The Rifle
Book Review by:
Nathanael Cho
First Impression
When
I first came across this book, I thought it was just about an old gun. But as I
was about to stick it back in the book shelf, I noticed that one of my favorite
authors, Gary Paulson was the author. This caught my interest, knowing I would
not be disappointed if I took a closer look. I decided to read the back cover
to get a short summary and it grabbed my attention.
Summary
The
Rifle by Gary Paulsen is a very deep and historical book. It follows the story
of a gun as the main character and its journey through time. A young gunsmith
named Cornish McManus creates a gun, but it wasn't just any gun, it was sweet.
Sweet guns could shoot so accurately that the price of a sweet rifle was
priceless. A master gunsmith could make only one sweet gun in his life and
never any more. One day, Cornish is forced to sell his gun due to getting
married and needing money to support his family. From here, the journey of the
gun is followed from the late 1600's to modern day. One day the gun is set up
on a mantel of a well to do family, and a devastating event takes place.
Theme
This
novel is about the history of a gun and its journey through time. The theme of
this story is that everything or person has a story behind them that not many
people may know. This theme is illustrated throughout the book because the
rifle was made by a poor craftsman back in the 1600's and has throughout the
many centuries of its existence gains value. Eventually the rifle comes to a
young couple and is stored in their attic so it becomes forgotten and when it
is retrieved, many people believed that it was just an old gun. These events
lead to the ultimate theme of the storage that everything has a history of past
that may not be known.
Epiphany
Throughout
this book there are many epiphanies that enhance the novel. One example, is
when John Byam, the second owner of the rifle realizes that it is sweet. This
is an epiphany because John realizes the rifle’s value, he offers a hefty price
for it and it impacts the story forever.
Character Development
Throughout
the book there is not very much character development due to the fact that the
main character is a gun. The development is not mental, but physical.
Throughout the many years that the rifle is present, it the oil and greases
there to preserve it begin to wear away and slowly erode.
Connections
This
book connected me to many things in the outside world. For example, I can
connect The Rifle, to the many guns in my grandfather’s house and it makes me
curious what the stories behind them are. Also, I can connect this story to the
movie Rubber, due to the fact that it follows the story of an inanimate object
and what the story behind it is.
Recommendations
I
would recommend this book to everyone ages 14 and up. This book is a takes a
little more comprehension to understand, but as you follow the story you feel
as if you are there documenting every step of the rifle’s journey. This story
keeps you wanting more, and is an enjoyable read. Although, the book may seem
dull, the journey is filled with action and adventure that will keep you on the
edge of your seat throughout the whole story.
This book review was very sweet :) and unique because I've never read a novel that follows a story of an inanimate object. You grabbed my attention, when you said everything had a background, objects and people. I think you would enjoy the book and movie, Hunger Games, because you said that you saw the movie Rubber and it's action packed. After your book review, I can never ever judge a book by its cover. Sometimes the book holds more than what you expect so you should give everything a try. That's what you taught me.
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