Ragged Company

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2008

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Epigraph and Book 1, Chapters 1-16

Book 2, Chapters 17-40

Book 3, Chapters 41-69

Book 4, Chapters 70-108

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Symbols & Motifs

Dreams

The third part of the book is titled “Dreams,” and fittingly, dreams work as a recurring motif throughout the book. The motif includes literal and metaphorical dreams, and points to multiple ideas throughout the story.

Amelia describes the dreams about Digger, Timber, and Dick shown to her by the “shadowed ones,” which eventually lead her to the three men. These dreams contain details that hint at the men’s pasts: Digger building something into the sky; Timber walking away from the woman he loves; and Dick running from something in terror. Amelia’s dreams point to the theme of Fortune, Fate, and Individual Destiny, as she and the men are fated to be brought together.

The dreams also point to the theme of Personal History and the Power of Storytelling: Their contents indicate specific things that the men are running from in their pasts—things that they must revisit to feel whole and move forward with their lives. The dreams that haunt Dick highlight this same theme: His dreams aren’t ideas or fiction; they reflect real events that took place. His refusal to confront his past—and his attempts to escape them by refusing to sleep—eventually lead him to an accidental death. After this, he’s able to revisit his story, thus emphasizing that there is no way forward without acknowledging and reconciling one’s personal history.

The book ends with the fulfillment of the different characters’ metaphorical dreams—that is, what they truly desire from life. Thus, Digger builds and runs a Ferris wheel again, Timber returns to carving, and Granite finds love, reclaims his family home, and goes back to writing.

The Stone House

An important symbol in the book, the stone house is Granite’s family home, which he sells after he stops hearing the voices of his ancestors there after the deaths of his family members. The stone house is symbolic of how home is more than just a roof over one’s head; despite having this, Granite still feels as lost and rootless as the “rounders.” He only regains the feeling of “home” when he experiences belonging and acceptance in Margo’s love and his friendship with the others. Thus, Book 1 is appropriately titled “Shelter,” while Book 4 is “Home.”

The stone house points to the theme of Personal History and the Power of Storytelling as well. The house is part of Granite’s family history, and Dick leaves Granite money to buy it back, recognizing the importance of revisiting the past and reclaiming one’s personal history to heal. Even after Granite finds friends and acceptance, it’s important for him to return to the stone house because it’s a part of his personal history. Additionally, the house points to elements of the musical, as seen in the theme of Fortune, Fate, and Individual Destiny. Granite hears the voices of his ancestors in the house, just as Amelia hears the “shadowed ones” speak to her in different places.

The Jade Plant

Another important symbol in the book is the jade plant. It’s named after Eudora Welty, an American writer, which at the outset is a nod to the power of literature and storytelling. Additionally, the plant becomes a symbol of love and hope—it’s the only thing Timber doesn’t sell or give away after Sylvan’s accident and the only thing he has left to give her. This symbolizes how even after material possessions are long gone, love and hope can remain standing. Significantly, the plant aids in Sylvan’s recovery—and her second husband, Greer, recognizes it as proof of Timber’s love for Sylvan and an assurance that he’ll return some day.

Eudora eventually grows far beyond the pot; it engulfs the entire perimeter of Sylvan and Greer’s house, displaying how, if tended to, love and hope can grow boundlessly into something beautiful. Seeing this returns love and hope to Timber—who has been devoid of them in his own life. Sylvan’s giving Timber a cutting of the plant further symbolizes this.

As a plant, Eudora also symbolizes resilience and the cycle of life, both important aspects of the story. Amelia shows Digger and Timber another plant in her garden, a cutting from the neighbors clearing their weeds, which takes root and grows after she replants it in their backyard. This mirrors the “rounders’” resilience and ability to survive when they’re “transplanted” into different circumstances than before. The life of a plant points to the perpetuity of the cycle of life; after plants die and decay, they decompose into the soil, from which new plants emerge. Similarly, Dick remains immortal, in memory and spirit, even after his passing, and journeys on.