One Hero . . . Two Idiots

I thought Jim's grandfather was the hero of the last half of Book I. I was impressed that though he seems to be more devout than any other character in the book, he has absolute tolerance and acceptance for the beliefs of the Shimerdas. He said all prayers from good people are good and I liked his response that Ambrosch's money to the priest was not something to criticize, but was something to respect because it showed he was committed to his beliefs. You also see how generous he is in helping the Shimerdas with his time and resources. I like that he went over himself to help with the horse and that there was no question Otto could use his time and the grandfather's lumber to make a coffin for poor Mr. Shimerda.

Ambrosch is an idiot. I am sick and tired of his grouchy ways. If he could open his eyes for two seconds and develop a little bit of personality, he would see that the grandfather and Jake and Otto would be more than willing to help him and give him advice. Speaking of idiots, I really hope no one is going to try and stick up for Mrs. Shimerda this week. That whole cow thing really had me outraged. Though I respect the grandfather for calling it even and think he made a good decision to be kind and to stay at peace with his neighbors even though that means he is out $15, I am still mad about the cow. I sort of wish the grandfather didn't do it because even though his principles were good, Mrs. Shimerda's principles were so bad and she got exactly what she wanted. And the grandfather giving it to her probably just reinforced the idea she already had, that she was entitled to it! But the grandfather is a good person and doesn't let himself get involved in anything petty--instead he expends his efforts to keep peace between himself and his neighbors, no matter the source of the contention. So far, I think he is the most admirable character in the book.