What is a Short Story?

            The definition of a short story is as strict or loose as each individual author wants it to be. There are some aspects of a short story that apply to each and every short story, while there are other aspects that can vary greatly from each story. And of this definition alone we see that a short story is always unique.

            Expanding on the idea of uniqueness: a story can be told twice, re-telling the exact same events. But when told from a different perspective, it brings about a whole new light in how the events are viewed. That evil guy trying to destroy the world? Turns out that from his perspective, he is simply trying to preserve his hometown from all the changes it is under-going. This might be a big of an extreme case, but the point is that any story can be completely different from another, with the same characters and events, if it is simply told from a different perspective.

            Perspective can also be switched not from character to character, but from first person to third person, and even to third person omniscient. All different types of narration can drastically change how a story is perceived. In first person narration, the reader is stuck with one character’s point of view. This is not necessarily a good or bad thing, it is simply the author’s choice. In the third person, the reader reads the story from the point of view of someone who is detached from the events. In omniscient narration, the reader is detached again, but the nature of the narration allows the reader to be all-knowing.

            Some aspects of short stories are always the same. Characterization, setting, plot (Freytag’s triangle) are examples of these. Characterization is simply how the author of the story chooses to portray the characters in the story. This controls how the reader interacts with the character; the author is usually aiming to create a certain emotion between the reader and any given character.  Without characterization the reader cannot connect with the characters in any significant way. Setting is another aspect that exists in every short story; a simple time and place gives great significance. For example, Lord of the Rings would not be Lord of the Rings if it were not set in Middle Earth. You simply couldn’t have the same story set in 2200 A.D. in Japan for obvious reasons.

The plot of a story is arguably what makes stories unique from one another, though in reality it’s a combination of each element of the story. The plot, which includes its characters and setting, can almost always be mapped to Freytag’s Triangle from the exposition, to the rising action, point(s) of conflict, more rising action, a climax, falling action and a resolution. The combination of all of this truly gives a story its uniqueness, separating itself apart from other stories simply by the meat of the story; what is actually happening?

But there are so many elements of a story that don’t necessarily have to exist to qualify as a short story. Morals are usually considered when a story comes to an end, teaching an important “life lesson” to the reader. Several of the stories we read for this class did not have a moral, or if it did it was not exactly clear-cut. We can also learn other things from stories. For example, a detailing of how a character explored the remains of the Titanic – this teaches the reader, if on a very shallow level, how ocean exploration works. Subplots are another aspect of short stories which don’t necessarily have to exist for the progression of the short story, but they provide another aspect or view on the story, perhaps even told from a different perspective!

There are also several types of short stories that can alter how the short story is defined. While a memoir of events is usually thought to be long, we can see from In the Loyal Mountains by Rick Bass that it can also be a short story! This is a re-telling of events from the protagonists point of view, a personal account. Although it is a fictional memoir, it is still a memoir of the protagonist detailing a very specific time in his life.

A short story can have so many different definitions, it is extremely difficult to tack just one onto it. What we can say, however, is that the decisions are entirely up to the author in how they choose to portray their short story. There is an understanding that the reader needs to be able to make a quick connection (because they are generally so short) and be able to understand the events and the characters.

Tiphanie Yanique

                Each of the three stories had something in common within their plot; they all dealt with relationships. Each of these included a relationship between a man and woman (boy and girl), but there were other important relationships in each story, such as that between Deirdre and Violet in The Saving Work, the protagonist and his father in Canoe Sickness, or Mason and his heritage in Where Tourists Don’t Go.

                In The Saving Work, the relationship between Thomas and Jasmine was very troubling to me. Thomas was absolutely enamored with Jasmine but had trouble showing his affection, a huge mistake on his part. And on top of that, Jasmine was a sweet, innocent, virgin girl that he has known for so long; he just wasn’t sure how to approach the situation. As soon as they get comfortable in bed, however, there is an extremely awkward moment between two friends who should’ve stayed friends, but got too close. Jasmine sees the power she holds over a man and it takes over her; she didn’t realize it was so simple and easy! She also didn’t realize one other important factor: she liked it. This changed her character dramatically and made her very easy, in my opinion, to hate. Not only did she have sex with Moby, she carried his child and pushed it onto Thomas, followed by getting married to him. This is a clear display of manipulation that is so cruel and unjust, not capable of a typical person.

                Deirdre’s place in the story is a bit confusing, but it is clear that she has a direct conflict with Violet. What is unclear is whether or not she caused the fire, and if she did, is her son’s marriage to Violet’s oldest daughter the reason she started it?

                The protagonist’s relationship with his father in Canoe Sickness interested me the most. On talking about how his father found out about his morning runs, “He knew discipline. Going to graduate school, working full time. Often, he wasn’t home for dinner. Sometimes when I came back from running, the sweat cold on my neck, he’d be in the living room on the couch. His body deep into the creases, the couch sinking into the floorboards. His shoulders and head leaning into a textbook.” (p 62). There is a clear mutual respect between the protagonist and his father. They both know what it means to be disciplined, something I can also relate to and leads me to also respect the two also. While the protagonist sees his father put the family on his shoulders metaphorically, he chases after his goals, both literally and metaphorically. There is a moment of conflict when his girlfriend mentions that his father may have a woman on the side, and is the real cause for his late nights out. This moment of distrust leads him to sneak into his parents’ bedroom, to watch them in their “natural state.” He saw what he was doing was wrong, and left their room embarrassed as his father watched. But he got over his conflict; he feared his father was less than perfect but he proved it to be a false fear and thus his respect for his father was maintained.

We Shall Remain

                The video sends a strong message about Indians vs. Europeans, dating back Europeans’ initial colonization of the Americas. There is a strong resentment of Europeans by Native Americans that has existed during this period of time, and is likely to persist for centuries to come. And they reserve the right to resent them, as they were tricked into believing that Europeans were their friends, only to soon realize that they were there to take their land. While I could argue all day about who is right and who is wrong, citing history to support an argument, this isn’t a history paper so I’ll stay away from that. What we can agree on is that the past is over, and now Native American’s must learn to live with “immigrants” and vice versa.

                The name given to the holiday, Thanksgiving, can be seen as an offer of peace. And while the feast was very peaceful, it drew the Indians off guard; that may have been the Europeans’ intention, but it is tough to say. What we can say is that each tribe was treated so cruelly and this treatment was unwarranted; if anything the treatment should’ve been reversed as the Europeans invaded their native land. We Shall Remain is a strong title because it shows that Native Americans understand they belong here, not the Europeans. This is there land and they refuse to give it up and go away.

Hit Record Post

Click here for my Hit Record contribution.

Response to Theme: David McGlynn

            One theme I noticed through David McGlynn’s short stories is that people who associate with a faith or religion strongly are still prone to slip up, a sin as its usually called. Commonly this sin was sexual in nature, such as adultery or pre-marital sex. This also brings about the fact that humans are sexual in nature; sex is a need that must be satisfied. The characters that commit these sins are disgusted with themselves and what they’ve done, but some still find the need to continue, such as Lee in Sweet Texas Angel.

            Jonah in Seventeen One-Hundreths of a Second is a clear example of someone who represses his sexual urges, probably due to his religion although he may not want to admit it. But each and every time he sees Abby, these urges get the best of him. His late best friend’s wife should be off limits, as it would be to most people. But secretly he was always in love with her and only her, and during the course of this story was his first real chance to be with her. He strayed off the path that he was supposed to follow as a Christian. As he describes in the beginning, I think it is possible that seeing Abby naked when he was younger may have led to the development of these feelings over time. When they eventually do have the sex that he clearly desired, he was a bit timid at first. But immediately after, he revealed a secret about Charlie that he knew she would be disgusted by, his lust for other women. He may have thought it would bring them closer together because they already had sex, but it seemed as if he weren’t in a healthy state of mind to say what he said. It was almost as if sex corrupted him.

            In Sweet Texas Angel, Kay’s sexual adventures with random men portray this need to fulfill sexual desires. However, Kay does not seem to be religious in nature and therefore has no moral qualms in doing so. However, when she begins sleeping with Lee, he realizes what he is doing is wrong, more-so because its with his blind wife’s caregiver with whom the family has spent the past fifteen years with. But under the assumption that there is sexual frustration boiling within Lee, which would probably be due Cory’s blindness and tumor, he does what he feels he needs to do. Kay fits what he is looking for: someone who he has known for a very long time, and he likely has lusted for her from the very beginning. Now, while there is a lack of sex, the beast within Lee emerges and he feels the need to commit adulterous acts not because he hates his wife, but because it takes over him. Sex, after all, is a need that, when presented, must be satisfied. And who better than someone he has known for so long, and possibly even loves?

Remember Love

Remember Love

Jody Lisberger

            The three stories we read by Jody Lisberger have a common theme amongst them: suspense. Each story left the reader asking questions from the very beginning, and even as the stories progressed the questions either weren’t answered or were given very vague answers. I had trouble appreciating these stories, however, because the use of suspense left me more confused than “on the edge of my seat” which I think may have been the objective of the author.

            In the first story, Crucible, I had read The Crucible in high school at a similar age as the protagonist’s daughter, so I had a good idea of what it was about. Eventually I got the idea that Sheila was also having an affair, and she must have felt very guilty because of the character her daughter was portraying in the play was, in some ways, similar to her. The idea of this scared her and was a useful device in delaying the answers that the reader desperately craved, a key plot device needed in a suspenseful story. I was still left confused about how the protagonist planned to proceed with her husband; she didn’t appear to have a definite plan.

            In the second story, Bush Beating, the title was very fitting for the actions of the main character Philip, but also fit the theme of suspense. It was again very difficult to tell exactly what happened in the story; even when Philip revealed his recollection of the events he left out important details that the reader should probably know. Telling the story from the perspective of a mother questioning her adolescent son helped Lisberger in developing suspense for the story; it is only natural that a 13-year-old kid wouldn’t want to tell her mom all sorts of things, especially when it involves sex and potential rape. I had difficulty understanding whether or not the “sex” (if we could even call it that. I felt a little bad for Philip) was consensual, although it certainly sounds like it was forced by the way Megan ran away screaming and cursing at the boys. Philip sounds like a boy who has a lot of growing up to do, but exactly what happened that day will forever be a mystery.

            In the final story, In the Mercy of Water, the protagonist takes her sweet time in revealing her sexuality to the reader which is really an important part of the story, and even when it is revealed it is not said so in a direct way; the reader must infer it on their own. Annabel was a character whose sole purpose is to be suspenseful. Actually she is quite a tease; she knows Billy is interested in her and in some ways leads him on. But this is more so a tease to Kate, who feels that there is a serious connection between the two of them. Eventually, or so I think, Kate gets the happy ending with Annabel that she desires, but the character than Annabel is tells me that she is her own person and would have no trouble ditching Kate if something or someone better came up.