As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap by Jesse Stuart, 1946
The magic trick:
Finding a light, comic tone out of an oddly intense character motivation
This is kind of a weird story. If you break down the premise, it’s pretty mean-spirited. Our normally respectable, respectful young hero Shan follows a cousin’s bad influence, so that suddenly you realize these two kids are ruining a neighbor’s strawberry crop at midnight. And why? Why are they potentially ruining this guy’s farm? Because he had the nerve to frown upon their advances to date his daughters.
That’s weirdly intense, no?
Maybe I’m misreading and it’s just meant to be fun.
Anyway, the rest of the story certainly plays out in a silly way. It’s a comic misadventure where the bad actors get their comeuppance.
Enjoyable, if strange.
And that’s quite a trick on Stuart’s part.
The selection:
I want you to know that I didn’t plan it. I’d’ve never thought of doing such a thing to a neighbor if it hadn’t been for my cousin, Winn…. Winn Shelton…. He’s the one that has idears about gettin’ even with people. When anybody does ‘im wrong once, he never forgets it. He goes back after ‘im if it is a year, two years, or ten years later. I’m not like that. I never was like that.
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