The One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones
The novel, How The One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones, provides us with insights into Adan’s life which helps us to understand why he did what he did. Adan’s mom died at childbirth, leaving him to be raised by his poor aunt who had no children. He was a bad kid in the neighborhood as a child growing, and his Aunt Preta hardly ever disciplined him for his bad behavior. She also had a boyfriend named John who became his role model since he was 10 years old. John taught Adan that the way to make a living was breaking into people’s property and stealing. John ends up going to jail for his criminal activities, and Adam became a professional thief.
BF Skinner explains how behavior could be taught through learning and reinforcing. We saw this played out very clearly in Adan’s life at a very young age, it became worst as he enters into adulthood. He began hurting his wife and killing people to get what he wants. So we should all learn a lesson from this novel as to how much an adult can impact a child’s behavior.
