Well, my favorite story has been the very first one. About the boy who meets another boy and they catch that huge fish... remember?
I don't know but I find it the most disturbing out of all the stories in a very strange way. I'm not sure why either, it's just a feeling I have every time I read it. How old do you think that boy is? Sometimes I think he sounds very young, like 12 maybe. Also at the same time I feel like he is older then I think as well, but he just acts like a child. I'm not sure yet.
I think the entire story seemed so normal. It seemed like an average day for him. I felt sad about his parents not seeming to really care about him, or what he does. It's obvious he wants their approval, real bad. Which is another reason why I believe he is young. You are seeing that through his eyes. Maybe his parents are great people, they were just having an off night?
I don't know, I'm still thinking about it all. What do you think?`
Showing posts with label Carver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carver. Show all posts
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Fat
Well, I didn't hear otherwise, so I figured I'd just go along with Brandon's suggestion on how to discuss the December book: Where I'm Calling From.
I quite enjoyed a lot of the short stories in the book, but one that really kept me thinking afterward was "Fat."
It's one of the shorter stories in the book. Only 6 or 7 pages maybe and probably took fewer than ten minutes to read.
It's the one about the waitress telling her friend a story about this incredibly fat customer that she waited on, and who she seemed to take a bit of extra care of because she felt sorry for him and his girth.
As the waitress tells the story, she includes some details of other conversations she has with coworkers and with her husband. And ends with a bit of introspection.
Now, when I read this story, I was fairly convinced the waitress, our narrator, was relating to her friend, Rita, a dream she'd had. The way the waitress describes the fat man, the detailed way she continues to talk about his fingers. The way the customer repeatedly refers to "us" and "we" instead of "I" and "me."
After doing a bit of google searching, I have yet to come across any critic or commentator or essayist that agrees with my conclusion. It seems that everyone approaches this story in the same way. As though this, fictitiously, actually happened.
But the more I read about it, the more convinced I am that the narrator is telling her friend about a dream she had. A dream that led her to make some conclusions about her own life. At one point, she talks about serving the man some food and then looking in the sugar bowl, saying, "I know now I was after something. But I don't know what." To me, that sounds like the part in a dream when you know you need to find a person or a place or an object, but you don't know what you're looking for.
Does that happen to anyone else, or just me?
At the end of the story, the narrator and her husband go to bed and Rudy wants to sleep with her, but now she feels overwhelmed by size and imagines that she is much larger than the husband that is forcing himself on her.
The story ends when the narrator says, "My life is going to change. I feel it."
This story is so full of symbolism, from the size of the fat man, to the food he consumed, to the need to find something, to the unhappy marriage.
I still believe the whole thing was a dream in need of interpretation. A reflection of a problem the character's mind was trying to work out.
Thoughts?
I quite enjoyed a lot of the short stories in the book, but one that really kept me thinking afterward was "Fat."
It's one of the shorter stories in the book. Only 6 or 7 pages maybe and probably took fewer than ten minutes to read.
It's the one about the waitress telling her friend a story about this incredibly fat customer that she waited on, and who she seemed to take a bit of extra care of because she felt sorry for him and his girth.
As the waitress tells the story, she includes some details of other conversations she has with coworkers and with her husband. And ends with a bit of introspection.
Now, when I read this story, I was fairly convinced the waitress, our narrator, was relating to her friend, Rita, a dream she'd had. The way the waitress describes the fat man, the detailed way she continues to talk about his fingers. The way the customer repeatedly refers to "us" and "we" instead of "I" and "me."
After doing a bit of google searching, I have yet to come across any critic or commentator or essayist that agrees with my conclusion. It seems that everyone approaches this story in the same way. As though this, fictitiously, actually happened.
But the more I read about it, the more convinced I am that the narrator is telling her friend about a dream she had. A dream that led her to make some conclusions about her own life. At one point, she talks about serving the man some food and then looking in the sugar bowl, saying, "I know now I was after something. But I don't know what." To me, that sounds like the part in a dream when you know you need to find a person or a place or an object, but you don't know what you're looking for.
Does that happen to anyone else, or just me?
At the end of the story, the narrator and her husband go to bed and Rudy wants to sleep with her, but now she feels overwhelmed by size and imagines that she is much larger than the husband that is forcing himself on her.
The story ends when the narrator says, "My life is going to change. I feel it."
This story is so full of symbolism, from the size of the fat man, to the food he consumed, to the need to find something, to the unhappy marriage.
I still believe the whole thing was a dream in need of interpretation. A reflection of a problem the character's mind was trying to work out.
Thoughts?
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
December Book!
Hi All...
Sorry this is so late in coming. It has been a busy couple of days down here, and solidifying a choice is harder than it seems. I have been going back and forth between three different books for a while and have finally picked one. It should be easy to find on Amazon and such.
Without further ado...
I have a deep place in my heart for Raymond Carver. We have yet to tackle a short story collection, and I thought it would be the perfect time to do so with the holiday season upon us.
This collection of short stories was Carver's last published collection. He was one of the few authors who brought the short story back as it were in the 1980's. People often compare him to Kafka, Hemingway, and Chekhov. (Carver refers to the later quite frequently in his poems.)
I can't wait to hear what y'all have to say about it. I hope you enjoy it!
Sorry this is so late in coming. It has been a busy couple of days down here, and solidifying a choice is harder than it seems. I have been going back and forth between three different books for a while and have finally picked one. It should be easy to find on Amazon and such.
Without further ado...
I have a deep place in my heart for Raymond Carver. We have yet to tackle a short story collection, and I thought it would be the perfect time to do so with the holiday season upon us.
This collection of short stories was Carver's last published collection. He was one of the few authors who brought the short story back as it were in the 1980's. People often compare him to Kafka, Hemingway, and Chekhov. (Carver refers to the later quite frequently in his poems.)
I can't wait to hear what y'all have to say about it. I hope you enjoy it!
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