The Short Story Series #6: Story of the Vanishing Patient

#6: Story of the Vanishing Patient by Elia W. Peattie           
 
"Story of the Vanishing Patient" both surprised and befuddled me. I was not sure what to make of the befuddling ending. I assume that the doctor was probably just hallucinating, which explains how the prescription did not move from its position on the mantle. I believe that Peattie was simply presenting one of those stories where the reader gets to interpret the ending. Usually, I am not a big fan of those types of endings. That is what surprised me - I liked it. The doctor's background is entirely up to your imagination. Maybe he was a schizophrenic, hearing and seeing things that do not exist. Maybe he was seeing apparitions. I feel that the clues point towards the latter: the smell of evil, the ghostly white figure of the woman, the sudden midnight appearance. But, it is open to interpretation, which means it is all a matter of opinion

I felt that subtle foreshadowing was at work throughout "Story of the Vanishing Patient." From the very beginning, you could tell that something uncanny was going to occur involving the doctors and the house next door. Honestly, I was a bit surprised that nothing scary or fatal occurred. When the doctor finally did enter the house, I had the ominous feeling that something bad would happen. Yes, something eerie happened, but nothing bad. Overall, I was slightly disappointed.

I don't really feel I had a favorite character, but if I did it would probably be the doctor. Despite his wife's pleas, he put his safety at risk for the betterment of a patient, which I feel is the mark of a good doctor. He was committed, even though there was really nothing he could do to help. 

The Short Story Series #5: The Lottery

#5: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Think of the Hunger Games... but no fight and no reason.

This was the first time I had ever read "The Lottery," although I had heard of it before. The story dumbfounded me; as soon as I finished reading it I said aloud to myself, "WHAT?" I was not entirely sure of what had happened, so I searched the internet for an explanation, and I found one. I could not believe that these people chose someone randomly, someone who was their friend, and stoned them to death. Some aspects, mainly the lottery itself, reminded me of the reaping in Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games. Shortly thereafter, I found myself questioning Shirley Jackson's sanity, which brought me back to Suzanne Collins. Who decides to sit down one day and pen a story about the random drawing of a name which results in death? The poor family lost their mother, the poor town had to live with the guilt of killing their friend. The fact that they saw nothing wrong with any of this astounded me. I would love to sit down and talk with Shirley Jackson about her....inspiration for "The Lottery." Who know what I could discover? Maybe a tortured soul, a certifiable loon, or just a woman who wanted a little excitement in her life.

I believe that Shirley Jackson subtly used symbolism throughout "The Lottery." I would like to jump around a bit, as I feel that later symbols complete earlier ones. First I would like to touch on the single black dot. The dot symbolized the stones, which therefore means the dot symbolized death. Jackson wastes no time adding a deeper meaning to it. Everything is laid out plainly to understand. Second, the box symbolizes waiting and the "clock of life" ticking down. It's hard to believe I am saying this but I believe I can tie the story to the 2000 movie, Gladiator. You see, throughout the film, Russell Crowe's character, Maximus, is searching for a way to kill the emperor because he feels that he cannot join his family in the afterlife until that deed has been done for the betterment of Rome. A door is seen throughout the film, and at the end, when he finally dies, he can pass through the door into the afterlife. The door in the movie is the box in the story.

It is hard to take a liking to any of the characters in the story, so I think I will go with my favorite being the third person narrator. I had known the narrator would be a nameless third person, as my teacher had said it would be. But you cannot take a liking or disliking nor can you take a judgment toward the narrator because you do not know him. He may be a bystander or someone in a later time retelling the days of the Lottery. 

The Short Story Series #4: Lamb to the Slaughter

#4: Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl

The keenest murder cover-up you will ever hear about....

"Lamb to the Slaughter" cannot be simply described as a murder mystery, because the omniscient narrator is not the only person who know what is going on - our leading lady knows the truth as well. I must say that I certainly agree with some statements about the story containing dark humor. I could not help but laugh when Mary Maloney said, "'All right,' she told herself. 'So I’ve killed him.'" In addition, the ending also made me chuckle a bit, because the investigators themselves had just eaten the very evidence there were searching for the whole time. I feel that this was actually a short story that I could appreciate for it combined seriousness, humor, and the cunning of one very...interesting woman. Also, looking in the time period Roald Dahl lived in, this story puts a woman into a new light, one where she is much more than a housewife.

Although foreshadowing was a small element at work, mainly because the title implied the story having some connection a lamb, the main element at work was definitely characterization. Although it may seem subtle, Mary Maloney truly is a dynamic character, mainly because of a split second event. Just as her husband was telling her that he was leaving her, she went through a dramatic change. She was no longer a housewife - now she was a severely annoyed and angry woman who, without even knowing what she was doing, killed her husband. Constantly, the third person omniscient narrator was informing you on her thoughts and actions, down to the little details of practicing what she would say to the grocer.

I think it is a given that my favorite character in the story was Mary Maloney, being that she was the only one I truly was able to comprehend entirely. She was cunning, and although she did have that minute breakdown in the middle of the story, she was able to pull herself together in time to conjure a way to save not only herself and her pride, but to save her unborn child.

The Short Story Series #3: The Girls in Their Summer Dresses

#3: The Girls in Their Summer Dresses by Irwin Shaw

A quaint and common marriage? Infidelity? It's not exactly what you're thinking...

I found it a bit difficult to wrap my head around "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses." When I actually thought about it, though, I completely understood the point author Irwin Shaw was attempting to put across to the reader. Michael and Frances are your average, nearing mid-life crisis couple. I honestly cannot think of anyway else to put it. All their married life, Michael looked and gawked at every single woman he passed by, and, for some unbeknownst reason, Frances picked this perfect Sunday afternoon to talk to him about it. Of course, it made her uncomfortable. But Michael did the only thing he could - he was honest with her. Michael told Frances that he always wanted women, but he would never do anything about it because he loved her. I believe Shaw was attempting to put across the fact that marriages do begin to lose some of their ... spunk. Honesty is always the key. Even though he knew it would crush her, Michael had to tell Frances how he felt. Maybe their lives weren't perfect, but no one's is. Shaw succeeded in presenting the average American couple, their faults, and how they can triumph over the obstacles in their relationships.

Conflict is certainly at work throughout "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses." First, there is a definite internal conflict in Michael. He cannot help the fact that he wants these women he sees. He knows that the right thing to do would be to love his wife fully and whole-heartedly, but he just cannot. He does not want to let her go despite all of this. Second, there is an explicit conflict between husband and wife. It seems that they realize there will always be a divide between the two of them, but love never left. It only shattered a bit.

My favorite character from "The Girls in their Summer Dresses" was Frances. She saw a problem with her life and refused to let it continue to rule her. She stood up for herself and confronted her husband, not holding back her true feelings. It takes a good amount of confidence and inner strength to speak your mind, and Frances exhibited these traits almost perfectly.

The Short Story Series #2: Haircut

#2: Haircut by Ring Lardner

A simple day, a simple haircut, a story that will shake the town. Could a death really be more than it was thought to be? Don't think this is a serious, morbid, story - it's not.

What I most enjoyed about "Haircut" was the narrator. In the beginning of the story, I could clearly envision myself sitting down for a haircut and the barber doling out the story of Jim Kendall, the comical, somewhat mischievous, and recently deceased town jokester. It was so easy to get lost in the story, and it was such a quick transition back to reality, with the last line - "Comb it wet or dry?" I also appreciated the normal, somewhat comical life story of Jim. The sudden climax at the end was a bit predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. The first person narration added a special touch to the story, as it was recalled entirely from the memories of the barber, who was purposely unbiased. 

Point of view serves as the perfect complement to Lardner's "Haircut," mostly because it adds a very realistic touch to the story. First person is usually very simple, but I believe it is slightly more complex in this situation, merely because the entire story is memories not in the form of personal anecdotes, but as accounts of the rude and humorous feats of the deceased Jim Kendall. Symbolism was also present throughout the story, through Jim Kendall. He represented the common man, one who has made mistakes in his life, but takes the days as the come, making the most of them, although not always in the most productive way.

My favorite character would probably be the narrator. That barber could be anyone. But he is merely represented as a common man, just passing the time, telling the new man in town of the recently deceased most popular man in town. He was unbiased, simple, and relatable, and that is what made him so likeable. I certainly would not mind sitting down for a haircut with him because he was the type of person who you could listen to all day. I envisioned him as an old man, full head of white hair, somewhat like Ernest Borgnine. His smile lit up the room, his grandchildren loved him. He was just one of those characters that you could read like the front page of the Sunday times.