In the book Carry the Rock by Jay Jennings, the symbol is right there in the title; the rock has many connections and parallels with concepts, plots, and events mentioned in this book. The history of both the rock and the town to which the rock gave its name (Little Rock) go way back. The first major expedition to the area was in 1722. Initially found by the French explorer Jean-Baptiste Bénard de La Harpe, the rock he dubbed “Un Grand Rocher” was of a conspicuous size, primarily due to the fact that it was the first decently sized rock that de La Harpe had seen since traveling from the Mississippi up the Arkansas River. However, as he continued onwards, he found more and more sandstone outcroppings that were like the first rock, and upon realizing …show more content…
Ultimately, Jennings displays the town’s divisive nature by comparing two incidents in the town: in 1863, General Frederick Steele took the town from the Confederates with less resistance than Joseph Brooks faced while trying to wrestle the governorship from Elisha Baxter in 1874. Of the three thousand people involved in the latter battle, two hundred died. After the Civil War, especially starting with the post-Reconstruction period, racism was another widespread problem in Little Rock. The city was subject to much negative media and attention over the Little Rock School District’s integration process, which happens to provide the setting for one of the subplots in the story. Ultimately, people say the fractiousness died down when football came around in the late 1800s, giving young men a place and outlet for their pent-up anger and frustrations. Ever since, football has been as much a part of Little Rock as “La Petit Rocher” itself. Speaking of the Little Rock, its symbolism primarily stands for the town and …show more content…
Furthermore, anyone who gave a d*** about the town’s reputation moved, leaving the steadfast residents and opinions of the place to themselves. This sort of toughness applies to both the rock and the town: one can slightly change it, but he or she sure will have a heck of a hard time breaking it. On the other hand, there is the author’s intended connection between the rock and football. One could convincingly argue that Jennings intended for the rock to be a symbol for the football in and of itself, as indicated in the title Carry the Rock. The rock, or football, provides something for people to rally around, whether it be the legendary high school football team or the town as a whole. By bringing about change or making history in Little Rock, one is making a figurative mark on the rock that is the football, school, town, etc. For all of these reasons, I view the rock as an apt namesake for the town in which people have held their own for a long time, being molded and changed by the sands of time, but on the whole being a rather tough bunch. Hence, I agree with the author on his choice of a symbol: the original Little