Heather on "The School" by Donald Barthelme

It's really strange the way humor manifests itself in us. At first, I took this story pretty seriously. Actually, it even made my skin crawl at first, especially from the revelation of the mass deaths of trees to the mass deaths of snakes... and then mice and salamanders and gerbils. I was wondering what was wrong with this school (since the title is "The School" especially) but once I got to the part where they adopted a Korean kid named Kim, I couldn't help but let out a little laugh. Not because the idea of an orphan dying is funny, but because a class adopting a kid just seemed absurd and unrealistic. However, once I got up to reading about the parents, my mood turned somber again and I once again found the story creepy. The abrupt and volatile changes in my mood surprised me.
Then, later towards the end of the story, where the kids asked Edgar to "make love" with Helen, I was a bit confused. Because these kids are called "kids" and they have class pets, I was imagining them to be little children, but they spoke like adults. And because the narrator refers to them as "they" when speaking, as if they are one collective whole who are droning on at the same time, it creeped me out even more, and made me wonder if the kids were actually the ones who may be responsible for the weird things happening at the school.

"Happy Endings" by Margaret Atwood response

Hi, this is Carson.
I think "Happy Endings" is sort of a story about stories. It reminds me of the fairytale ending "they lived happily ever after", which I always hated when I was younger because it doesn't make sense; obviously people get old and die, and anyways doesn't living happily get boring after a while?
Margaret Atwood more or less dismisses endings in general. Two things in particular stand out to me. First, the way that mundane worries are tied in with highly dramatic scenes is interesting. In about three pages, there's a murder and two suicides, and real estate values are also mentioned twice. The same words, "stimulating and challenging", vague words that often lack meaning to begin with (as in college applications, for example), are used to describe everything from hobbies to the main characters' sex life. Second is (obviously) the structure. It resembles a "choose your own adventure" book at the start, except you don't actually get any choices in the story. I'm not usually a fan of unusual structures (I have to admit, I like a plot) but I think the contrast between the author's cynical voice and the structure that parallels a not very literary or serious genre works quite nicely.

Hi this is Charlie.

“Happy Endings” is an ironic title. It mocks the idea of a happy ending, emphasized by the simplistic and repetitive description of the story that supposedly ends happily: the generically named John and Mary “fall in love and get married” (265), a very simple way of describing what is usually a story in itself, and find their jobs and later their hobbies “stimulating and challenging” (265). The author’s tone describing the happy ending is very dismissive. She furthers her dismissal of happy endings by creating various other scenarios all resulting in the first, but becoming increasingly ridiculous and tragic--by scenario “D” thousands of people drown in a random tidal wave and the two main characters, now named Fred and Madge, survive and move to their happy ending (267). The author mocks the happy ending by showing its cause to be something far more interesting and powerful--the death of thousands--making the ending seem superficial and unimportant. Moreover, by moving the same ending across multiple stories, the author increases its superficiality. But the final ironic touch is written in italics: “John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die” (268). The only real ending, the one that will not, like the others, seem superficial and meaningless, is death. Thus, the only real ending is not a happy one.

“The School” by Donald Barthelme

Hi, this is Lucy Liang. This story is written in a very casual way. Barthelme also uses “you” throughout this first person narrative. I read it as if “you” is directed at me, and felt very involved with the situation. The narrator talks about the deaths that had occurred in this school, but starting with plants, even though it sets up a sad and depressing tone, I didn’t feel much affect by it. As the story goes on, the narrator talks about deaths one after another, from trees to snakes to fish to puppies, and then to human beings, from orphan to parents, and to kids from the class, which becomes more and more relatable, and the impact of the deaths becomes increasingly greater. Just as I thought was the end of this list of deaths, there comes more. This puts the reader in a very depressed mood, but at the same time, I start to wonder how closely did these deaths happen?  If we think back a long time and count all the deaths we have experienced it isn’t necessarily less than what the narrator has told us. At the end of the story, the discussion about life and death with the children makes me think. What is the meaning of death? What about life? We do, indeed, need an assertion of value constantly. That is what the new gerbil did, no matter if it’ll die in the end.

Happy Endings - Josephine Surer

I enjoyed this story a lot because I didn't really see it as a story but more of a list of different outcomes. We never got any type of characterization of the characters, instead we got their reactions to different types of situations. The sentences were all very short which added a lot to the instruction manual feeling. I also thought this technique made the story kind of depressing; the quick sum up of the reactions of characters we don't know anything about made their lives sound very short and only based on those events. What added to this dryness was also the fact that there is no dialogue or physical reactions of the characters. The reader sees the characters more as fictional objects and less of possible people.

Happy Endings- Vedica Bhasin

Hi this is Vedica

   Happy Endings was one of my favorite stories this semester- in a short space it touches upon the realities of long term relationships while taking into account different perspectives of both men and women and the obstacles the social construction of long term relationships and marriage creates for them and the different manners in which each deals with their circumstances. The irony of the story lies in the title- no one really ends up happy; that is if you interpret "stimulating and challenging" as monotony as I did. 

The writer intelligibly embeds identifiable themes that manage to engage the reader through the story. For instance, the use of “real estate” as a symbol for economic standing reiterated the importance of money in a stable relationship. This was further re-emphasized when John didn’t “even consider her worth the price of a dinner out.” This technique greatly complemented the underlying theme of realism through the story. Additionally, by focusing on the insecurities of each of character; aging for John in C “in two years he’ll be bald as an egg and can’t stand it”, marriage for Mary “She hopes he’ll discover her and get her to the hospital in time and repent and then they can get married.” etc, the manner in which the writer builds the characters, each of whom are representative of daily realistic problems makes the characters all the more identifiable, engaging readers further.

   

The School

This is Lena Gruber.

"The School," by Donald Barthlme, is a short story that is narrated by a teacher of a school. The narrator is speaking directly to the reader using "you" and even expects the reader to fill in what the narrator leaves out. He uses "you know" even though the reader does not actually know and must imagine what the narrator means and must make his/her own assumptions about the bizarre deaths that are taking place within the school or that are connected to the school somehow.
The narrator speaks about the deaths casually, never really questioning whether the deaths are due to the class' behavior in someway; it is the job of the reader to question the deaths if he/she wishes to. The story thus depends on the reader's assumption and will to fill in the blanks. The reader must make sense of the story that doesn't exactly have a conclusion/resolution because there really isn't one given by the narrator, which links back to the confusion that the class has between the meaning of death and life due to their teacher.
In conclusion, the reader plays an important role in the story.

Week 12: Alejandra Garcia

Donald Barthelme’s “The School” is a fast paced, frantic, and interesting piece. The story follows the narrator’s stream of consciousness, as he recalls various deaths at school. At first the deaths are rather humorous: thirty orange trees, some herbs that might have been overwatered and snakes. However, as the narrator continues the death of students and family members are brought up. The story moves from a set of coincidences to something much darker. At first I believed the students to be young but in the last part of the story they begin to question live and death and ask for the narrator to make love with the teacher assistant because they needed “an assertion of value.” Their language diverted heavily from that of normal young school children. However, by this point in the story it is clear it is not a normal school.

Krista Smathers on "Happy Endings"

This story reads at first like some kind of formulaic, mocking commentary on the stagnancy of plot lines.  The structure lends itself to this interpretation, as it is grouped under letters that can be rearranged but still make sense as a whole story.  Atwood offers possible scenarios for plots, all of which have been demonstrated in various forms of storytelling media.  She offers various adaptations of the theory that all stories can be reduced to the plot: person A meets person B, add love, add something tragic happening to either person A or person B, end with person A and person B together and happy or separate and unhappy, or some generic variation of this basic theme.  The last section is what makes this story relevant at all: the questioning of following these limited plot structures.  Atwood prompts readers to reconsider the plot structure of "a what and a what and a what," which is illustrated in the preceding completely declarative paragraphs, and instead add a how and why, which brings depth and individuality to a story.  For me, reading this piece was initially like reading a story, but upon finishing, I found it to be a combination of demonstrative plot lines so that a critique of their generality could be made.

Heather on "Bullets in the Brain" by Tobias Wolff

I really enjoyed the way this story was formatted. Although not much happened, it's interesting how the author introduces the Anders character. At first he's snarky and not quite likable. Although he shares the same sentiments as the lady in line about the teller, he purposefully seeks to distance her rather than connect with her, and turns his contempt onto her.
Later however, as the bullet is travelling through Anders' head and the narrator describes his memories, the author reveals different sides of Anders to show his complexity. We discover what his relationships with his lovers and what his daughter is like. We find out the relationship between his father and mother probably wasn't that great. We get to understand him as a more well-rounded character. From first impressions I wouldn't have guessed that he'd be the type of guy to go to an anitwar rally or the type impulsive enough to purposefully put himself in danger and crash his father's car. From first impressions, I would've guessed that he'd be a pretty cold and unfeeling kind of man, but the author betrays those first impressions as she unravels his past, and reveals what kind of character he really is-- one as complex as the rest of us.

Week 11: Alejandra

Bullet in the Brain by Tobias Wolff is a dark but oddly hilarious piece. The voice of the narrator and the descriptions of Anders add to the tone of the short story. For example on page one, the third person omniscient narrator addresses the woman in line as “the presumptuous crybaby.” Anders death is quite the scene. Anders the anti-hero who's sick humor had at this point grown on me is shot in the head and is vividly described by the narrator. The second half of the story shares retrospectively parts of Anders's life by describing what was not remembered in the last moment of Anders's life and what did flash before his eyes. Overall, this short story blew me away.

Hi this is Charlie

“Bullet in the Brain” does a really good job with a lot of characterization in a small space. The first line, “The line was endless” (282), is relatable--we’ve all been stuck in a ridiculous line before--and immediately makes the protagonist relatable. The next line complicates things a bit: Anders thinks of the women’s conversation as “loud” and “stupid” and it “put[s] him in a murderous temper” (282), which can either be interpreted as mean or just relatable, frustrated hyperbole. Then the reader finds out that Anders unfailingly mean in his book reviews, something which takes away from his character, but the exact phrase for what he does is “weary, elegant savagery” (282) which is so contradictory that it’s hilarious. In fact, most of Anders complex characterization comes from the irony of his cruelty. He sarcastically condemns the teller, surprising the reader by switching his position on her abandonment of post (282) and then continues to shock the reader with his brutal wit as he mocks the bank robber about his cliche lines, even to the point of death (282-3). Not what is expected, but makes the reader laugh even as they think Anders is an idiot, and a mean one, too.

The second half of the short short story constructs his complex character in a different concise way, by telling the reader what does not flash through Anders’s mind as he dies, uprooting the cliche and making the flashbacks much more interesting. Once again, the author uses contrasts, but for a different effect. He says how Anders loved his wife and then grew exhausted of her (284) and how he found “the pleasure of giving respect” (284) before he “began to regard the heap of books on his desk with boredom and dread” (285), showing his progression from loving and considerate to cynical and giving him character development, albeit all in the past. He also contrasts what are considered important, life changing events, like “seeing a woman leap to her death from the building opposite his own” (284) with simple but equally emotional ones, like “standing outside his daughter’s door as she lectured her bear about his naughtiness” (284), giving Anders both stunning life events that the reader knows must have caused change and ones that are more relatable and show his everyday life. Thus, by the climactic reveal of his last moment, the reader has a full picture of Anders.

“Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wolff

Hi, this is Lucy Liang.

The character of the protagonist stays very consistent throughout the short story, but the attention and mood of the story does change quite dramatically. In the beginning, Anders is introduced to the readers to be “a book critic known for the weary, elegant savagery” which sets up his character quite well (281). The conversations that Anders had while at the bank, and his reactions to the situation of an armed bank robbery, although a bit bizarre, were not unexpected for whom he is. With his behaviors, I was expecting him to be shot. I even felt like he deserved to be shot for not taking his life and the situation seriously. Then, right in the middle of the story, Anders got shot in the head. This was shocking for me for I was not expecting the main character to die so soon. This is also where the focus and mood shifts. Time is slowed down significantly as the narrator zooms the focus into Anders’ skull, describing the pathway of the bullet, transitioning into a memory “‘passed before his eyes’” (284). The author is very specific with the motion and position of the bullet, and each chain reaction it triggered along the way. The words created a beautiful imagery in my head, imagining “the bullet in the cerebrum set of a crackling chain of ion transports and neurotransmissions” and “the bullet was moving at nine hundred feet per second, a pathetically sluggish, glacial pace compared with the synaptic lightning that flashed around it” (284). I loved the contrast of the slowness of the bullet to synaptic transmissions, and the point focus of the bullet to the spread out web like neuro-pathways. Even though Anders’s death happened in seconds, we got to take a peak at a last and finally happy memory of his, leaving the reader with a lasting impression of “hope and talent and hope” (285).

The Third Dumpster

This is Lena Gruber.

In "The Third Dumpster," by Gish Jen, language and dialect is used carefully to help the reader better understand this Chinese-American family. The English spoken by the Chinese parents is written in italics and is not proper English. Even though the family has lived in America for 50 years, there is still the separation between Chinese and American in the generation of the parents and the children. Then there is the language in the dialogue used by both brothers that also creates a separation. Morehouse's language involves profanity in the English language and Goodwin wishes that he could be like his brother in this way but remains using proper English. This creates another separation between brothers, one that represents American, Morehouse, and the other who represents Chinese, Goodwin, in Chinese-American , both through the language they use in this short story.

"Bullet in the Brain" Response

Hi, this is Carson Patterson.
Both the mood and pacing of "Bullet in the Brain" change dramatically within the story. It starts out focusing on a man's sarcastic conversation in line at the bank, leading the reader to expect the story to be a slice of everyday life. Suddenly, robbers appear, making you anticipate a suspense story. Finally, we hear about all of the memories that do and don't flash through Anders's head as he is about to die, creating a sort of reflection on his life (explaining how he has become so disillusioned with the world) and end with a single, key scene from his childhood. The constant change of pace and subject matter surprise the reader. They could easily be annoying, but the author hooks the reader into the last two pages by promising the tell us the scene that "passed before his eyes", so that you have to keep reading.

"Bullet in the Brain" -Krista Smathers

The characterization of the protagonist, Anders, through his dialogue adds to the significance of the ironic ending.  Anders is concisely stated to be a harsh book critic, and it only takes this one line and his sarcastic dialogue to demonstrate to readers that he is someone who lives his life without taking into account the feelings of others around him.  The tone of his words lead readers to understand his personality, and in doing so make the ending more ironic.  When Anders is shot, it is not a surprise because of his earlier actions towards the woman in front of him.  However, it is surprising when the narrator tells readers that Anders experienced the cliche of having his life flash before his eyes.  There is a large amount of irony in the story: Anders hates cliches but experiences a beautiful one in his last moments, and in a more specific literary instance, when the narrator states,"But for now Anders can still make time."  Readers know that Anders has been shot shortly before this statement and really has no time at all, yet in his own mental world this memory will last forever.

Josephine Surer - Lawns

I enjoyed reading Lawns by Mona Simpson for the smooth build up to the character’s disturbing reality. With the opening sentence being “I steal.” (445) the reader automatically understands that there is more to the character’s life then she admits. When Jenny points out just how self-conscious she is around her father, the reader then catches on that her issues have a relation with her father. Her attitude with him first comes off as aggressive and cold, but when the truth is finally revealed, we sympathize and somewhat forgive Jenny. The tone of the story then shifts to a duller and lonelier tone, especially when she breaks up with Glenn. At this point, Jenny has broken with her father and Glenn and even though this should be described as a good thing, the reader only feels more remorse for Jenny. I think what made this story so striking was that it really made me understand that everyone has a story behind how they act.

Nina Godridge " Bullet in the Brain"

Hey everyone, it's Nina Godridge. Today I want to discuss " Bullet in the Brain" as I was very fascinated in this five paged short story. Told in the third person point of view, we immediately meet Anders, a man in line waiting for a teller to help with his transaction. Anders doesn't have a filter, he says what is on his mind, not really thinking of the implications until the robbers come into the bank. This moment is very sudden, as it opens up the second page of the story. This quickness in events ties very well the short length of the story. The descriptions of characters and settings are summed up in choice of detailed diction. Especially when Anders is describing the ceiling with the scene of Zeus and Europa, " To make the cow sexy, the painter had canted her hips suggestively and given her long droopy eyelashes, through which she gazed back at the bull with sultry welcome." (283) Besides that detailed description, the best part of the story was when the bullet entered through Anders' brain - the instant visions of memories intertwined with the motion of motion of the bullet passing through his brain was very interesting. I learned so much about the brain from the portrayal of that bullet entering and exiting, especially with the story of that day on the baseball field where the boy's words, " Short's the best position they is." (285). The ending lines of the story as the repeated " They is" in italics creating a fading motion to his death as he is probably lying on the bank floor, the last remaining memories fading away in his brain as it retreats into death. It's a beautiful sentiment to death with the fading cinematic affect.

"The Third Dumpster" - Shannon Walsh (Week 10)

I paid close attention to the presentation of the dialogue in this story. The dialogue is not formatted using traditional quotations, rather it is embedded within the story. "Tell me, he said patiently. Tell me- what choice do we have? Tell me" (340). "Did you really expect me to demo this place all by my friggen self? Asked Morehouse" (341). By embedding the quotes in this way, the narrator effectively speeds up the reading of the story. The absence of quotation punctuation allows the story to move more quickly from scene to scene. The dialogue of the parents in particular, is read exclusively in italics. The parents describe themselves as "Chinese, end of story" (339). "Everything take long time. Long, long time" (344). This technique effectively distances the parents from the rest of the characters in the story, as they are the only characters who receive italics in their dialogue. This distancing gives the parents a unique voice that is different from their sons', perhaps highlighting their worldly, elderly influence, or perhaps their broken English.

Orientation- Vedica Bhasin

This story connects with me at a rather personal level coming from an overwhelming population; the stereotypical organization or ‘orientation’ of the desks with a group of people cramped in in their cubicles that tend to reflect their personalities since they represent their only personal space; this organization also largely contributes to the monotony of the tone and the daily lives of the characters involved. Contrary to the tone, the somewhat unusual and intriguing personalities of the characters successfully manage to engage the reader. Interestingly, the writer only focuses on the negative or eccentric aspects of their lives which perhaps complements the gloomy and mysterious atmosphere attempted through the story while also contradicting the monotony of the environment. For instance, “ Colin Heavy brought her a drink. He hasn’t been himself since then.”, She has a tape cassette of penguin sounds which she listens to for relaxation.”