"No Place Like Home" Analysis

In the second paragraph, Guterson states "Green Valley is as much a verb as a noun", he is referring to the always under construction and constantly trying to out-do itself. "Everywhere on the fringes of its 8,400 acres one finds homes going up, developments going in (another twenty-one developments are under way), the desert in the throes of being transformed in accordance witht he master plan of Green Valley's designer and builder".(183) The town is constantly becoming bigger, being updated and becoming more populated. The town is in action all the time which is why he called it as much a verb as a noun. Guterson's tone throughout the short story is one of sarcasm and mockery. Guterson writes "Inside the civic center were plenty of potted plants, walls of black gass, and red marble floors, but again, no congregating citizens". (184) The city is all about expansion and making profit, there is absolutely no sense of community whatsoever. I believe suburbs are a safe enviroment to be raised in but there are some negatives. The suburbs rarely see crime, violence or anything that would place a child in harm besides the teenager up the street driving twice the speed limit. The suburbs offer a child a place to hang out with other children his age in his neighborhood.