I have truly loved the Flash Fiction stories; the stories are quick, meaningful and enjoyable. Even if there is one you don't like you haven't invested a lot of time reading it only to be disappointed. I have two stories of this group that I absolutely loved.
The first story "Snow" by Julia Alvarez, the story done first person was the tale of a little girl new to the country. She told of a favorite teacher who nurtured her first year of school, and her very first experience with snow. I loved this story because it brought me back to when I was young and my favorite teacher. I would be surprised if not all readers get that nostalgic moment when reading this story.
My favorite teacher was my fourth grade teacher, she encouraged the love of a good book. I remember to this day her reading C.S. Lewis's "A Loin, a Witch, and a Wardrobe", when she read the book I had this mental picture of the story as she read the story. I was so excited three years ago when this story was made into a movie, I was in love because the story was exactly how I had imagined it so many years ago. Somewhere in my library of books I have this book and I have both movies. My favorite story of all time.
The second story that I fell in love with was "Corners" by Sheila Barry, written in third person. I loved this story because of the emotion I felt when I read this story. As the reader I felt Jessie's pain, and that moment when you feel you can't breath because the pain is so intense. Then the moment they share that makes them laugh and helps the pain subsided.
I have a brother and sister that I share this bond with, there have been many times in each of our lives that our pain has been so intense that we have had that feeling that we can't breathe. One of us will get the other two going with a memory or a laugh, my grandmother had one of those snorting laughs that my brother could imitate perfectly.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Flash Fiction 1
I enjoyed this group of stories, they were quick and drove home at home without a ton of words. I liked "Daydream" by Roberta Allen and "Flu" by Stuart Dybek for different reasons.
"Daydream" was written in first person, the narrator was riding in the car with her sister and her sister's husband and they are careening down the mountainside. But she had separated herself from what was happening in the car and had escaped into her own world. Haven't we all been in a similar position that is so uncomfortable that we have escaped into our own world rather than deal with the world we are in.
The second story "Flu" was written third person, omniscient. I liked this story because it was cute. The author captures that moment when two people really see each other for the first time. Faye had just come back to work after being out sick, her illness had burned away her rough edges leaving behind a soft vulnerbility. Aldo was mesmerized by Faye's appearance, which led to a conversation possibly because Faye had been secluded at home for so long and craved human interaction or it was destined to be. Which ever it was when I finished reading the story I got that warm fuzzy feeling.
"Daydream" was written in first person, the narrator was riding in the car with her sister and her sister's husband and they are careening down the mountainside. But she had separated herself from what was happening in the car and had escaped into her own world. Haven't we all been in a similar position that is so uncomfortable that we have escaped into our own world rather than deal with the world we are in.
The second story "Flu" was written third person, omniscient. I liked this story because it was cute. The author captures that moment when two people really see each other for the first time. Faye had just come back to work after being out sick, her illness had burned away her rough edges leaving behind a soft vulnerbility. Aldo was mesmerized by Faye's appearance, which led to a conversation possibly because Faye had been secluded at home for so long and craved human interaction or it was destined to be. Which ever it was when I finished reading the story I got that warm fuzzy feeling.
Friday, November 12, 2010
"The Man from Mars" and "Death Constant Beyond Love"
"The Man from Mars" by Margaret Atwood and "Death Constant Beyond Love" by Gabriel Marquez were odd stories about perverse behaviors by older man to younger girls. Each one comes away with a twist, the stories expose insecurities and pain that the main character was feeling.
"Death Constant Beyond Love" Senator Sanchez who was a very happy man until he found out he was dying and only had a short time to live. His pain and feelings toward his impeding death color the story. The author has painted this picture of cheerful parade but behind the imagery of the parade was the stark existence and despair of the people living there. But not just their despair it was also the Senator's disillusions that are evident. His impeding death made him less sympathetic to their plight after all he was the one dying not them, Senator Sanchez's promises were empty and meaningless like his promises of rain machines, portable breeders and oil of happiness to make things grown. His earlier interactions with Nelson Farina were ones of disdain and refusal to help Nelson get a false id in order to travel about - as Nelson was a wanted man - one got the impression that Senator Sanchez had been a man of good character. But when he sees Nelson's young daughter he changed his tune he was willing to help Nelson in order to have access to his daughter. The author makes the reader question whether or not Senator Sanchez would have made the same decisions were he not dying, that Laura was this beautiful flower in his stark existence. Like the rose he tried to preserve coming across the desert.
"The Man from Mars" was an odd story about a older Japanese man - that we don't get until later in the story -that is obsessed with following Christine, a young college student. Christine is plain ordinary girl from a good family, but she doesn't feel particularly exciting or beautiful. The author tells us this about Christine for us to understand why Christine might not have initially done anything about his following her, it made her feel attractive. The author gives us details about the stalking and Christine's feelings, but we don't know the stalker's feelings in this story.
The plot in this story was two fold, the conflict between Christine and her stalker, as well as the conflict within Christine.
"Death Constant Beyond Love" Senator Sanchez who was a very happy man until he found out he was dying and only had a short time to live. His pain and feelings toward his impeding death color the story. The author has painted this picture of cheerful parade but behind the imagery of the parade was the stark existence and despair of the people living there. But not just their despair it was also the Senator's disillusions that are evident. His impeding death made him less sympathetic to their plight after all he was the one dying not them, Senator Sanchez's promises were empty and meaningless like his promises of rain machines, portable breeders and oil of happiness to make things grown. His earlier interactions with Nelson Farina were ones of disdain and refusal to help Nelson get a false id in order to travel about - as Nelson was a wanted man - one got the impression that Senator Sanchez had been a man of good character. But when he sees Nelson's young daughter he changed his tune he was willing to help Nelson in order to have access to his daughter. The author makes the reader question whether or not Senator Sanchez would have made the same decisions were he not dying, that Laura was this beautiful flower in his stark existence. Like the rose he tried to preserve coming across the desert.
"The Man from Mars" was an odd story about a older Japanese man - that we don't get until later in the story -that is obsessed with following Christine, a young college student. Christine is plain ordinary girl from a good family, but she doesn't feel particularly exciting or beautiful. The author tells us this about Christine for us to understand why Christine might not have initially done anything about his following her, it made her feel attractive. The author gives us details about the stalking and Christine's feelings, but we don't know the stalker's feelings in this story.
The plot in this story was two fold, the conflict between Christine and her stalker, as well as the conflict within Christine.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
"Three Million Yen" and "The Hitchhiking Game"
"Three Million Yen" and "The Hitchhiking Game" were both written in third person omniscient point of view. Both stories the setting is Media res, and appear to start in the middle of things, Kenzo and Kiyoke are on the way to meet someone but stop at mall and amusement park to kill time. The other couple are on their way to Banska Bystritsa on vacation. Both sets of characters are young couples beginning their lives together, in the first story "Three Million Yen" the author gives us the names of the two young people, but suspiciously the names are not given in the "The Hitchhiking Game".
The other of "Three Million Yen" has given us elaborate imagery and incredible details. The mood in the beginning of the story is bright and cheerful, the reader gets caught up in the story of the young couple having fun at the mall and the amusement park but then as they get on the amusement ride it starts to become "dark". Kenzo appeared to relish the fact that Kiyoke was frightened by the ride, her fright makes him aroused. What I thought was curious in this story is when they meet the woman and sneak off in the night that the author implies what they did, the author doesn't tell the reader outright that they have performed sexual acts if front of rich old woman. When he picks back up with Kenzo and Kiyoke walking home the details are back, what was once bright and welcoming is now dark with despair.
"The Hitchhiking Game" is also about a young couple, the games they play are of a different nature. The "game" Kenzo and Kiyoke played they were trying to better themselves for the future and they were playing the game united this was not the case with the young couple in "The Hitchhiking Game". The game the couple in this story played preyed on their insecurities and weaknesses that ultimately destroy the relationship.
The other of "Three Million Yen" has given us elaborate imagery and incredible details. The mood in the beginning of the story is bright and cheerful, the reader gets caught up in the story of the young couple having fun at the mall and the amusement park but then as they get on the amusement ride it starts to become "dark". Kenzo appeared to relish the fact that Kiyoke was frightened by the ride, her fright makes him aroused. What I thought was curious in this story is when they meet the woman and sneak off in the night that the author implies what they did, the author doesn't tell the reader outright that they have performed sexual acts if front of rich old woman. When he picks back up with Kenzo and Kiyoke walking home the details are back, what was once bright and welcoming is now dark with despair.
"The Hitchhiking Game" is also about a young couple, the games they play are of a different nature. The "game" Kenzo and Kiyoke played they were trying to better themselves for the future and they were playing the game united this was not the case with the young couple in "The Hitchhiking Game". The game the couple in this story played preyed on their insecurities and weaknesses that ultimately destroy the relationship.
"Disguised"
The story "Disguised" starts with a foreshadowing hook "When Temerl stood under the wedding canopy she surely did not know that in less than half a year she would be an abandoned wife". Temerl's husband Pinchosl abandons Temerl, he sneaks out one night and never returns. The author also gives us physical descriptions of Pinchosl "because he was small and slight" as well as behavioral tendencies "neither did he chase women. He barely looked at Temerl when he lifted the veil from her face on the wedding night". When the author gets to the climax in the story where Temerl finds Pinchosl dressed as a woman, the reader gets that "oh that makes senses moment".
The author has written this story in third person point of view, omniscient. He gives us a small view point of her mother and father when Temerl is determined to go look for Pinchosl, and even a small bit of Pinchosl's. But the majority of the story is in Temerl's view of what happened.
The plot of the story itself is the conflict between Temerl and Pinchosl, because Pinchosl abandoned her she was forbidden by law to move forward in her life. Pinchosl himself had moved on and was living as a woman with this lover and was seen as married by his community. Although I think the biggest conflict in this story was Pinchosl, his desire to keep his faith and please his family was at war with his love for Elkonah. He knew that God would ultimately punish him for living his faith as a woman with another man but he could not stop himself.
The author has written this story in third person point of view, omniscient. He gives us a small view point of her mother and father when Temerl is determined to go look for Pinchosl, and even a small bit of Pinchosl's. But the majority of the story is in Temerl's view of what happened.
The plot of the story itself is the conflict between Temerl and Pinchosl, because Pinchosl abandoned her she was forbidden by law to move forward in her life. Pinchosl himself had moved on and was living as a woman with this lover and was seen as married by his community. Although I think the biggest conflict in this story was Pinchosl, his desire to keep his faith and please his family was at war with his love for Elkonah. He knew that God would ultimately punish him for living his faith as a woman with another man but he could not stop himself.
"The Supper" and "The Drunkard"
"The Drunkard" by was written in 1st person point of view while the "The Supper" by Tadeusz Borowski was written as third person limited point of view. While I truly enjoyed "The Drunkard" and the ironic twist at the end of the story, the twist at the end of "The Supper" left me sickened.
"The Supper" begins with so much detail from the dark heavy night that is cold and damp, filled with human misery to the way he describes the Russian prisoners right down to the zippers on their clothes. The author gives incredible details until the point of when the climax happens, the execution of the prisoners. He leaves it to the imagination of the reader for a brief moment what was happening at the moment. It isn't until the last line of the story he leaves the reader with the image of starving Jewish prisoners eating the brains of the Russian prisoners. The imagery of the author tells this story.
In "The Drunkard" the author focuses on the characters of the story in order to put the story plot in place, he spends time developing and telling us about Father and his drinking issues. He uses Mr Dooley's death as an inciting incident in order to start the story off. Larry's mother who entrusts Father with their young son was the character in the story that needed to fix everything. Larry was the young child who Mother had entrusted to watch out after Father at the funeral of Mr. Dooley's funeral. Funerals being a catalyst for Father to start drinking again.
Choosing to tell the story through Larry's eyes gave the story an interesting twist, Larry feels that his mother has entrusted him to watch over his father but he feels that he was ineffective at changing his father's behavior. The author takes the opportunity to use the natural curiosity of a young boy to teach the father a valuable lesson. Larry drinks Father's beer and becomes intoxicated, forcing Father to do the walk of shame home with a drunk little boy that he was suppose to be watching. Father was blamed for filling his son with drink, his guilt forced him to go work without another drink. Larry is rewarded for being the Guardian Angel to his father, because Larry's actions caused his father to be riddled with guilt about the neglect of his son he stopped drinking.
"The Supper" begins with so much detail from the dark heavy night that is cold and damp, filled with human misery to the way he describes the Russian prisoners right down to the zippers on their clothes. The author gives incredible details until the point of when the climax happens, the execution of the prisoners. He leaves it to the imagination of the reader for a brief moment what was happening at the moment. It isn't until the last line of the story he leaves the reader with the image of starving Jewish prisoners eating the brains of the Russian prisoners. The imagery of the author tells this story.
In "The Drunkard" the author focuses on the characters of the story in order to put the story plot in place, he spends time developing and telling us about Father and his drinking issues. He uses Mr Dooley's death as an inciting incident in order to start the story off. Larry's mother who entrusts Father with their young son was the character in the story that needed to fix everything. Larry was the young child who Mother had entrusted to watch out after Father at the funeral of Mr. Dooley's funeral. Funerals being a catalyst for Father to start drinking again.
Choosing to tell the story through Larry's eyes gave the story an interesting twist, Larry feels that his mother has entrusted him to watch over his father but he feels that he was ineffective at changing his father's behavior. The author takes the opportunity to use the natural curiosity of a young boy to teach the father a valuable lesson. Larry drinks Father's beer and becomes intoxicated, forcing Father to do the walk of shame home with a drunk little boy that he was suppose to be watching. Father was blamed for filling his son with drink, his guilt forced him to go work without another drink. Larry is rewarded for being the Guardian Angel to his father, because Larry's actions caused his father to be riddled with guilt about the neglect of his son he stopped drinking.
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