Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

“Dad says he brought me here to visit when I was really young. I wish I remembered, but I don’t. I’m sorry. And I’m really sorry you died before I came back. Dad feels really bad about that too, especially since you left us your farm.”

In her first letter to Great-Uncle Jim, Sophie laments that she doesn’t have memories of his farm and that she didn’t get to know Great-Uncle Jim better in life. This introduces the theme of Coping with Grief Through Legacy by suggesting that Sophie can connect to him by carrying on Great-Uncle Jim’s farm.

“If she was Great-Uncle Jim’s, I think I should keep her. I’m very responsible. Do you have a manual or something? On special chickens, I mean? I already got a library book on how to take care of regular chickens.”

In this passage, Sophie once again assures Agnes at Redwood Farm Supply that she’s responsible enough, proving it by mentioning the library book she’s already checked out to learn about chicken care. It highlights Building Responsibility Through Agriculture because Jones suggests the complexities of agriculture and the resources and commitment that it requires.

“He didn’t know any ways for the dead to send letters back. But, when I asked if there could be ways he didn’t know about, he said, ‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Sophie Brown, than are dreamt of in our philosophies.’”

Here, Sophie describes her conversation with Gregory the mailman about sending and receiving letters with the dead. This passage foreshadows the late-novel revelation that Agnes is a ghost and has been communicating with Sophie through her chickens.

“You guys must have had a hard time when you were young, Abuelita, because even though Mom was born here and speaks perfect English, she says you have to be twice as honest and neighborly when everyone assumes you’re an undocumented immigrant, and she won’t have me growing up with problems like that.”

In this quote, Sophie addresses the way her Mexican heritage and the racist misconceptions that come with it still impact her and Mom. Sophie’s details here provide insight into the discrimination that Mom and Abuelita faced in Los Angeles as Mom was growing up and raise the point that racism makes it difficult for people of color to settle into communities.

“PPS Did you know that chickens look really funny when they run? Kind of like a Tyrannosaurus rex combined with an airplane, if an airplane flapped its wings really hard. And squawked. I love having a chicken.”

Here, Sophie’s admiration for Henrietta and excitement about being a chicken owner is shown through her gushing about how chickens run. This passage provides comedy by comparing two such absurdly different items as a dinosaur and an airplane.

“Anyway, it was a good thing you sent me your chicken class, because when Dad told Mom and she pointed out I didn’t know anything about chickens and she didn’t have the time to teach me, I told them I was already signed up for your free curriculum, so I could study over the summer.”

Sophie uses Agnes’s chicken course curriculum to convince her parents that she’s prepared for the responsibility of taking care of a chicken. This passage develops the theme of Building Responsibility Through Agriculture by showing how Sophie is already seeking resources and growing more responsible because she has a chicken to care for. 

“PS It was pretty exciting to find that glass egg in the nest box. Like finding a treasure. I love having a chicken.”

Sophie writes to Agnes about finding Henrietta’s glass egg in the next box and gushes about how exciting it was. This develops eggs as a symbol of the payoff of hard work and responsibility.

“Great-Uncle Jim, I’m sorry to tell you this, but the really helpful lady was Ms. Griegson.

I hope you don’t wish she had your chickens instead of me.”

After Sophie overhears Ms. Griegson giving valuable advice to a woman with a sick chicken, Sophie feels self-conscious about whether she’s the best person to care for Great-Uncle Jim’s chickens. This passage complicates Sophie’s feelings about Ms. Griegson, who has been trying to take Sophie’s chickens away. It makes Ms. Griegson a more rounded antagonist who has skills as well as potential malintent.

“I don’t care if they’re harder than regular chickens, and I don’t care that I don’t already know everything about how to take care of them. You sold them to Great-Uncle Jim, and now I’ve inherited them. You can’t take them back.”

In response to Agnes’s offer to get someone else to care for Great-Uncle Jim’s unusual chickens, Sophie replies passionately about keeping the chickens because they were her Great-Uncle Jim’s, and now they’re her responsibility. She is now committed to Coping with Grief Through Legacy.

“I wish I’d asked you about your chickens while you were alive. What kind did you have when you were a girl before you came to this country? Did you name them or just eat them? I know you had to be practical with what you had. But if you’re still around keeping an eye on me, would you please keep an eye on my chickens too?”

Here, Sophie writes to Abuelita, wishing she could speak to Abuelita about her experiences with chickens. Chicken keeping not only makes Sophie feel connected to her Great-Uncle Jim but also to Abuelita, who had chickens as a child. This quote develops the theme of Coping with Grief Through Legacy.

“Three days ago, Chameleon laid her first egg. I hid it in the fridge like Agnes said to, so this morning for breakfast I scrambled it and Mom, Dad and I each had two bites. Mom said it was the best egg she’d ever tasted. And Dad said maybe chickens were pretty useful after all.”

Sophie and her family get to try one of the unusual chickens’ eggs for the very first time. They rave about how good the egg is, which develops eggs as a symbol for the payoff of hard work and responsibility.

“You’d be so proud of me; I did a good job of cleaning the crate after Chameleon pooped in it. It was gross. But I told myself there’s no shame in hard work, just like you would have said, and that all the work has to get done by somebody. For a minute, I couldn’t remember what your voice sounded like when you said those things, and I was really sad. But now I remember.”

As Sophie writes to Abuelita, she recalls Abuelita’s wisdom about working hard. This shows how responsible Sophie is with her chickens, even when it’s a dirty job that must be done. This passage also explores grief when Sophie momentarily forgets Abuelita’s voice.

“Abuelita, I know a farm is a cycle of life and death, and I know where meat comes from. I know that bad things happen to animals sometimes. But it was really horrible, with bits of bloody meat and bone and feathers all over.”

When Sophie sees the remains of Rocky the rooster after getting caught by a raccoon, she acknowledges that it is both brutal and natural for these things to happen. This passage characterizes Sophie’s mature perspective and gives her a hard view into death in agriculture. As when she depicts cleaning out the chicken coop, Jones shows a realistic instead of romanticized view of farming to highlight the commitment that it requires.

“When Dad dropped me off at the library, I was a little nervous. I don’t really like meeting new people. And when I have to talk to a group, it’s like my throat is strangling on the inside and I can’t breathe. But I don’t like not knowing anyone either.”

Sophie explains why she chose to attend the 4-H club meeting despite being anxious about meeting new people. This quote shows how Sophie feels lonely in her new rural community and wants to branch out despite her social anxiety. It also foreshadows her overcoming her fear of public speaking at the festival.

“I think your chickens are doing okay now. I bet you miss them a lot. I give them new food and water every single morning, even though I need to use a lot of your jars to make sure all the chickens have plenty. There’s a lot of poop too, but it’s not big deal; I just clean it up and put some new straw in.”

In Sophie’s letter to Great-Uncle Jim, she reassures him about the care of his chickens by describing her daily routine. By making sure the chickens are cared for properly, Sophie proves herself a responsible poultry farmer, developing the theme of Building Responsibility Through Agriculture.

“It makes me feel kind of funny, only not really funny, but sad, and maybe a little mad, to think about how he knew you better than I did.”

In her letter to Great-Uncle Jim, Sophie laments that the boy down the street, Chris, knew Great-Uncle Jim better than she did. Sophie’s complicated feelings arise from grief about the loss of Great-Uncle Jim, and with him, the loss of her ability to grow close to him. Her character develops as she learns to articulate her grief.

“She said something funny, though, so I thought I’d ask you about it. When I asked her if Redwood Farm Supply would be there, she told me they’d gone out of business years ago.”

When Sophie learns about an upcoming poultry show and asks if Redwood Farm will attend, she’s given confusing information about the farm she’s been in contact with. In this passage, Sophie mentions it directly in a letter to Agnes, hoping for clarification. This passage builds the novel’s sense of mystery and foreshadows the revelation that Agnes is dead.

“Then she even called Tío Fernando’s and told everyone about my migas, and Tía Catalina asked me to email her the recipe for their next Sunday meal, and Lupe and Javier wanted to know if I really have chickens.”

Here, Sophie describes how her family reacted to her migas, showing the importance of family recipes as a staple of familial bonds. This passage develops migas as a motif for the theme of Coping with Grief Through Legacy.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Agnes, but your farm looks really run-down, like those paintings of barns with the roof falling in. Not quite as bad, but you know. I’m sorry.”

Sophie describes the state of Redwood Farms to Agnes, concerned about why it seems to have become overgrown and unkempt. Jones incorporates gothic elements of dilapidated housing to hint at the reveal that Agnes has been dead the entire time.

“I would want to make sure everyone who knew poultry in this town knew they were mine. So no one could claim there was a mistake. So I’d take them to the poultry show.”

This quote from Gregory is his hypothetical advice to Sophie if someone were trying to steal his chickens. This convinces Sophie to attend the poultry show, despite her fear of speaking in front of groups. This passage develops the theme of The Role of Community in a Rural Setting by suggesting that community is the most important protection that Sophie can have for her chickens.

“Ms. O’Malley introduced me to lots of other adult chicken people who arrived later as ‘Jim Brown’s grandniece, who inherited his chickens and his good poultry sense.’”

In response to Sophie’s request that the community help her keep her chickens safe by letting everyone know she has them, Ms. O’Malley takes it upon herself to tell everyone about Sophie and how she’s related to Jim Brown, whom the community treasured. This develops the theme of The Role of Community in a Rural Setting, as Sophie is given protection as more people get to know her.

“[I]n case you haven’t guessed, they can see ghosts,.,.,, so i can show them which keys to hit.bbut they don’t usually type, and they aren’’’t any better at understanding ghost-=people than any other chicken. so it’s a slow process, typing.”

In this quote from Agnes’s letter, Agnes reveals that she’s a ghost who has been typing her letters through Jim’s Speckled Sussex chickens, who can see ghosts. This revelation explains why Agnes’s letters are filled with typing errors and why she stopped writing when Sue Griegson captured the Speckled Sussex chickens. This constitutes the denouement.

“[P].s. jijim says he’s so proud of you, 77a7nd thanks for taking care of the chickens. allso tell your dad the bird netting’’s in the back of the loft 777and7 to put it on right away if he wants any grapes this year.”

Agnes tells Sophie that her Great-Uncle Jim is proud of her as a poultry farmer, which solves Sophie’s internal conflict about whether she’s the best person to care for Jim’s chickens. This passage also relates to the theme of Coping with Grief Through Legacy by showing how Sophie’s carrying on Jim’s legacy has helped her grow a stronger connection to him, even though he’s passed on.