FRED STENSON’S - TEETH -

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FRED STENSON’S - TEETH -

Teeth, by Fred Stenson, is an interesting short story, with a plot

spread between two hockey games and the childhood memories of the main

character. The story is written in first person, through the eyes of

a hockey player – the main character - and the setting is in western

Canada, mainly around Canadian hockey rinks and the main character’s

hometown. The story presents a player, who plays hockey for money

rather than for pleasure. The author of this story tries to provoke

the readers, by writing through the eyes of this player, who does not

love the game he plays. The idea that a hockey player – a

professional Canadian hockey player – would dislike the game of hockey

and still play, is what shocks, confuses and keeps the reader

interested in the story. This unusual characterization of a hockey

player is also important to the development of plot. Finally, this

story gives people advice about how to live and enjoy life more

effectively.

The story begins during one of Burns’s – the main character - hockey

games, on a Tuesday night, not long after Christmas. The players in

his team are quite fatigued and near the end of a game. They are

supposed to change lines onto the ice, but Burns is lost in a daydream

about his youth and the line change goes too slowly. For some seconds

there is no one on the ice except the goalie and the six members of

other team. The other team scores a goal before the line change is

completed and Burn’s team goes on to lose the game 5-3 (93). The

reader must conclude that the loss of the game is partly the fault of

the main character. This conclusion comes from the fact that he is

daydreaming about his childhood, and memories of being made to play

hockey by his parents. It is at this point in the story that the

reader learns of Burn’s dislike for the game of hockey, and through

these daydreams that the reader discovers the main character’s

motivation to play the game is the money he is being paid. After the

game, in the dressing room, the manager is angry and threatens to send

some of the players down to the minor leagues. When the main

character hears this, his reaction is not what the reader would expect

of a hockey player who loves to play the game. Instead, Burns

continues to daydream and shows a lack of respect for his teammates

and the manager. The manager mainly blames Burns for the team’s loss,

because he did not put out, and his lack of enthusiasm infects the

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