The Man to Send Rain Clouds by Leslie Marmon Silko

  The short story, The Man to Send Rain Clouds, is different and unique in which the story is told through out the period of one day. The story highlights different occasions and talks about different events that all occurred in this one crazy day. The day starts off by talking about an old man who was found dead in Teofilo. To make matters more interesting, Teofilo is just a sheep farm. The old man never left the side of his sheep and was constantly with them. One day the decided to lie down and die with his beloved sheep. Two men, Leon and Ken, end up stumbling upon the body and, weirdly enough, follow their traditions of their tribes and paint the old man’s face. After painting his face they bring him back for further preparation of his burial. While the priest was performing the ceremony he is outraged because the men failed to sprinkle water on the old man’s face which is another tribe tradition. According to their beliefs the do this so the deceased person will not be thirsty. This brings comfort to many in the beliefs that when they are thirsty the old man will bring them water. AT the very end of the story we come to found out the Leon was actually the grandson of the old man. This story was very interesting and kept your attention because of the way it was broken up. Jumping around and being in the course of one day makes you have to focus in order to understand this, out of the ordinary short story.

Add a comment December 16, 2009

The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich

The short story, “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich is a about the relationship between two Native American Indian brothers. Throughout the story we are able to examine  the change of relationship between these two brothers due to internal and external factors as time passes. The story was told in first person from the point of view of Lyman Lamartine, who is a young man living on an Indian reservation. He recalls how he was the first person ever on the reservation to drive a convertible in which he co-owned with his brother, Henry. Now at present time, Henry drives the convertible everywhere and Lyman must walk everywhere he goes. The story then goes into detail about how this came to be. It talks about how the boys drove wild and free and lived on the impulse picking up girls and doing what they wanted.  Eventually Henry joins the army and soon becomes a marine. Lyman ended up giving the car to Henry but after doing this, realized that Henry wasn’t the same person he used to know and love. After much bickering and fighting the boys eventually come to terms and ending up going back to the good old friends they used to be. Henry jumps into the river and with the weight of his boots filled with water starts to drown, Lyman jumps in after him but is too late. When he gets out of the water Lyman drives the red convertible into the water because he thought Henry should have it when he moves on. The car symbolizes the relationship between the two brothers and holds their love and memories. In the end of the story the color red comes up frequently. The red car, sky, and blanket can represent the love of the two but can also symbolize blood, or death and dying.

Add a comment December 16, 2009

Aunt Moon’s Young Man by Linda Hogan

Aunt Moon’s Young Man is a short story by Linda Hogan is about the Native American culture and is focused on a Native American woman who is facing oppression in her community. Through out this short story we are able to get a strong understanding of the characters and how they interact with each other. While following Bess and Issac you can notice many cases of symbolism. The first thing I noticed in the story was the mirror and the window. The window represents the separation between Bess and Isaac’s wanting to preserve their traditions, separated from other members of the community who are represented of the mixed culture which came about with the introduction of the white people. Throughout the short story both their gestures and through the way in which they are choosing to live their lives demonstrates their separation. The mirror shows their reflection and their true identity reminding them of their roots and traditions. Later on in the story we can see the transformation of the men and the women in the tribe on how they view love and relationships. The men and woman who, at one time, used to be more open and less judgmental, condemn the relationship between Aunt Moon and Issac. This symbolizes more of the way of the white community in which it attributes fixed identities and codes for behavior for every member of society. Throughout the changes that is going on around her, Aunt Moon is credited for being courageous, special, unique, and staying true to herself and what she believed in. It was described that she was “centered” and at ease with the actions she takes and she remains a consistent character throughout the story.

Add a comment December 16, 2009

Seventeen Syllables by Hisaye Yamamato

“Seventeen Syllables” by Hisaye represents and shows the difficulties faced by Japanese immigrants to the United States. Even among the Japanese themselves, cultural separation exist between these immigrants and their children and the hardships Japanese woman face within the traditional culture.  Rosie describes her story dealing with the concerns through a device used often by Yamamoto. Rosie Hayashi shares her secret plan to meet Jesus Carrasco, a  person a Mexican man the family hires for harvest. Rosie’s inability to speak much Japanese and her failure to understand why her mom is so enthused about her native Japanese culture emphasize the cultural and generation differences between the two. During tomato harvest system, the editor arrives with a prize for Tome’s poetry.  Her husband is so angry he burns the picture. Tome then reveals to Rosie that she has married her husband by arrangement and was a last resort besides death. Rejected by another man, because she had given birth to a stillborn son, an aunt in the United States arranges her marriage. Tome asks Rosie to promise never to marry at a time Rosie is experiencing the blissful promise of young romance. This brings Rosie back to reality and shows her that sadly, marriage isn’t for love, but a financial, structural arrangement.  The story is a carefully nuanced combines the hardship brought about by ethnics, feminist, and intergenerational concern.

Add a comment December 7, 2009

A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell

“A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Gaspell depicts a tale about a mysterious muder that occurs in a small, quite, country town. Minnie Foster-Wright, appears to be the suspicious killer, being the wife of the murdered man John Wright and acting a bit too passive. John Wright was found hanged in their bedroom. The story begins with Sheriff Peters and his wife Mrs. Peters, Lewis Hale and his wife Martha, and the county attorney George Henderson are at the Wrights’ home the day after the murder. The investigation continues which leads to the three men ending up in the bedroom upstairs, and the two women alone in the kitchen. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters find more than they bargained for in the cold farmhouse. Here the women discover a wrapped up dead canary placed in Mrs. Wright’s sewin. Her beloved canary had been strangled and saved in a box. Mrs. Hale who had known Minnie for years, talks about how she used to be more cheerful and sociable before she was married. She notices that that Minnie had changed for the worst after marrying Mr. Wright. They then stumble upon the broken cage in which the canary lived and start to speculate that Mr. Wright had killed the bird. The bird and the bird cage are significant to the life that Minnie had been living, caged like an animal, isolated from the world. Minnie was forced to stay home with no telephone or connection to the outside world in a tiny rundown house. The bird is a crucial representation in this story for it symbolizes everything Minnie used to be. Before Mr. Wright. When she was younger, beautiful full of life and singing in the choir. Finding the bird in a pretty box wrapped up in silk shows that it was precious to Minnie. The bird’s neck wrung demonstrates how Mr. Wright was killed with a rope around his neck. It also relates to how Mr. Wright chocked the life chocked out of Minnie. Although Minnie appears to be the one at blame the reader gains a sympathy for her and her isolated life. The story demonstrates the relationship between men and women in a patriarchal society.

Add a comment December 7, 2009

Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison

While reading the Royal Battle, by Ralph Ellison, even though I am very different from the narrator who is a black male, as a white female, the story really made me self-reflect on the words of inspiration given.  The narrator starts by mentioning that the first 20 years of his life was spent reflecting upon himself by what others have told him to think. Although I had grown up in an environment that was very accepting and allowed you to be who you wanted to be, it really made me thing about cultural norms. In so many communities although certain races or cultures are given the same opportunities as others, if they view themselves as a certain role or group, they are putting a limit on their potential. By wanting the feeling of acceptance, many sacrifice their own freedom as an individual. The narrator then goes on to not only question his own individuality but his grandparents and his ancestors. This only added to my confidence in believing that many people only feel the need to fit the molds on people around them or their family who raised them. Although culture is important to never forget, it must be accompanied by a positive change and a health expression of individuality. Although you are half of your mother and father, you are being raised in a completely different time and environment and must adapt to fit the change to survive. The grandfather of the narrator advises his grandson to “your head in the lion’s mouth.” I liked this expression because it described living by flirting with danger. Don’t be stupid and overstep you boundary, but push yourself to the limits, if not you are simply settling for what you have.  The grandfather then instructs the narrator how to survive by killing them (the white people) with kindness. I agreed with this because eventually, if you stay out of trouble and do exactly what is “right” there is only so much grief and penalization that can occur before your rewarded. Sadly through history we learned that there are just some evil people out there who will punish people no matter how “rightful” they are but in the end, the righteous person can at least have a clear mind knowing they did the right thing.

Add a comment December 1, 2009

A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner

The story A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner is written in third person and I identified a few different themes.  The death of Emily demonstrates on how much the culture is shaped around identity and how generations leads to traditions but also change. The way the narrator portrays the story allows us to see how diverse the human environment can be by stepping out of our own personal comfort one and identities.  Emily Grierson  is a mysterious, peculiar woman who attacks the community with her death because it is their one chance to get to know who the Emily Grierson really is. The story in told in an unique way in which the reader gets an array of different point of views from the members of the town. Each point of view utilizes flashbacks or stories from different people and their impressions they had on Emily. The stories not only differ but don’t tend to follow any specific order or time sequence. This adds character and depth to the story by having the story a series of recollections and memories rather than a structured, predictable story line. As much curiosity there is surrounding Emily her house also attracts many questions from the town.  No one except for a servant, gardener, and cook had seen the inside of her house for the last 10 years. The house also attracts attention because it sticks out like a sore thumb on her street. It was described as an “eyesore of all eyesores”. The house gave off a depressing mood and also screamed death; similar to Emily’s appearance.  The last thing I really thought about while reading this story is how he story, A Rose For Emily, got its name. Although a rose is not mentioned in the story I had a few ideas how a rose could by symbolized in the story. Many times roses are sued at funerals to pay respect to the dead but to also disguise the smell of death. A rose also symbolizes love, something Ms. Emily desperately wanted but never got the chance to have. Looking at a deeper level a rose is a beautiful flower surrounded by sharp thorns. This could have symbolized her father protecting her from taxes, bad choices, and bad men. The thorns prevented the rose from ever being picked.

Add a comment November 11, 2009

Hills Like White Elephant by Ernest Hemingway

Reading the short story, Hills Like White Elephant, was unique in which most of the story is told through dialogue. The conversation is between an American and his girlfriend while they are sitting outside a train station. While they are outside the decide to order beer. The girl makes a remark about the distant hills that they look lke white elephants, but the man ignores her remark. As the conversation continues, it becomes clear that the the girl, Jig, does not understand Spanish, while the American does. Besides this you get the feeling and start to realize the two are in disagreement about something. Besides picking this up from the conversation you can notice ot by the uneasiness they have with each other, both pulling towards a different way. The truth about what the two are uneasy about comes when the man say, “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig…” Jig fails to respond and the man continues to try to convince her. Jig obvious wants to keep the baby and you can tell that this also is questioning their relationship. The man is uneasy about the thought of being a father but insist that they will be the same after the abortion but Jig wants to have the baby and is ready to settle down and start a family.  Both Jig and the American have troubles communicating, They tend to beat around the bush and have difficulty articulating their feelings. In the end Jig shows us she is fed up with their communication by saying, “Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?” Jig starts to realize that maybe she isn’t enjoying this traveling joyride. She wants to stop and traveling and settle down. The American acts selfish by manipulating Jig in order maintain and prolong his joyride. He want to keep Jig around to keep him company while satisfying his sexual desire. He is even willing to sacrifice a human life, Jig’s unborn child, so that he can continue his joyride.

Add a comment November 10, 2009

The Use of Force by William Carlos Williams

The short story The Use of Force, by William Carlos Williams, was disturbing and really made me think of cases of rape. This physician does a housecall to a little girl who immediately finds beautiful. This wasn’t the typical beautiful but more of a creepy beautiful he feels for the little girl. This instantly scared me because I usually have such a high respect for doctors and to read that this doctor was having thoughts about this little girl scared me. It made me realize that no one is to be judged, or should be dismissed for judging, based on their occupation. The doctor decides the little girls throat should be tested and cultured but the more the little girl fights it the more he pushed it and enjoys fighting this little girl. At this point it got very disturbing because many people who rape others find pleasure in the fight the victim gives them. They feel strong and in control of the situation. It’s disgusting to know he is getting a pleasure of forcing pain upon this poor girl as the mother and father are watching in agony of fear for her health and embarrassment over her behavior. Not to mention the action of trying to force something down the little girl’s throat was appalling. Many times doctors are trusted and aren’t often questioned about their action they take. I think this story stops and really makes people think twice about trusting physicians and that they are just a person like everyone else, not a super hero. This story made me wonder, if the parent had not been present could this have lead to a more serious, horrifying action of force with this little girl?

Add a comment November 10, 2009

The Jilting of Granny Weatherall by Katherine Ann Porter

The first thing I noticed upon reading the story, The Jilting of Granny Weatherall, is that Katherine Ann Porter, was probably writing another short story about death. Granny Weatherall  is at her last dying day and is looking back on her entire life. Granny is reconsidering, and analyzing, her life and ponders her approaching death. Almost against her will, her thoughts continuously keep returning to an incident that occurred more than sixty years earlier.  She was left standing alone at the altar when her fiancé George jilted her. As in like the story, The Child, by Roddy Doyle, Ambrose also uses short, choppy, fragments to get a better understanding of Granny’s confused, half-conscious state. She is almost hallucinating by confusing the past, with the present and having object take on different forms. I found this interesting because it reminded me of alztimer’s and when some of my relatives got older. They became confused and often confused us with people from his/her past 20 years ago. My grandparent’s always say how much life flies by and how quickly it passes you by. I always think about it and being so young,  I would say to myself there’s no way it can I have so much time. But as the years go by and I can remember thinking how 12 was so old when I was 7, so I can now understand how fast life flies.  As Granny gets close to death the difference between past and present, living and dead, becomes even more unclear in the final moments of Granny Weatherall’s life. While the priest gives her last rights, Granny gets closer to death and the sights and sounds in the room continue to entwine with her memories. She becomes scared as she realizes how close she is to death and asks God for a “sign” but receives nothing. His scared me have to death because here someone is looking for reassurance at one of the scariest times in her life and gets nothing. Once again, like at the altar, Granny was jilted. This incident was overwhelming enough to wipe out any other thoughts of her past and was filled with sorrow. I found this very overwhelming and emotional. I hope this doesn’t happen to me when that time comes!

Add a comment November 10, 2009