The story, A Painted House starts off with the Eli Chandler attempting to find workers to help harvest the cotton at their family farm.  They first found the Spruills, which were hill people, and then the Hispanics.  The Chandlers know that they need all the help they can get in order to maximize their profit and hopefully crawl their way out of debt.  Luke says, “Yes, I wanted lots of help in the fields.  Lots of hill people, lots of mexicans” (Grisham 13).  However, from the actions that follow, the Chandlers did not pick the “best of the crop.”

Like every Saturday, a fight always erupted behind the Co-Op.  However, this fight was unlike any other.  Hank Spruill decided to take part in this fight, which made it deadly.  We get vivid details of how the fight went down, especially when Luke says, “When the boy yelped, Hank let out a hideous laugh” (90.)  This fight was a stepping stone for all the secrets that Luke would eventually keep.

This act of violence is not the only one  that is committed throughout the book.  Luke witnesses the murder of Hank Spruill.  Just like before, Luke is forced into keeping a secret that should not be kept.  However, once the idea of moving up north is out in the open, Luke starts to tell some of his secrets.  He wants to have a fresh clean start, and he can not do that with secrets on his chest.  The move will provide a clean slate for all of the Chandler’s, especially his mother and father.