A Look at Tub

The character Tub really bothered me in "Hunters in the Snow." In my first read of the story, I couldn't really place why he bothered me so much. It was on my second read that I could understand why he really annoyed me. For a character who is so sensitive about his weight, he is very insensitive to others. Now, granted no one's ever called me a "fat moron," but I think everyone has received an insult or two in his or her life. Furthermore, Tub doesn't do much about his weight problem since he gorges himself on candies and sweets whenever he can. But, anyway, I digress. The main problem with Tub is the major focus he places on himself; even when Kenny tells him his story about the babysitter, he quickly glosses over the topic and brings it back to himself. Tub's lack of caring is even furthered when he forgets the directions to the hospital and then pretty much ignores his friend who has been shot (by Tub himself.) Together, these factors made me greatly dislike Tub as a character.

Ignorance is Bliss

In "Hunters in the Snow," the two final sentences add a final twist to the conclusion that is unexpected; however, once the reader rereads the story, the ending is perhaps not so unexpected after all. The characterizations of Frank and Tub make this conclusion, in fact, plausible. Because the men are very unaware of the other's problems and needs in general, they make this ending very appropriate. For instance, when Kenny was shot (by Tub), the two unscathed men attempt to take him to the hospital. As insults, such as "you fat moron" begin to be tossed around, Tub turns the situation to himself and his anger about being mocked. After "a while" the men begin to start on their journey to the hospital. Tub and Frank show very little caring in regards to Kenny (i.e. telling Kenny to "hold onto" the blankets, forgetting the directions, stopping for food and drink, stopping to warm up) because they are too busy talking about their own issues. Wolff uses the conclusion to prove to his readers that his characters do not value their friendships; they want sympathy, but they cannot give it, they only want to talk about their problems, not worry about those of others', and the men truly are oblivious to the pain of their so-called 'closest friends.'

The Quilt That Broke the Mother's Back

In "Everyday Use," Dee's mother's refusal to allow her to keep the quilts indicates a permanent change in her (the mother). The reader can clearly see the moment of this permanent change: "when I looked at her like that something hit me in the top of my head and ran down to the soles of my feet." This is a pivotal moment; the audience sees that the mother has realized the true characters of her two very different daughters. The beginning of the story indicates how the mother feels about her daughter Dee when she tells us how Maggie "[thought] her sister has held life always in the palm of one hand, that 'no' is a word the world never learned to say to her." Even thought she voices this as Maggie's opinion, the other details she gives throughout the narration prove that the mother thinks Dee is "the child who has 'made it.'" It was the culmination of these feelings toward Dee that lead to the mother's "snatching the quilts out of Miss Wangero's hands and dumping them onto Maggie's lap." The mother realizes that while Dee believes the world revolves around her and she knows all, her daughter Maggie is the one who truly cares about her, the quilts, and the family history. The quilts are the final piece that lead to the mother's decision.

A Southern Lady

"A Rose for Emily" was the short story I could best identify with. Not creepily of course, but because of my childhood in the South. Most of my friends lived in huge Southern mansions because of their deep family roots. It is easy for me to see the "big, squarish frame house that had once been white decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies." These homes all carry secrets from the past, much like Miss Emily's home did. The townspeople narrated the home's story as much as Miss Emily's story. It was easy for me to put myself in the story (even though Perrine frowns upon that!). The story was very creepy and grotesque, yes, but it was easy for me to imagine and read because of the Southern factor. Personally, I also believe that placing this story in the South had a major effect on the story as a whole.

A Haunting

I anticipated the ending of "A Rose for Miss Emily" in a way. From the moment that I read that "she bought the rat poison, the arsenic" I knew she was crazy. I mean, a woman living in a huge Southern home with "no one save an old manservant" was bound to have a few things wrong with her. Then, when her idiosyncrasies really began to shine through my mind started to think even more. When I read that "...within three days Homer Barron was back in town. A neighbor saw the Negro man admit him at the kitchen door one evening. And that was the last we saw of Homer Barron." It was details such as these in addition to ones about her father, her manservant, and the town's general opinions that foreshadowed the ending for me. Additionally, the use of grotesque words and phrases caused my mind to be darkened and thinking eerily too. These aspects all culminated in the horrendous ending.

"Gotta Secret, Can You Keep It?"

In "Interpreter of Maladies," the secret Mrs. Das reveals pretty much came out of no where I thought. I was very taken aback when Mrs. Das told Mr. Kapasi that she her son Bobby was the result of an affair. As the back-story began to unfold, I did feel a bit of sympathy for Mrs. Das. She is in a marriage with children that she does not want to be in. However, the majority of me feels no sympathy for Mrs. Das. I believe that an individual always has choices; Mrs. Das had/has choices in her situation. She had the opportunity for a divorce, among other options. I know that these are difficult, but these are better than unhappiness. Her unhappiness led to participating in intimacy behind her husband's back. It is very difficult for me to be truly sympathetic to a woman who would do this. I also find it hard to be sympathetic to an individual who shares her burdens with others in order to "make [her] feel better."

Sympathy & Understanding

I believe Edie to be a sympathetic character in the short story "How I Met My Husband." The story is told from Edie's young, innocent point of view; she tells us she "was fifteen and away from home for the first time." She then continues on to say that she had dropped out of school and came in last in the class. Her work as a hired hand automatically caused me to feel for this young girl. As the story continued, she revealed more of her unworldly personality. For instance, the drama with Alice Kelling, Mrs. Peebles and Edie divulges quite a bit of information about Edie's maturity and intelligence. Edie's maturity is exposed in the scene in which she "lost control, just like a six-year-old, [she] started howling." Her intelligence is expressed in this same scene with her misunderstanding of "intimate." It is in this part of the story that I can pinpoint areas of my heart going out to Edie. However, the premise of the entire novel creates sympathy; Edie is infatuated with the "wrong" type of man. We also feel for her because she "like[s] for people to think what pleases them and makes them happy." We can see through the story that this rings true in all she does.