Fiction Packet Response

I was surprised, after having read several pieces, by the variety of work in this packet. I can't explain why; the amount of short stories tackling a wide variety of subjects from different angles, with different voices and tones must be innumerable. None the less I found myself thinking "I didn't expect this" and neither did I expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I want to take a look at a few of my favorite pieces.



I enjoyed Misdemeanors by Sherman Alexie mainly because it's my kind of comedy. A gruff "Old Man" tries to talk himself up about being a criminal but his wife sets the record straight. The comedy of errors sees him end up with him "barefoot, with his socks on his hands like gloves, and his pants hanging down to his knees because his pockets are full of pennies." and just a cent shy of being charged with a felony. His six months in County Jail are enough for the Old Man to believe himself an ex-con. The fanciful absurdity of the Old Man's true story and the character himself made me love Misdemeanors. Most everyone can appreciate that kind of person that will make up their own life just to seem more important.

A House of My Own by Sandra Cisneros spoke to me personally. I've always been an introvert and have sought after and cherished those places where I can truly get away and not be bothered by anything. This short passage about the search for solitude in a place to call your own is probably the short story I related to most. "Nobody to shake a stick at. Nobody's garbage to pick up after.", this line in particular reminded me of my own, somewhat selfish wish, to have no one to think about but myself.

Morning News by Jerome Stern hit me emotionally. It's a quietly powerful piece about a man who learns he's terminally ill with not much time left. He thinks how his wife must feel, what he can do with his time left and in the end the couple buys the biggest television they can find. It's a very modern, realistic look on dealing with oncoming death. I've had moments of morbid thought myself, wondering what I'd do with my time left on this Earth. As Stern writes"I should want something fantastic-a final meal atop the Eiffel Tower." He speaks then of religion "I try to imagine myself a Puritan fearful of damnation, a saint awaiting glory." I relate strongly to both those feelings, having no spiritual inclination or terribly grand desires, in life or death. Looking to the future and what I could do I, too, find myself somewhat lacking in vision and want only for the simpler pleasures my middle class life has prepared me for.