepts his dreams but she encourages them; "Oh love, if it makes you happy you should do it," (page 2).
- Annie follows her dreams, knows what she wants, and goes for it. When she was only ten years old, the narrator overheard her talking to her friends saying that she was going to marry him (page 2).
- She is a calm woman who doesn't freak out when something bad happens or doesn't go the way it is planned. "Staying calm makes her able to live with me," (page 7).
- Karin is a great love of the narrator's life. She is his young daughter who seems to accept and love the sense of magic that surrounds her dad. "The play goes on; her innocence has not disturbed the balance. What is it? she says shyly, her eyes indicating that she means all that she sees," (page 11).
- She is a very innocent girl who, as young children usually do, accepts magic that comes her way.
- She loves her parents very much and they are crazy for their daughter.
Shoeless Joe
- He is known for the stunt he pulled when he was in the minors and took off his uncomfortable shoes and "played the outfield in just his socks," (page 6).
- He is very passionate about baseball. He would have "played for food money. [He would] have played for free and worked for food," (page 9)
- There is an air of mystery about him because there is never a direct answer given about whether or not he actually was involved in throwing the World Series baseball game.
- He played in minor league baseball and never really hit it big even though he was a "better-than-average catcher." (page 5).
- The relationship between the father and narrator is not much more than baseball because that is what the narrator was raised on. The father was trying to bring back his glory days while the son fell in love with the sport.
- In the end of the story, in order for the narrator to see his father again, he had to build the field and "he will come," (page 1). In the end, his father would be playing in a dream game with the major league "Black Sox" players.
Setting
This story is set in rural Iowa with "massive old farm homes" (page 2),where "thirty thousand people go to see the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football team while thirty regulars...watch the baseball team perform." (page 3). Most people in Iowa at this time work or live on farms and tend to them. The narrator and his family have a passion for the land, even though the narrator isn't the most seasoned farmer. When he dug a garden for his wife, he claims he "[kept his] hands buried [as he] stirred the earth with [his] fingers and [he] knew [he] loved Iowa as much as a man could love a piece of earth," (page 9). This story is also set around the construction of a baseball field to draw the attention of famous baseball players who are no longer alive. This kind of magic ends up bringing the narrator to his father again and allows his father to play baseball with his heroes.
Theme
- All of these elements add up to the themes of love, passion, hardwork, and the relationship between parent and child. The narrator's love is demonstrated through all of his relationships-- with his wife and daughter, with his love of baseball, and with his farm.
- Passion is demonstrated when the narrator speaks about his wife and when he constructs his baseball field. He stands outside all night so that his grass doesn't freeze over as the water turns "the ice to eye-dazzling droplets, each a prism, making the field an orgy of rainbows," (page 5) and keeps his grass looking perfect. He has a passion to keep this field in tip-top shape in any way possible. He has a great passion for his wife in the loving way he speaks about her and how he calls her beautiful for loving him.
- The narrator is a very hard worker which is shown through his love for his farm and the love for his baseball field. He works for seasons to perfect his baseball field which he is not even sure if it will attract the attention of Shoeless Joe or his father. He realizes that hard work does pay off and he benefits from it by getting to witness this amazing magic.
- The narrator has good relationships with his wife Annie and his daughter Karin. Karin doesn't quite understand what is going on with her father's field, but she is comforted by him and the magic that surrounds them. His relationship with his father is predominantly focused on baseball, which is good and bad. This relationship gave him his love for baseball and allows him to meet Shoeless Joe and build this baseball field. They may not have really connected on a father son level though besides baseball. This field allows the narrator to perfect his relationship with his father by giving him the chance to play with all of these ex-major league players.
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