Lynda Barry – The Sanctuary of School: Summary and Analysis

Lynda Barry – The Sanctuary of School Lynda was 7 years old, when her relatives moved to her. She and her brother gave their room to their relatives and started to stay in TV room. Her parents had been fighting all night because of financial problems. Lynda and her brother were invisible at their home. In their house were depression, anger, and frustrating. One night Lynda snuck out and went toward to school. She met to Mr. Gunderson, the janitor in the school. She helped to her. In the morning, she met to her teacher Mrs. LeSane and started to cry. The only place that she could be happy was the school. Mrs. LeSane asked her if she wanted to come to her room early and do painting. Lynda started to come to early every morning and did her paintings. Lynda decided to draw some pictures to Mrs. LeSane. She made to Mrs. LeSane picture of nice house with flowers all around it. Mrs. LeSane pinned that picture board and asked to students to stand up and say the Pledge of Allegiance.
Reading Closely
1. School was the place where Lynda was noticed and her teachers including the janitor; they all loved her.
2. Her parents did not care what their children said, so for her it was the same; talking and not talking.
3. That was the life she wanted to see her life in.
4. She wants to show how children say the Pledge of Allegiance faithfully and country does not appreciate, support children and schools when it comes to education.
Strategies and Structures
1. These brief words and small acts reveal how the people Barry is portraying are affectionate and sympathetic. For example, Mrs. Claire Le Sane calling Barry’s name in a very happy and surprised way when she saw Barry early morning, or how janitor Mr. Gunderson letting Barry push his wheeled garbage can, turn on the lights and raise the window shades. He did not use her to do his job, but it is just what Barry liked to do as a child. Mr. Gunderson was the person who always joked and made Barry laugh. So, in this case, all the people she is portraying at school interacted better than her parents.
2. All descriptive details about her room at home, the exterior of her school or her class-Room2-allows us to transfer into the scene. In other words, it creates vivid details. For example, we can imagine how her school’s exterior looked like when she says “My school was made up of about 15 nondescript portable classrooms set down a fenced concrete lot in a rundown Seattle neighborhood.”
3. She presents the cause of her childhood panic, and anxiety when she just gets up, gets dressed, and starts walking to school. She describes “sanctuary” her school because it makes her feel better, and she can paint at school.
4. TV played a big role in her role because she watched action movies which made her feel better.