I'm looking over a four leaf clover...

As a child, I always loved looking for four leaf clovers with my grandad.  He would always sing, "I'm looking over a four leaf clover that I've overlooked before."  It made the experience so much more memorable & if you've never heard the song, you should check it out on Youtube (the vocals begin at 2 minutes).  Now what does this have to do with Dickens?  Well, I was taking a break during a WAC workshop & decided to go for a quick walk outside.  There were several patches of clovers near the sidewalk & as I am always drawn to do, I began looking for four leaf clovers.  That was Thursday.

On Saturday, I was driving to Montgomery & began to think of the search for clovers as an analogy to reading Dickens.  Why?

Patience:

• In looking for 4 leafs, it takes a great deal of patience.  One could stand or squat over a patch staring at the green clump for hours.  If there is enough patience, the unique green plant will present itself.
• In reading Dickens, it takes quite some time to work your way through the descriptions & characters.  I often find myself staring at the words without really taking in their meaning.

Uniformity:

Clovers

• Clovers look all the same in a patch.  They are all a bright green with a little white line in the center, as seen to the right.
• Dickens characters & their lives appear to be same, especially if you are reading multiple Dickens' works at once.  One character from one work appears the same in another.

Uniqueness:

• If you can be patient & continue to look in a clover patch, a four leaf will soon appear.  It is a small thrill to find one after the search.  You then begin to notice the unique attributes of the entire patch.  There are different leaf sizes & slight variations in color.  If you're lucky, you'll find 5 & 6 leafs on one clover.  Once you find one, they appear quite easily.  Almost as if you've trained your eye to the clover.
• Dickens does this with his characters.  If you are willing to remain patient, the characters will take on unique qualities.  It will become a small thrill to find that uniqueness.  It draws you into the work even further & you want to continue reading to find other rare character traits.  These traits will present themselves more easily.