You're Ugly, Too

The plot of this short story is really slow and seems to drag out. The thing that really helps move the story along is the characters, the protagonist in particular. Zoe has many eccentricities that I don't like about her. For me, they make her less sympathetic as a character. However, her quirky sense of humor with her jokes, her situation as a single and middle aged woman, and her positive attitude through her struggles move the story along. The only action that ever takes place in the story is when Zoe is invited to go visit her sister's home in New York to go to a Halloween party. Even though Zoe's jokes carry the plot of the story, they are taken too far in the final scene of the story. When Earl, the recently divorced man that Zoe meets, makes a stab at her by saying "he shouldn't try to go out with career women" and that he would "do better with women who have part-time jobs", Zoe reacts in a rash and exaggerated manner. She shoves Earl from behind as he looks out over the balcony, and he backs away from her after being horrified. Zoe says that she is "just kidding", but I think this choice takes Zoe back to square one where she began. I feel bad for Zoe because she is alone and single, but I think that she does it to herself because of her eccentricities and strange behavior.

The Drunkard

Like Popular Mechanics, the plot of The Drunkard can be connected and tied to the experiences of the author. Growing up in Ireland, Frank O'Connor went through a similar experience during his childhood. Also, there is situational irony when the dad throws a fit when the son is drunk and making a scene. A shift and a role reversal takes place. The child acts like the adult in the situation, while the father acts like the child. There is also irony in the mother's reaction to her son's decisions made on the day of the funeral. She is happy and proud of her son for being his father's "guardian angel", even though her son is drunk and feels terrible. The mother saw his actions as taking the bullet for his father, because he knew his father's condition as an alcohol and his tendency to relapse. The father's explanation for why he drinks contains irony as well. He says that he feels embarrassed and ashamed after he has a drink, so he takes another to make himself forget. Why would he keep repeating himself and doing the same thing if it only makes him feel worse? Like the other two stories, irony is a key part that influences the overall effect and meaning of the work.

The Lottery

Similar to the story Popular Mechanics, The Lottery also has some irony incorporated through the plot and characters. When people usually hear the word "lottery", it has a positive connotation. However, in this situation, the lottery is the furthest thing from positive. Instead of longing to win and be chosen for the lottery, the lottery is avoided at all costs by the people in this situation. There is also irony in a certain character's opinions and beliefs regarding the lottery. Old Man Warner states that "there's always been a lottery" and that the village that is considering giving it up is a "pack of crazy fools". He thinks that not having a lottery would basically be uncivilized, but their tradition of stoning someone through the lottery is really uncivilized and barbaric. In addition to Old Man Warner, Mrs. Dunbar's behavior at the lottery shows irony. At first, Mrs. Dunbar is talking with Mrs. Hutchinson in a friendly manner. But as soon as Mrs. Hutchinson's name is picked for the lottery, Mrs. Dunbar quickly forgets their friendship and takes part in the ritual without even thinking twice about Mrs. Hutchinson. This shift in opinion and personality shows how the people turn on each other so quickly and easily.

Popular Mechanics

So does the child get ripped in half and die or what? I didn't like how the ending of the story just trailed off and left the reader guessing what happens. I think this short story is very ironic. The two spouses are fighting and are going through some serious turmoil, but I think that they are too focused on defeated and outscoring the other one. It's ironic that they stoop so low to fighting over their child. By doing this, they are showing their concern for themselves and self-absorption rather than concern for the well-being and happiness of the child. The parents both think that they deserve the child, but are careless while trying to get the child. I think the symbolism in the argument over the child shows the child as an object of victory and possession, rather than a human being. The circumstances of bad family life and relationships in this story can also be tied back to their author, who experienced the terror of divorce first hand during his life.

Red Ryder Nails The Hammond Kid

Plot

The plot of the story revolves around the sign "Disarm the Toy Industry" (page 473 & 475) that the main character sees. This sign makes Ralphie think back and reflect upon his childhood. The specific memory that is evoked from's Ralphie's past was a specific Christmas where all he wanted was a "Red Ryder BB gn with a special sight and a compass in the stock with a sundial" (page 486). The plot of the story moves pretty quickly from Ralphie's adult environment back to his experience as a child. The diction during the flashback is much different from the diction during the small portion of the story that is Ralphie's adulthood. The author's word choice during the beginning is more complex and modern because of the certain point in time and because of Ralphie's age. Sentences that show Ralphie's placement in time as well as his maturity include "...out-of-work seal trainers, borderline bookies, ex-Opera divas, and panhandlers trying hard to look like Madison Avenue account men just getting out of the cold for a few minutes" (page 473). Another example of maturity and knowledge embedded in the flashback is the sentence that contains "...my father had taken me and my brother out in the Graham-Paige to 'pick up a bottle of wine'" (page 489). This shows that Ralphie now knows that his father did this to hide the secret of Santa's existence from him. "Maybe that was it! My mind reeled with the realization that maybe Santa did know how rotten I had been..." (page 486). shows youth and innocence in the middle of the flashback. The progression of time during the flashback also goes by quickly. A month goes by in the flashback throughout only twenty pages.

Point of View

The story is told in first person point of view by the main character, known as Ralphie during his younger years. Ralphie gives the reader an inside view of a Christmas experience and memory from his past through the incorporation of a flashback. The context of the flashback contains both childish and innocent thoughts and word choice as well as mature and developed thoughts and word choice. Both sides of Ralphie, himself as a boy and himself as a man, are shown throughout the story. His child side is shown when all he can say while visiting Santa is "Uhh...ahhh..." and "yeah" (page 486). However, when Ralphie describes the time that he knocked out his basement window with a sled runner, he uses the phrase "...and then compounding the idiocy by denying it when all the evidence was incontrovertible". No child would speak with language that is that advanced. Also, In random spots during the flashback, the author staggers various present thoughts from the main character. While describing waiting in line to see Santa, Ralphie talks about a time when he is older. "I was well into my twenties before I finally have up on the Easter bunny,..." (page 484). The point of view is unique because it incorporates Ralph, or "Ralphie", as a whole by incorporating various parts of his life.

Setting

There are multiple settings in this story. The first setting is Ralph sitting and eating in an H & H at a table with an older lady. The beginning of the story takes place in Mahattan. The interaction and conversation between these two leads into the flashback of Ralph's particular Christmas during his childhood. The setting changes during Ralph's flashback. As he goes back in time, Ralph goes back to his hometown in Indiana. The settings during this flashback in Indiana get even more specific. These include Ralphie's house (i.e. "living room", "bedroom", "kitchen") <>, the school ("Warren G. Harding School") <>, and "Goldblatt's" <>, the toystore where Ralphie visits Santa. Even though the flashback and the present part of the story are in different parts of the country, they both take place during the Christmas and winter season. The setting is important because Ralph's environment and surroundings in Manhattan on that particular day bring him back to a similar environment in the past during his life.

Characterization

The author uses the method of indirect characterization in this short story. The characters through their actions and reactions to certain events. Characteristics of the main character, Ralphie, are also shown through Ralphie's interactions and conversations with other minor characters that surround him. Ralphie's inner thoughts that are stated in the text allow the reader to understand Ralphie's true characteristics and qualities. Ralphie's two different character forms, his adult life and his childhood, are both displayed through these inner thoughts incorporated in the story. For example, Ralphie is visiting Santa in the toystore during the flashback, but the author adds in a thought from Ralphie looking back on the experience from the present. He states, "Even now there are times when I'm not so sure about the stork" (page 484). These types of quotes show that Ralphie has grown up and now looks back on the memory. Another example of this during Ralphie's youth when the author adds the internal thought "(A lie)" in between the sentences "Even though Flick is getting one" and "I guess...I guess...I sure would like a Sandy Andy, I guess" (page 480). These quotes show how Ralphie was persistent about his dream of a BB gun. They show how clever and witty Ralphie was as a kid to get what he wanted for Christmas that year.

Theme

I think that there are a few themes that can be applied to this story. One theme that I thought of is the universal joy of Christmas and the timeless memories that come with it. Even as a man who has grown up, Ralphie still can call to mind "...another Christmas, in another time, in another place, and a gun" (page 475). In an instant, his mind can be taken back to a happy time during his life that revolved around the memory of Christmas. Another theme that could be applied to this story is the innocence of childhood. Throughout the flashback, Ralphie references the classic childhood experience Christmas. These include visiting Santa, wishing for that one particular gift that we can't live without, and buying and wrapping presents for our families. The two themes of unforgettable childhood memories and the joyful season of Christmas create an enjoyable and lighthearted story that makes me ready for Christmas :)

Eveline

I thought that the story of Eveline was somewhat ironic and sad. Since the author James Joyce is from Dublin, Ireland, I think that Eveline's story can be connected to the struggle that many women experienced in Ireland during the time of the author. Even though Eveline is not happy at home because she deals with her abusive dad, she still has trouble deciding whether or not to leave. Her lover Frank, a sailor, wants her to marry him and move with him to Buenos Aires. Frank has done everything for her and has treated her well, yet she gets cold feet at the dock when they get ready to leave for their new life. Even though good times with her father occured less than the bad times, Eveline cannot stop thinking about the positive memories of her father. Also, I think Eveline feels tied down to her home and to her father because of her promise to her mom before her death. Personally, I feel bad for Frank in this situation. He has done everything right in their relationship, but he ends up getting the short end of the stick when Eveline leaves him at the dock for Buenos Aires. I think that this story is about seeing the difference between recognizing the need for change and actually making it happen as well as the comfort and connection to one's home.

A Worn Path

This story really confused me, because I couldn't figure out the point. I was also confused about the main character, an old lady Phoenix Jackson. During our small group discussion today, we couldn't figure out if Phoenix was blind or if her eyesight was failing. We picked up on small details such as her cane "tapping on the earth", her wavering balance, and her hearing everything around her. We also discussed the relevence and importance of Phoenix's grandson in the story. We thought that he could maybe be dead and she could possibly be going insane. We had a theory that she went to get the pills for her grandson so that she could take them. We got the idea that she had some mental issues when she talked to the animals and the scarecrow on the way into town. However, we also thought that her grandson could really be alive and the story could be centered around dedication, sacrifice, and love. Even though Phoenix is old and faces her own problems, she sacrifices her time and puts her grandson's needs before her own. She is willing to make the long journey, steal a nickel, and buy a windmill all for her grandson.