Essay Questions

Is Mrs. Ella Bone a blessing in disguise when she appears in the life of William Music?

Music meets Mrs. Ella for the first time in Kentucky where he stops to scavenge for food. They start of a conversation and Music opens up about his difficulties narrating to the woman how it has been hard for him to get a job. Mrs. Ella tells him that there is an opportunity in one of the coal mines in Kentucky. He links Music to her son called Regus who confirms that there is indeed a job opportunity for Music. The coal mine is currently looking for a guard. Consequently, Music can get a job he has been always searching for. It is indeed true that Mrs. Ella is a blessing to music because they meet when he has given up. He is traveling home making stopovers to scavenge for food. Mrs. Ella is the main reason why Music has landed a job.

How does John Yount bring out the allegory of vagrancy in the Hardcastle?

Music is a character who is not homeless by choice but due to the harsh great depression. He is doing his level best to look for employment but when he arrives in the West, he finds no job. He cannot even afford bus fare so he decides to use a train where he can make stopovers to scavenge for food. Music's vagrancy is not as a result of his race or ethnic background but the harsh reality of life during financial difficulties. Therefore, the moral lesson for the reader from this novel is that being homeless is not a matter of choice but it is due to the harsh realities of life.

What is the impact of the Great Depression on the life of William Music as explained in the Hardcastle by John Yount?

John Yount uses the character William Music to show the reader the devastating impact of the great depression on normal citizens. Music is among the struggling people who are trying to make ends meet. During the great depression, most jobs are lost because many companies and employers are besieged to keep their businesses afloat. Music travels to an electric firm in the West to seek for employment. Upon getting to the West, Music is hit hard by the harsh reality of the great depression because he is unlucky and finds no work. He decides to travel back home using a train like a hobo because he does not have money and he makes stopovers to scavenge for food. Therefore, the harsh reality of the great depression is evident because it has brought poverty and joblessness.