How the One Armed Sister Sweeps her House
Phyllis Seemongal-
The novel, How The One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones, provides us with insights into Adan’s life which helps us to understand why he did what he did. Adan’s mom died at childbirth, leaving him to be raised by his poor aunt who had no children. He was a bad kid in the neighborhood as a child growing, and his Aunt Preta hardly ever disciplined him for his bad behavior. She also had a boyfriend named John who became his role model since he was 10 years old. John taught Adan that the way to make a living was breaking into people’s property and stealing. John ends up going to jail for his criminal activities, and Adam became a professional thief.
BF Skinner explains how behavior could be taught through learning and reinforcing. We saw this played out very clearly in Adan’s life at a very young age, it became worst as he enters into adulthood. He began hurting his wife and killing people to get what he wants. So we should all learn a lesson from this novel as to how much an adult can impact a child’s behavior.
Kathleen Augello-
The course of the story helps the reader better understand Lala. It helps by showing the experiences that shaped her, one such as being brought up in a strict household. This is shown through the first two pages of the prologue, where her mother was very stern about when she was home and not believing her excuses at first. Another is how she was told the story of the “One-Armed Sister” by Wilma in an attempt to scare her into being obedient, as shown where it says “She has mistaken Lala’s silence for the proof of a scaring, just the kind to keep her out of the type of trouble that long walks at night can bring, so she is picking up her hat and her bag and her belt and getting ready to go to her sewing room, where more work is waiting.The fact that Lala had become pregnant so early and is married to someone who is both a murderer and a criminal had also shaped her into who she is now as well.