"Five Signs of Disturbance is the final "story" in Davis's collection "Break it Down". Similar to other stories in the collection, there is an unnamed narrator and the only character is a "she". Here the "she" is another eccentric type who is easily entranced by inanimate objects. The following is my commentary on Davis's "Five Signs of Disturbance".
I have come to understand that Davis's stories rarely possess a plot. The focus, more often than not, is on character psychology. The narrator usually has unfettered access to characters' minds and uses this power without limit. Language is another central concern of Davis. She likes experimenting with language, testing the meanings of words and creating humorous moments. While I believe it is still somewhat valuable, focusing on narrative in Davis's works misses the point that Davis is more concerned with other things.
In "Five Signs of Disturbance", the main character "she" is sensitive and analytical. Because she is isolated, every little stimuli has a disproportionate effect on her. For example ads involving old people or children tend to make her cry. She is unable to compartmentalize. However I am going to assume that "she" is a very intelligent person or at least very self-aware. At one point the narrator even says that her smartness has counted less and less over the years. This thought belongs to the character and is presented as an objective thought.
There are images in the story alternating with the internal and external descriptions of the character. These images are sometimes separate from the character's experience and sometimes they are part of it. The title of the story refers to five specific stimuli that "she" identifies as particularly disturbing. This speaks to the character's analytical personality. With all the sources of meaning in her life, she still feels compelled to mark some as uniquely disturbing. Perhaps this character was an accountant or a lawyer in a previous life.
If I were to associate this story with one specific idea, I would choose the human tendency to create meaning everywhere. It's human nature to attach meaning to objects based on all sorts of criteria. Often this behavior is more problematic than useful. The characters in Davis's stories can attest to this. The more I read Davis, the more I think of her as a philosopher parading as a fiction writer.
Check out my other posts on the stories "Therapy" and "Break it Down". I am too far down the Lydia Davis rabbit hole to spot now so expect posts on her later works in the future.
I have come to understand that Davis's stories rarely possess a plot. The focus, more often than not, is on character psychology. The narrator usually has unfettered access to characters' minds and uses this power without limit. Language is another central concern of Davis. She likes experimenting with language, testing the meanings of words and creating humorous moments. While I believe it is still somewhat valuable, focusing on narrative in Davis's works misses the point that Davis is more concerned with other things.In "Five Signs of Disturbance", the main character "she" is sensitive and analytical. Because she is isolated, every little stimuli has a disproportionate effect on her. For example ads involving old people or children tend to make her cry. She is unable to compartmentalize. However I am going to assume that "she" is a very intelligent person or at least very self-aware. At one point the narrator even says that her smartness has counted less and less over the years. This thought belongs to the character and is presented as an objective thought.
There are images in the story alternating with the internal and external descriptions of the character. These images are sometimes separate from the character's experience and sometimes they are part of it. The title of the story refers to five specific stimuli that "she" identifies as particularly disturbing. This speaks to the character's analytical personality. With all the sources of meaning in her life, she still feels compelled to mark some as uniquely disturbing. Perhaps this character was an accountant or a lawyer in a previous life.
If I were to associate this story with one specific idea, I would choose the human tendency to create meaning everywhere. It's human nature to attach meaning to objects based on all sorts of criteria. Often this behavior is more problematic than useful. The characters in Davis's stories can attest to this. The more I read Davis, the more I think of her as a philosopher parading as a fiction writer.
Check out my other posts on the stories "Therapy" and "Break it Down". I am too far down the Lydia Davis rabbit hole to spot now so expect posts on her later works in the future.
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