The Crazy Man

Plot Summary

The Crazy Man is set in 1965 in Saskatchewan, Canada. Pamela Porter reinforces the harsh times by incorporating day-to-day life during the Vietnam War, Communism, and The Cold War. Financial times were tough.

The novel begins by introducing the protagonist Emaline, who is a twelve-year- old girl who like other little girls, loves playing with friends and going to school. Emaline lives on a farm where she is involved in a terrible tractor accident. This accident happens while trying to save her dog, Prince from being run over by a tractor. Emaline succeeds in saving her dog but unfortunately her leg is caught in the tractor. Shortly after, Emaline's father, Cal decides to leave everything behind. This includes the family farm, his family, crippled child, and all responsibilities. To make matters worse, he shoots Prince the family dog. He does this as he blames himself for Emaline's tractor accident, and the fact that he was reluctantly forced into the family business of farming. Emaline's father blamed himself, but took it out on the dog.

Emaline can not understand why her loving father would do this to her and her mother. Throughout the novel, she continuously wonders why her father left and when her father would come back; “I think about dad. How in the world could someone just disappear?”. As a result Emaline blames herself. The guilt Emaline feels about her father leaving consumes her thoughts.

Since Cal is no longer on the farm, there is no one left to seed the farm fields. During the spring time, Clarice, Emaline's mother has to find someone to seed the fields for them as farming is the only source of income for the family. Clarice cannot find anyone to seed their fields so she ends up hiring a big man who is a mental patient from the mental hospital. This infuriates the town, as they assume that this man will harm and terrorize them. A towns person explains to others“That man is from the mental, stay away from him.” The town's people make it necessary to purposely drive by Emaline's house to tease and laugh at “The Crazy Man” working in the farm fields known as Angus. Frank, the town mechanic drives by daily and yell out“ I hear you have a sub-human out there” and others would call Angus “The Gorilla.” What the town people do not realize is that Angus is an extremely gentle and caring individual who would not hurt anyone or harm anything. In fact Angus is a very good farmer and great gardener. He treats everything he touches with respect. However the town's people can not see past his mental illness, and on many occasions they accuse him of stealing from the local grocery store, later to find out that all accusations are false.

The towns people realize that Angus is not only like everyone else, he is actually a brave and compassionate individual. He displays this by courageously saving a young boy named Joey Record. Angus does this even after Harry Record (Joey Record's father) drives Angus to the other end of town in attempt to make Angus suffer in a snowstorm. On Angus’s long and bitterly cold walk back to the farm he comes across Joey freezing in the snow. Despite the mistreatment Angus has experienced, he willingly scoops Joey up with his big arms and walks him to the hospital to save his life. After the town has heard what Angus has done their opinions on him have changed dramatically. Instead of teasing and being frightened of him, all the towns people want to shake his hand and thank him. Angus is a hero. The novel wraps up with the farm fields growing beautifully, the best they have ever grown and Emaline, Clarice, and Angus happily dancing under the Northern Lights without Cal,enjoying life like they once had before the tractor accident. Like Miss Tollofsen always said, “Everyday is a fresh start. No matter what hijinks someone had done the day before.” The main message of the novel is to treat every individual with respect regardless of their background or appearance. Because of Angus's mental disorder, he is an example of an unlikely hero.

Information about the Author

Pamela Porter of Sydney, British Columbia is an influential Canadian writer and poet. Porter received her undergraduate degree in English from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and later gained her MFA in creative writing from the University of Montana. Pamela Porter was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on July 14, 1956. As Pamela grew up she lived in several other places within the United States such as Texas, Louisiana, Washington, and Montana. Although Porter lived in many places, she eventually settled down after meeting her husband. Currently Porter and her husband live in North Saanich British Columbia, Canada and every summer Porter and her family visit her husband’s farm in Saskatchewan to help work the fields and enjoy relaxing summer vacations. This is interesting because Porters novel The Crazy Man is set on the farmlands of Saskatchewan.

Awards

Pamela Porter has won a phenomenal amount of prestigious awards for her novel The Crazy Man. She has received the Governor General’s Literary Award,The Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award, The Bilson Award for Historical Fiction, and lastly the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award.

Character backgrounds

References

Magazine. 82. 1 (2006): n.pag. Web 24 October 2013 http://web.ebscohost.com

October 2013. http://media.proquest.com/media/pq/classic/doc/944979221/

(2007): n.pag. 24 October 2013 http://umanitoba.ca/cm/profiles/porter.html

Press, 2005. Print