Colin Barrett’s story “Whoever Is There, Come on Through” is an example of how an author can reveal the truth about human connection, and how important it is, through a short story, as well as the importance of it to the future of the short story genre. It is not always positive, or fully understood, but the relationships we have with each other, and when they are played out in front of us when placed in character form, can be confusing, crazy, and wonderful. Colin Barrett gave the most realistic example of what it is like to interact with other people, as well as demonstrated how an author can utilize this to entice readers and move the short story forward with the times. In the story, “Whoever Is There, Come on Through”, the main characters …show more content…
In this story, the main character describes her then boyfriend, a unique, creepy, and eccentric individual with what can only be described as a “goth” persona. She then gives the details of a particular situation in which the two of them get stuck in a locked room in their school, and the emotional trauma and damage that follows them attempting to get out. The narrator ends up breaking up with the aforementioned ex-boyfriend in the locked room. One of the things that the character struggles with is her innate human desire to please others, which at the end of the story, following the incident of the locked room, she says she no longer does and only focuses on pleasing herself. The reason that I did not choose this story is because the meaning of the story does not come until the end of it. Although you get some information abut the narrator’s life in the beginning, the importance and purpose of the story is not clear until the end. There seems to be no purpose to the story until the narrator explains at the very end, in the very last paragraph, that she “never tried hard to please anybody at all after that day in the locked room.” Now I am not saying that the point of a story needs to be clear throughout the entirety of it or that the meaning cannot be revealed until the end, but in the importance of human connection, one can not see clearly how the narrator is …show more content…
He and his friends often listen to the radio to try and win contests, but lately his mother has been trying to win a house. This makes Glen question whether he wants to leave his friends, or the girl he likes, or even the library, in his little neighborhood. Glen is young, and this is enforced when he will try to explain a feeling that he does not have a name for yet. This does give insight onto the idea of human connection being confusing, and sometimes when you are young you may not understand it yet. This story was pretty effective in conveying that point, and used both setting and dialogue to portray the characters’ relationships. Compared to “Whoever Is There, Come on Through”, though, “The Contest” did just as good of a job explaining the importance of human connection. This might have been my choice as the better story, except the end is abrupt and the plot becomes choppy, although it flows nicely in the beginning. This could be an example of Sherwood Anderson’s choice to use form instead of plot in his short stories. Which some might argue is better for conveying relationships between people, but I think that the age of the main character lacks the complexity which is required for my point. “Whoever Is There, Come on Through” gives more examples of different types of relationships and different ages to give a broader range for my example. But
When faced with a traumatic experience, one’s true nature reveals itself. The trauma forces those suffering from it to cope. How one copes is directly linked to their personality. Some will push everything away, while others will hold whatever they can close. Both of these coping mechanisms can be observed in the two short stories “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” by Katherine Anne Porter and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner. In “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” and “A Rose for Emily,” the two protagonists prominent characteristics distinctly affect the way the protagonists copes when faced with trauma and the outcome of the short stories endings. To begin, Granny Weatherall is a prideful control freak. While, in contrast, Miss Emily is delusional and stubborn.
Relationships and Interdependence in the Works of Kurt Vonnegut While on the surface Kurt Vonnegut's works appear to singularly contain the pessimistic views of an aging, black humorist, his underlying meanings reveal a much more sympathetic and hopeful glimpse of humanity that lends itself to eventual societal improvement. As part of Vonnegut's strategy for enhanced communal welfare, the satirist details in the course of his works potential artificial family groups to connect the masses and alleviate the lonely.
What keeps you hooked to a story something that keeps you guessing?This question is examined in many extents throughout the short story. As the author leaves you curious on what will happen next. This overall sense of suspense is magnified throughout the text. In the Short story “The Interlopers”. The author Saki uses several different elements that combine to create the suspense.
A fundamental element of any story is the perspective of the narrator. It guides the point of view from which readers perceive and understand a story and greatly affects how a story is presented. As such, the perspective is crucial in determining how engaging a story is. First person narration, a narrative perspective in which the story is told first hand, has proven highly effective in making a story more compelling to read. Recently, it has become very popular in young adult fiction, as it can allow, when well-executed, for the reader to be better immersed in the story, increased suspense, and insightful reflection on the significance of events taking place. In Claire Battershill’s Circus short story Two Man Luge, first person narration is
Connection to people, family, and places are conveyed through the representation of belonging. “Rainbows End” by Harrison gives us the connection between Nan Dear with the Aboriginal Community, and a connection through family. “The Little Refugee” illustrates how Anh has had barrier that has prevented him from belonging, and how he has fitted in school, resulting in Anh creating friends along with being accepted.
Having each story been written in a third-person narrative form, the reader knows the innermost feelings of the protagonists and watches the main characters change. The reader learns what Brown feels as he thinks to himself, “What a wretch I am to leave her on such an errand!” In “Where Are You Going,” the narrator supplies much of Connie’s feelings, such as in the first paragraph, “she knew she was pretty and that was everything.” However, in Young Goodman Brown, “point of view swings subtly between the narrator and the title character. As a result, readers are privy to Goodman Brown’s deepest, darkest thoughts, while also sharing an objective view of his behavior” (Themes and Construction: Young 2). Point of view of “Young Goodman Brown” contrasts with that of “Where Are You Going” because “This narrative voice stays closely aligned to Connie’s point of view” (Themes and Construction: Where 2). Despite the subtle contrast, both points of view allow the reader to see the changes in Brown and Connie; Brown loses his faith and Connie loses herself. Point of view also affects how the reader sees other chara...
Last but not least, O’Connor confirms that even a short story is a multi-layer compound that on the surface may deter even the most enthusiastic reader, but when handled with more care, it conveys universal truths by means of straightforward or violent situations. She herself wished her message to appeal to the readers who, if careful enough, “(…)will come to see it as something more than an account of a family murdered on the way to Florida.”
“The story employs a dramatic point of view that emphasizes the fragility of human relationships. It shows understanding and agreemen...
Mary Pipher’s “Writing to Connect” focuses on persuading its reader through personal experience, expert testimonies, and figurative language that his writing can change the world. At the end of the text, Pipher hopes that her reader believes that one’s words have value and can impact others.
When writing literature, authors will adapt points of view to mold the perceptions of their readers. Three points of view that authors use to draw readers into their works of fiction are the limited perspective, the first-person perspective, and the objective perspective. Three stories will be examined and critiqued for their use of these narrative techniques. Of the three perspectives that will be examined, the first-person perspective is the most useful for sharing the authors’ vision.
It has been said of Anton Chekhov, the renown Russian short-story writer, that in all of his “work, there is never exactly a point. Rather we see into someone’s hear – in just a few pages, the curtain concealing these lives has been drawn back, revealing them in all their helplessness and rage and rancor.” Alice Munro, too, falls into this category. Many of her short-stories, such as “Royal Beatings” focus more on character revelation rather than plot.
influence all her life and struggles to accept her true identity. Through the story you can
Raymond Carver uses strategic dialogue and point-of-view to illuminate the themes of his stories. After reading “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” and “ Cathedral” the reader is able to mend each piece of work together and understand how Carver creates his short stories.
...her to feel despair. Her misery resulted in her doing unthinkable things such us the unexplainable bond with the woman in the wallpaper.
Mueller expresses how stories allow children to achieve the impossible, such as flying when they are incapable and discovering the unknown. Stories give a life to the people who are unable to live, and that is one of the reasons why imagination is so essential to our world. The sharing of tales bring genuine joy to people without the need of materialistic items; it gives people the chance to relate to the author on a common ground. The sense of shared joy and mutual connection brings people closer together and expands on relationships. People begin to feel as if they are apart of an imagined community, which is a community in which people perceive themselves to be apart of, through common interests or relations from media or works of literature. Communities such as these allow people to connect with each other, despite never crossing paths. It allows the birth and the strengthening of relationships, for when people begin to converse with others, the first thing they do is find common experiences or interests that they share. In addition, a quote from Mueller, herself, adds to why we tell stories: “Because the story of our life becomes our life. Because each of us tell the same story but tell it differently, and none of us tells it the same way twice.” Tales are devised with the incorporation of the narrator’s imagination; it is a way to