Jacaroo Essay, Research Paper

The first part of “Jackaroo”, by Cynthia Voigt (the inkeeper’s daughter) was really slow and sort of just a prologe. Part two is really really good, and definitly worth the wait.It’s the story of Gwyn, a girl who dosen’t wish to marry like the other girls. One day when she has to guide a Lord and a Lording throught the country side she gets trapped in a tiny cabin with the Lording. The Lording teaches her to read and write, but nothing to compaire to what happens when she finds a costume that resembles the outfit of Jackaroo, the legendary outlaw who serves the poor and fights injustices. Sort of like a cross between Robin Hood and Zorro. In Jackaroo, Gwyn lives in a kingdom suffering from poverty and violence. Both starving peasants and the bored soldiers sent to protect them will turn to their swords to settle any situation. As winter comes, misery runs rampant. Gwyn finds that even a family friend, whom she can remember as young and lively, has turned somber. The elderly woman’s husband was thrown out of the army after an accident left him lame. Then, several rogues descend upon their home and, after stealing their goods, murders their dog and leaves his bloody carcass in the snow for the old woman to find. But even in the face of such dispair, there is something that keeps the townspeople going – their stories. One of the stories is the tale of Jackaroo, a daring hero who fights for the people’s sake. Interesting circumstances land Gwyn and the son of a lord at the home of Old Meg, the late spindler whom her family had befriended. Here, Gwyn makes an astonishing discovery that will force her to reexamine the world in which she lives. She learns what bravery is, what people are like, and what a true hero is. These lessons have their basis in reality, though the kingdom in which Gwyn lives is a product of Ms.Voigt’s imagination.Gwyn is not easily led. When she hears talk of Jackaroo, the legendary masked outlaw who comes to the aid of those in need, she shrugs it off. She has no use for myths. But Gwyn makes a startling discovery, and she begins to believe that there may be truth in those tales. And when Gwen’s faith starts to fail, it is Jackaroo she calls to her side. And it is aloos Jackaroo who brings her strength in the most unusual way. Gwyn is a genuine heroine, in a way that anybody can be a hero: she knows what is right and makes an effort to bring the rightness about. Burl is a wonderful compliment to Gwyn. One bad thing about her though is that she spends pages describing what kind of soup she eats, but twards the end it is very adventurous. Well some people do die at the end also, but I’ve noticed that in a majority of fantasy books some main characters are killed by the forces of eveil, but not in this book. Sure, a few people die (like of old age who weren’t main characters) and anopther character gets hung, but they weren’t that important to the story. It ends happily ever after also.