John Steinbeck's "Flight"

John Steinbeck’s Flight was taxing for me to read. I can detect his use of locale and storytelling ability within it; however, I believe the length and drama it took to tell the story made it tiring for me. I am not a fan of western movies or dramas and that is the sense of the story I obtained from its reading. There was not much action and the end seemed inevitable.

The family is described as disadvantaged, but the mother a strong figure. To have raised three boys on her own for the past ten years and maintain the small farm would necessitate a tough female; however, I would wonder what caused the laziness and immaturity described in Pepe. The boys must have had different fathers in the way in which Steinbeck described them: the two small ones as blacks but no race given for Pepe. I would have liked to have understood a little more about the family or if any of this information had any significance on the story. The story’s direction leads the reader through the necessary maturation of Pepe: as demanded by an unfortunate incident.

Other than the need for medicine, I did not feel the story revealed to the reader the mother’s reason for sending Pepe alone to Monterey, evidently something he had never done before. He quickly gains confidence in his newfound responsibility stating “You may send me often alone. I am a man.” Mama seemed to have her concerns but sent him on his errand with thorough instructions. She felt sure he would be safe at the home of Mrs. Rodriguez even though there must have been expectation of drinking wine as this was the first thing she asked when she realized there was a problem with his being home unexpected. Maybe she thought whatever experience he would have encountered at that home would have led him into his manhood.

I understand his need to run but I never understood what he was running towards. I didn’t understand what haven he was trying to find; if he was running from the law or someone connected to the man he knifed. The escape was very prolonged, but descriptive. I found it ironic he suffered as he did when if he had not run, if death had come upon him in another manner, it might have been quicker, but maybe not as courageous. It seemed inevitable he was not going to survive.

It was a sad story from a parental point of view. I cannot imagine sending my child off knowing she was being hunted and never to return, possibly not ever knowing of her plight. Again, ironic the item the father left for Pepe, possibly to protect him through life, caused his demise leading to his untimely death.

Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes is lauded as a diverse author of various literary styles. He was successful as a poet, lyricist, and journalist, to name a few. Even though he had performed medial jobs as a young man, he experienced accomplishment in his later years. I would imagine his exposure to the world, its people and their different cultures would have added to his content and subject material.

As I read his poetry, which I was able to understand somewhat better than previous poets, I could detect some of his lyrical writing ability. I sensed the pulse and rhyme in the lines as I read and could envision them being sung or recited in a musical manner. He did speak often of “the blues” and dreams gone astray.

I particularly found the story “On the Road” interesting. I was saddened to read of the reverend closing the door on Sargeant and refusing to help him. If anyone should be willing to help a needy individual, it should be the clergy. However, my interpretation of the event as it develops in the story is a depiction of the church and how it treats society. As Sargeant approached the church, the building, my first thought was it was there as a sanctuary for him, illustrated as a beautiful white solid place. The structure of the church would have provided him warm shelter from the elements of nature. But as he tried to enter, the doors were locked which unfortunately seems to represent the hearts of the many church people. As the church people saw him trying to enter the building, they became enraged and assaulted him, stating “A big black unemployed Negro holding onto our church! The idea!” What better thing for a person to hold onto in his time of need. Again, I believe this represents much of our society today. If anyone different tries to enter our comfort zones, we turn them away.

However, I was delighted as I read of Christ walking away with him from the rubble. I loved this part of the story. I think the story could be used as a sermon in many of our churches today to help us remember first how we treat others, and second, how Jesus is always with us, ready to help in our times of need. I thought it was interesting Christ’s praise of Sargeant releasing him from the cross and how the church has kept him there for the past two thousand years. It is what many of us Christians do. We learn about Him and say we live for him, but do we really ever let him into our heart and live among us? We don’t reach to help others as He did and still does. It doesn’t matter to Him race or any difference among us; we are all His and should love and care for each other.

The ending of the story was very disturbing for me. I hope when Hughes writes Sargeant’s line of “I wonder where Christ has gone?” that he is not asking from himself, as if he felt like Jesus wasn’t there for him. Even though Sargeant never really got away from the crowd, it seems Jesus was able to comfort him through the experience and take away some of the pain and humility brought on by the people.

Ernest Hemingway's "The Short Life of Francis Macomber"

Hemingway presents a modernized cultured story in “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”. The language and even some of the content has become more socialistic in our readings. I was little taken aback with the foul language he used in his writing, even though today’s novels are filled with it. I wasn’t expecting it from Ernest Hemingway and in this time period.

I found his biography to describe Hemingway and his writing of this story to a tee. Learning the rituals of hunting from his father, I felt he included this in his writing as Wilson, the safari leader, stated “he had his own standards about the killing”. He included much information about the kills and the way in which they were orchestrated. Only someone who knew about such things would be able to write so vividly.

I also found in the story his primary concern being of an individual’s “moment of truth”. I felt he illustrated this clearly as Macomber’s fear of the animal, the hunt and kill disappeared as he shot the buffalo. He almost immediately became a new man, mature and self confident; traits he had not possessed before the kill. Interesting also was the use of the buffalo and the charge as the scene in which Macomber would lose his life with the notion of the “moment of truth” deriving from bullfighting, something very similar to the charge of the buffalo. I feel this turn of events in his life was initiated by the infidelity of his wife. The embarrassment from the day before with the lion had been huge, but to face the indiscretion between his wife and Wilson because of his cowardness pushed him to his limits.

Macomber’s wife, the Memsahib, reminds me of William Howells’ character, Editha. Editha required of her fiancé going to war and coming back a hero to prove his love for her. Margaret was requiring courage of her husband. What an unfortunate basis for a relationship! Edith was prepared to walk away from the relationship if George was not willing to enlist and Margaret punished Francis by her involvement with the leader of the hunt, someone who was able to display the courage she found exciting and necessary in a man.

I thought the title of this story was fitting. Francis seemed to have never truly lived until the kill and the surge of excitement and exhilaration he felt. At once, he seemed to experience a rebirth and to truly feel the anticipation of living. It makes me think of people who do hazardous jobs or participate in dangerous hobbies who would rather die happy doing what they love than to live a safe, boring life. Francis had finally found his courage and at last felt like a man. He was ready to take on the buffalo, his wife, and the world. The shortness of this happy life presented the irony in the story. Whether his wife meant to shoot him or not was left to question, the story was clear in the fear she was feeling at the resurrection of her husband. I feel sure she felt he would not tolerate her lifestyle upon return from the safari. Taking this moment to solidify her future, financially and socially, she took it by attempting to save his life.

William Faulkner's "That Evening Sun"

William Faulkner’s “dislocation of narrative time and his use of stream-of-consciousness techniques” are definitely evident in “That Evening Sun”. In my opinion, the storyline jumps from scene to scene and the use of stream-of-conscious is especially evident in Jason and Caddy. Jason interjects random thoughts spontaneously. I had a difficult time following and understanding what his comments meant at certain points in the story. Nancy’s thoughts are also presented quite erratically as if she was not a good state of mind. It seems possible she could be dealing with some type of mental disorder as she unsuccessfully and then talks again of committing suicide.

Nancy’s life depicts the type of lives many Negro women endured during this time period. With few employment opportunities for black women, they simply had to support themselves in whatever manner they found available. Faulkner alludes to the idea she may be participating in prostitution; a reason her husband Jesus would have to not be pleased. It is disturbing the physical way in which she was treated, being assaulted by Mr. Stovall, then being beaten by the jailor. Then Faulkner contrasts this to the treatment by Jason, the father. He seems to be overly protective and concerned for her welfare. At one point, I had to wonder if he was possibly having some sort of relationship with her. He was willing to upset his wife in order to attend to Nancy’s needs.

I was surprised the exposure the children of the home had to the “negros”. They were exposed to quite a bit of black culture and adult conversation which they questioned of things they did not understand. Their questions did not seem to ever be answered though; they just normally led to some out of context comment from Jason. Normally, the children were not allowed to spend much time with the “hired help” especially those of a different race.

I either totally misunderstood the end of the story or it ended quite abruptly. The only thought I had to explain it was how quickly they could have dismissed Nancy from their minds and lives if she were to follow through with her threat to commit suicide.

Susan Glaspell's "Trifles"

I can’t say I enjoyed reading “Trifles” because of the story theme, but I was enthralled as I tried to unravel the mystery, one of my favorite types of readings. The theme developed as a heartbreaking theme as what one would assume was the harsh life of this young woman led her to such a violent act as murder. Though it is never confirmed she actually murdered her husband, the discoveries of the two women in the kitchen leads one to understand the motive. It is interesting the conversation of the men versus the conversations of the women. The men are confident they will find what they searching for by simply looking for evidence while the conversation of the women and their “trifleness” reveal more of the plot and evidence than the men are able to discover.

It seems fitting for the women to realize the unhappy life Mrs. Wright led but not to have addressed it. Many domestic situations occur with friends or family members believing things are amiss but feeling they should not get involved or interfere. One of the women goes so far as to make excuses for her reasons of not visiting as if that might have changed the circumstances. They realized Mr. Wright was a rough man and had witnessed the change in Mrs. Wright from her disposition as a young girl who used to enjoy singing in the choir. As they talk and discover the dead bird, they realize the situation and how the death of the birth resembles the murder of Mr. Wright. They quickly become flustered and begin wondering how to handle the situation. I think the women know even before the County Attorney made his comment “you know juries when it comes to women” that if there was any kind of motive found, regardless of its cause, Mrs. Wright would be found guilty. It was interesting as the women struggled between right and wrong knowing they should reveal the information they found but understanding the feelings and torment Mrs. Wright must have been experiencing.

I think the title of the play comes from the minimal attention the men gave to the women and their observations. However, if they had realized, the women with their trifle comments were able to discover the truth. Women are commonly accused of being trifle; worrying about what the men do not perceive to be important, their appearances, the condition of the house, etc. However, as in cooking when spices are added to a simple piece of meat, it makes a huge difference in the tastiness of the meal. That is what women's "trifleness" does: it adds flavor to our lives. While it may seem insignficant to men, they enjoy the spices and flavors of life that women add to it.

Frost's Poetry

Mr. Frost writes as someone truly interested and enthralled by nature. His biography writes he had “little faith in religious dogma”; how sad that a man who has so much respect for nature doesn’t realize it is God who gave him his subject matter. With his love for nature; however, he seems like a person I would like to spend some time with. Sitting on my front porch and watching the trees sway in the wind or experiencing a summer thunderstorm are two of my relaxing pastimes (which are few and far between). I also love the appearance of a “winter wonderland” as the snow falls in the winter and the next day when everything sparkles in the morning light. Frost also would be a man who could teach lessons in perseverance. Most people would have given up after devoting more than sixty years to a profession that did not seem to be successful.

One of his poems that caught my attention, not so much from enjoyment but compassion, was "Home Burial". I wonder if any of this came from the experience of losing his first son. The pain and grief the mother was feeling seemed to be beyond relief. The loss a mother feels seems to be so much stronger than others when a child dies. She seems to have focused her pain on the fact that the father didn’t seem to feel the same degree of pain she did. It sounds as if he is talking at times about the relationship between a man and woman and how he can’t seem to please her. I would like to know who he thinks she is going to visit as she tries to leave. It is a sad enactment of interaction between parents who have lost a child. Divorce is currently a common result after a couple loses a child.

"The Road Not Taken" is also another poem catching my attention. I love the visual the poem allows by talking of the two roads forking and heading in different directions. I think Frost is talking about the many times in life we have to make a decision about which direction to go and the many choices life will bring. I can understand his sorrow at not being able to follow both. Sometimes it is hard to understand why we can’t pursue more than one interest. Many of us take the traveled road because it is what others expect of us. Frost seems to suggest that taking the road less traveled can make a huge difference in the end.

The poem "Birches" provides a youthful view of the boy climbing and swinging in the tree and also just of the tree itself. I think Frost might be comparing the tree to our lives; how some days we swing and sway and other days we are bent to the ground. As the boy learns to climb the tree successfully, we learn to approach life.

Willa Cather

Even though I enjoy reading of different lifestyles, I tend to get the most out of stories that deal with normal everyday people, their lives, and their plights. Willa Cather is known to be this kind of author.

In both stories, A Wagner Matinee and Paul’s Case, the story line was interesting; portrayals of people living lives that were not presenting them with the most satisfaction. The difference in the two is how each handled their desires.
Aunt Georgiana had made a decision earlier in life to marry which involved giving up her love for music. She had chosen this path and managed by avoiding situations which tempted her to miss her love and long for it. As long as she put it out of her mind, she was able to adjust. Cather’s physical description of her upon arrival in town painted a picture of what her daily might be, very tiresome and unfulfilling. I wonder if the sickness she had felt was simply from the train ride or from the dread of having to face the city and the memories of the life she used to live. It was intriguing to see her come to life again at the concert, but one would wonder how she would handle these feelings when the time came to return home and possibly never be able to experience such fulfillment again. I though it interesting that she questioned Clark as to whether he had been experiencing this type of performance since he had left them. It seems she had been able to handle her life at home as long as she didn’t think about what she was missing and others were enjoying.

Paul was a different kind of character. He was intent on living the type of life he thought he deserved. His longings led him to a lifestyle of deceit and abomination. His desires had become like a drug for him; intoxicating him and then leaving him depressed as he had to return to “his life”. His bodily appearance even presented itself as someone who might be under the influence: twitching, raising his eyebrows, and nervous trembling as he fingered the buttons on his overcoat with occasional jerking. I think his physical description again illustrated his lifestyle; after falling asleep in class; his teacher described his face as wrinkled like an old man’s about the eyes and his coloring as a white, blue-veined face. He seemed to be physically and emotionally drained from trying to live the two lives intermingled. I was enthralled as I read this story but did wonder how it was met by critics and the public of the time. Even though people had types of mental illnesses and personality disorders then, not much was known about them. But today, Paul would seem as just another disturbed youth trying to find his niche in life. I was surprised to the extent Cather took his infatuation to allow him to commit suicide rather than return to his life.

Paul was a sad character for me. Being an employee of the school system, it frightens me to think of children who may be dealing with issues such as Paul’s. I hope I would be able to recognize the signs of such distress and be able to offer some encouragement and assistance. We tend to look at some students in the way the administration did in Paul’s case as just behavior problems when there could be an array of issues a child may be dealing with, sometimes physically and emotionally, and out of their control.