The Known World Edward P Jones Analysis

Often times, people fail how properly manage their time between their work life and their family life. Either not enough effort is being put into work or not enough effort is being put into family; there is no balance. In the passage from the novel The Known World by Edward P. Jones, there is a flawed distinction between the value of work and family which is clearly displayed through Moses’ character who is portrayed as a workaholic with no relationship with his family. As the passage first opens, the idea of Moses choosing work over his family is immediately displayed. For instance, it is said that, “The evening his master died he worked again well after he ended the day for the other adults” (Line 1-2). At first, one would expect for this
For example, in lines 17 through 20 it is said that, “Moses closed his eyes and bent down and took a pinch of the soil and ate it with no more thought than if it were a spot of cornbread.” This simile shows that eating dirt was just a simple as eating bread, instead of causing disgust as one would normally expect, it caused a sense of fulfillment. As the passage continues, it is said that, “[Moses] ate [the dirt] … because the eating of it tied him to the only thing in his small world that meant almost as much as his own life” (Line 28-31). This shows that Moses went to the extreme of eating dirt to make sure the soil was good enough for harvesting. He went above and beyond, putting his own health at risk, in order to make sure he was getting his job done the right way. In addition, it also shows that the dirt is a symbol for his life and that he values his work just as much as he values his life; without work he, he would have no reason to be alive. In normal situations, a husband’s life would revolve around his wife and children and would be the most important part of his life. Essentially, these examples demonstrate Moses’ clear love and preference of his work over his