October Sky
By: Homer H. Hickam, Jr. (Article Author: Zachary Lee)
Summary
Homer H. Hickam, Jr. was a boy back in the 1950's who lived in a mining town named Coalwood in Southern West Virginia. Taking place during the Cold War, which led to the Space Race between the Russians and the United States, Homer was inspired to build a rocket and most to Cape Canaveral to work for Werner von Braun and his team of scientists known for developing rockets. With the help of his friends, Homer prevails against some people's, especially his father's, criticism to pursue his dreams and build rockets. He gains support of the community and, eventually, even his father's support, making this a very touching story. The theme stated throughoute this story is that if you persist in anything, you'll obtain it and you may inspier others in doing so.
Important and Devloped Characters
Homer Hickam, Jr.
Homer Hickam Jr., also known as "Sonny", was the most central character throughout the course of the book as he began to learn more about and develop rockets to be able to go to college and his supposedly dying hometown of Coalwood, West Virginia.
Homer Hickam, Sr.
Homer Hickam Sr. was the father of the central character Sonny, or Homer Hickam Jr. As the memoir progresses, we observe Homer Sr.'s development of cancer and change in attitude towards Sonny, from believing his rockets were a waste of time, to even helping Sonny launch the final rocket.
Quentin Wilson
Quentin Wilson wasn't brought into the story until after the Rocket Boys attempted at launching their first rocket. Although Sonny originally introduced Quentin as a loser and nerd, he actually grew on Sonny when Sonny was trying to learn about how rockets worked, and ended up being not as much of a loser and not as awkward as Homer had originally noticed and anticipated.
Bill Conti - Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky)
Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky)
This song would be elected as the "theme song" because it alludes to the troubles Rocky had to go through and the perserverance it took to obtain his goals. The music itself is very motivational and upbeat and, when paired with the lyrics, virtually depicts the theme of October Sky, starting with Homer trying hard, learning from his mistakes, and getting his rocket to actually fly, like the last verse of the song's lyrics.