If you liked Raymond Carver's "Cathedral"....
then you might also enjoy ”A&P,” by John Updike, ”Shiloh” by Bobbie Ann Mason, or ”Travis, B." by Maile Meloy. For Friday, read ONE of those stories and post a 4-5 sentence reflection/reader response here as a comment to this blog post. You also need to REPLY DIRECTLY to 2-3 of your classmates comments (think: Instagram/Facebook feed, but slightly more detailed than a series of emojis or five word responses!) as part of this assignment. There's no need to include actual textual evidence in either your original response or when you comment on classmates' work, but if you're having a hard time generating ideas, feel free to look back to the short story questions we used last term. I just want to get a sense of what you thought about the story you've chosen; there's no pressure, so have some fun and be creative!
Reading "Shiloh" by Bobbie Ann Mason was a very similar experience to reading "Cathedral." The short story had a tone and feel that was somewhat melancholic, yet satisfying to read. The male protagonist Leroy was a beautifully crafted character, who experienced many drastic events in his life. While he did think about the changes in his life, he was either too ignorant or not motivated enough to address his problems, and instead wished to do something humble and sweet by building a house. The story makes his inability to fix problems not look like a character flaw -- I saw him as a humble man-- but rather his problems are out of his control, and when he realizes what he could've done different, its too late, and his wife wants out. Leroy's story is sad and unfortunate, and I feel speaks about how complicated a marriage can be. There were no problems with their relationship, and that simple fact was the reason Norma felt there was a problem.
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DeleteJess, I thought it was really interesting how you sympathized with the main character in your review. The part about the character flaw is especially intriguing because it gives a seemingly straightforward characteristic an alternate reading. Overall, your review makes this short story seem really cool!
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Maddie! You have a great understanding of the character dynamics of "Shiloh," Jess. It shows how important an individual's perception of the truth, in this case, the reality of the state of their marriage, really is!
ReplyDelete"Travis, B." was a thoroughly enjoyable read. After reading this short story, I've realized that a common theme between the short stories under this section is humility. Chet is a young adult who experienced an unfortunate childhood. His leg is a symbol of his tribulations, but also his strength, a yin and yang type of symbol that is a physical part of him. His leg is what prevents him from taking the job in Chicago, but he is able to make something out of his life as a rancher, and attending the school law classes, where he met Beth. Ultimately, his story with Beth doesn't end as a happy ending, but it was not a complete failure to him. She was a nice lady, but he couldn't be with her due to circumstance. That is the key to this group of short stories, staying humble through unfortunate circumstances. The characters still have emotions, but they are able to remain true to themselves and make the best out of their situations, as Chet did in this story.
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