Sarcasm at Its Best - Short Story Blog 4 (You're Ugly, Too)

" 'I knew a dog who could do that,' said Zoe, with her mouth full."

~ Lorrie Moore, You're Ugly, Too


First of all, I would just like to say that I have used this joke twice since I read this story. And that dry humor is probably my favorite. I enjoyed Zoe's sense of humor and sarcasm throughout the story. I think the reasons for her jokes is really depressing though - she's so insecure about herself that she pushes people away before she can screw it up herself. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's entertaining, but just a little sad. Her rough exterior is completely different from her fragile self-image which could shatter at any given moment. It's a little ridiculous that she would even think other people care about her appearances at all - once someone's horrible personality is revealed, looks are kind of out of the question. It makes you think about how her insecurities are completely deluding her perception of how people receive her humor.

I Know Who I Want to Take Me Home - Short Story Blog 3 (The Drunkard)

" 'Whisht, whisht, whisht, I tell you!' snarled Father, abandoning all pretence of amusement and dragging me along behind him by the hand. I was maddened by the women's shrieks of laughter. I was maddened by Father's bullying. I tried to dig in my heels but he was too powerful for me, and I could only see the women by looking back over my shoulder."

~ Frank O'Connor, The Drunkard

I really enjoyed this story. It was really funny imagining a twelve-year old drunk, because that's like my little brother.


                                                             He's right there --------------->

And if he got my mom's genes, he would be hammered off of a half glass of wine. Hehehehe.

It's also funny to imagine the twelve year old cursing at a bunch of women in his drunken stupor. And being dragged home by his dad. And the mother praising him the next morning. It was just a bunch of events all piled up into one story that was so wrong and funny at the same time. It made me giggle.

Well here's a song that I thought of when I thought of bars.

Cut It in Half / Style - Short Story Blog 2 (Popular Mechanics)

"In this manner, the issue was decided."

~ Raymond Carver, Popular Mechanics


Style is the focus of Popular Mechanics, so I guess we will start there. The biggest thing that I see is the ending. So the couple is fighting over the baby, and it actually gets physical, so the author describes the two as leaning back while both holding on to the baby. The story ends with the sentence, "in this manner, the issue was decided." So the major stylistic thing is the possibilities of the open ending.

I think that the most reasonable ending is that the baby was injured - from prior events, that seems most likely. But then there are all the possibilities of who gets the baby. That was the question throughout the story. The last sentence says that the matter was decided, but it doesn't actually tell what that resolution was.... so we are left hanging. Did one parent get custody? Did neither parent get the baby (were the injuries so bad that the baby was taken away or suffered death)? Did the couple get back together? WHO KNOWS? I wish this story was as straightforward as its biblical counterpart, the story of Solomon. My best guess is that, because neither parent let go, neither parent loved the baby enough to let it live, so neither parent got the baby. That's how I see it, especially if we are going off the Solomon story.

The Caveman Effect / Point of View - Short Story Blog 1 (Week 5 I think. Don't quote me.) (The Lottery)

" 'It isn't fair, it isn't right,' Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her."

~ Shirley Jackson, The Lottery


Talk about a surprise ending. Being stoned to death was the last thing I was expecting to be the "prize" of the lottery. This story actually raised more questions than it answered for me though - why did someone have to be killed every year? Why stone them? When was the tradition established? Why was the tradition established? How are things "not as they used to be?" I don't know. I'm just really intrigued right now.

So this story focuses on point of view. It is in third person, so we see the actions of all the village people. I think this helps the story because it gives different perspectives and opinions of the ritual. Mr. Summers thinks it's necessary, Warner thinks it's evolved into something different, worse than it used to be, and Mrs. Hutchinson thinks that it is unjust and brutal (whether that is because she is morally sound or the victim, I am not sure).

This story reminded me of Lord of the Flies. I think it's all that primitivistic stuff - the rituals and brutality of people.