Around the middle of the novel's second chapter, Quentin encounters and befriends a small, Italian girl. At first, when Quentin assists the little girl in the bakery, and gives her a sweet bun to eat, it seems as though he is doing it merely out of kindness and generosity. However, Quentin does not part with the girl after leaving the bakery. He seems to have some kind of connection to her that we are not yet aware of. After reading further, this connection becomes more apparent due to Quentin repeatedly addressing the girl as "sister." One can only assume that this small girl, or possibly girls in general, represent the memory of a beloved, innocent sister to Quentin. This assumption is supported later in this sequence by interactions with the child, triggering Quentin's flashbacks involving Caddy. The flashback that fascinates me the most begins on the bottom of page 133. Along with insight into the relationship between Caddy and Quentin, we are provided with information possibly explaining the pain Quentin fells surrounding his sister. In the first glimpse of this flashback, how do you view what is happening, or has possibly happened to Quentin? In the sequence beginning on page 134 and ending on 137, what exactly is happening between Caddy and Quentin, and how is Natalie apart of this?

Dreams or Adventures? The Life a King or No Life at All?

A new spin on the classic children’s’ book, Where the Wild Things Are! This is the short story for me. I grew up loving the dark simplicity that is the adventure story of Max and his companions. Although there are not any elegant vocabulary words or uses of figurative language in the story, I consider it a great piece of writing. It will always retain a place in my memory and in my heart. How can an author go wrong with a story like that? These reasons are why I am considering the short story, Max at Sea for my short story essay. Dave Eggars, the story’s author, has changed the story enormously from its original version. In this adaptation, Max never returns home to his family, which I think was the most important aspect of the children’s book. Max had a wonderful time with his mythical friends, but in the end went back to his mother, the only person who truly loved him. I really enjoyed this story, but am hesitant to choose it for my essay because I may dislike the story’s message too much.
My other consideration for the essay is, The Fountain House by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya. This story is also dark, but in a much deeper way than Max at Sea. This story combines very real, human conditions; such as death, money, and family with raw emotion. A father has to let go of his daughter. Physically she leaves him in death, but she also strays away from him in his dreams. Through his dream the father realized that he is not able to save his daughter from death. Not even by sacrificing himself; figuratively in the dream, as well as literally by giving her his blood. My favorite literary aspect of this story is the author’s ability to transition from dream to reality. The same themes are present in both dream and real life, they are just presented differently. Along with alternating dream sequences, there seems to be alternation between the father being dead and the daughter being dead, or at least the line is very blurred between who is truthfully deceased. The ending gives the story a spooky air, which blurs the dream world and the real world even more.

Nobody Really Knows Anything: Everything is Open to Interpretation

While reading Shiloh, I was most struck by the differing affection between Norma Jean and Leroy. On one end of the spectrum there is Leroy, becoming fonder of his wife every day. Then on the other end there is Norma Jean, who seems to be slowly inching away from Leroy until she finally must express herself. These observations brought me to question whether or not Leroy really saw his wife realistically, or as an ideal woman that exists only in his mind. Because the story is written from the perspective of only Leroy there is not way to tell. Why does Norma Jean, in the end, want to leave Leroy? We can only make assumptions based on Leroy’s interpretations.
Leroy gives the impression that when he was away from his home and Norma Jean many things went unnoticed. He uses the words such as, realize and notice, repeatedly throughout the story, referring “. . . how things are put together . . .” and how their home “. . . does not even feel like a home. . . .” Leroy also realized that something has happened to his marriage without his noticing. He believes that he loves Norma Jean very much; however, the two still “. . . must create a new marriage, start afresh.” Leroy sees his wife playing the organ, cleaning, and working on her pectorals, but he never knows what she is thinking. He admits almost desperately that, “. . . [h]e wanted to know what she thought—what she really thought. . ,” but he cannot bring himself to unleash those emotions. Perhaps if Leroy had been able to break into Norma Jean’s perspective their marriage truly would be able to “start afresh.”
The death of Leroy and Norma Jean’s infant son is a taboo subject in their home. This even early in their marriage is something which is never spoken about. Leroy appears to wonder occasionally what would happen if he started talking about Randy. How would Norma Jean react? After reading the entire story it seems that attempting to hear Norma Jean’s thoughts on the subject could have been no more detrimental to the marriage than whatever was already going on. And maybe the marriage could not be saved by any actions that Leroy took. Perhaps it was not meant to be from the beginning, but both parties were just too distant to notice. Again, there is no way to know anything for certain.
In the end we will never know the concrete reasons for Norma Jean wanting to leave Leroy. All we know is what Leroy sees and thinks about the world around him, which is a frustrating position at times. However, because a final resolution is not included at the end of the story, Mason I perhaps saying that the conclusion does not matter, but he feelings and emotions in at the heart of the story do. “Nobody knows anything, Leroy thinks. The answers are always changing.” What makes this story interesting is that there are no definitive answers; everything is open to interpretation. Just as, we see Leroy interpret, realize, and notice everything in his life.