Axis

Alice Munro's story "Axis" has appeared in The New Yorker and was published in the 2012 edition of The Best American Short Stories. What follows is my attempt to summarize the story's plot and provide some insight into the story's meaning.

Summary

"Axis" is about Grace and Avie, two young women attending the same college. Grace has a boyfriend named Royce who visits Grace on her parents' farm. Royce eats dinner with Grace's family and then the couple goes for a walk. The two devise a plan to have sex while Grace's family is away the following day. But as Grace and Royce are about the have sex, Grace's mother barges in on them, causing Royce to leave in a hurry. Royce hitchhikes to an area called the Niagara Escarpment and he realizes that Geography is his true calling.

The story now switches gears to Avie who ends up marrying her boyfriend Hugo and having six children. Hugo works as a teacher while Avie spends most of her time reading and taking care of her children. On a train to visit one of her daughters, Avie runs into Royce who is now a retired geology teacher. Royce tells Avie about the Frontenac Axis, a natural phenomena viewable from the train. Avie thanks Royce who falls asleep.

The story now switches gears to the last time Avie remembers hearing from Grace. Avie has reason to believe that Grace is unwell but she is too busy to visit her. Avie asks Royce if he has heard from Grace but Royce says "no".

Analysis

"They understood - everybody understood - that having any sort of job after graduation would be a defeat. Like the sorority girls, they were enrolled here to find somebody to marry. First a boyfriend, then a husband. It wasn't spoken of in those terms, but there you were."

The most impressive thing about this story, in my opinion, is the amount of realistic detail given to the characters. In sixteen pages the story tells Avie's entire life story and does virtually the same thing for Grace. There is so much meaning in the characters' small gestures. The effect is that you (the reader) feel for the characters because they are vulnerable and human. As a writer I understand the difficulty of creating characters, therefore I give credit to Munro for her characters in "Axis".

The overall mood of this story is depressing. At the end I felt bad for Avie who seems disappointed with her life. The outlook for Grace is even more bleak since there's an assumption that her life went downhill after failing to hook up with Royce. I wouldn't call "Axis" a tragedy but it does leave you feeling rather pessimistic about the human experience.

There is a lot to talk about in this story and my brief analysis here does not do it justice. As of today I think the major theme of the story is the unending battle of the sexes. Grace and Avie's primary objective in life is to find men who will be their husbands. But this is not either woman's choice. It is a consequence of their environment and socioeconomic status.

If you have read "Axis", feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts on the story. I welcome any thoughts on this story because, honestly, I'm not sure what to make of Alice Munro at this point. Thank you for reading.

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"Fat" - Raymond Carver

"Fat" is the first story in Raymond Carver's collection Will You Please Be Quiet Please?.  The story is framed as a conversation where an unnamed woman tells a story to her friend Rita about serving an extremely fat man at the restaurant where she works. The waitress takes the fat man's large order and brings it to the kitchen. She is approached by one of her co-workers who says, "Who's your fat friend?"

The narrator serves the fat man bread and a caesar salad. Despite her co-workers' jabs, she talks to her customer, making an effort to appear helpful. After serving the man a special dessert with a big bowl of vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup to the side, the man says, "we have not always eaten like this...but there is no choice."

Later that night the waitress is lying in bed where she is violated by her partner Rudy. She admits that while this happened, she felt enormously fat like the customer she served earlier. Rita doesn't seem to understand the point of the narrator's story . The narrator admits to the reader that she feels depressed and that she feels her life is going to change.

In Raymond Carver's fiction small actions and statements mean a lot. It's easy to read one of his stories and feel like absolutely nothing meaningful has happened. But that is usually not the case. It's necessary to read Carver's stories at least twice to uncover the deeper meanings. This is my favorite thing about Carver's writing style -- how seemingly insignificant actions are revealing.

In this story the most telling action is the fat man's admission that there is no choice. He wants the waitress to understand that he should not be blamed for the way he eats. Just this one statement adds psychological depth to this character. It also speaks to a larger theme of control, specifically the question of if someone can be blamed for their actions if they are not in control. The narrator compares herself to the fat man when she is raped to illustrate her lack of control. This explains why the narrator treats her customer so well when her co-workers are quick to make fun of the fat man.

It's amazing that such a small and seemingly insignificant story deals with such a universal theme. In my opinion this is the most useful effect of Carver's minimalist style. It always feels like something is missing from his stories and this is most likely true. Carver's editor Gordon Lish was a ruthless editor who made Carver trim his stories down to the bare essentials. Without Lish's help, Carver's fictions would perhaps say too much and lose their ability to speak to universal themes. Despite its short length, "Fat" is a great illustration of Carver's minimalist style.

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Al Roosten

Getting back to some George Saunders stories here.

Summary

This story feels like a roller coaster of contradictory thoughts. The constant banter of Roosten's inner thoughts makes it difficult to follow the story, but I am going to give it a shot. Roosten is the owner of a store called Bygone Daze, a shop that sells vintage collectibles. Roosten is volunterring in a strange charity event called LaffKidsOffCrack. Along with Larry Donfrey, Roosten is going to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Roosten and Donfrey both saunter down a runway, presumably to increase their chances of being bid on. After Roosten does his runway walk, he walks to the "cardboard jail" where he has "his own barred window". Once this bizarre spectacle is over, Roosten retires to the changing area where, in a fit of jealous anger, he kicks Donfrey's keys and wallet underneath a "stack of risers."
Roosten drives "through the town where he'd lived his whole life" while his mom talks to him from heaven. Roosten feels guilty about Donfrey's keys so he envisions an alternate timeline where he goes back to the event and helps Donfrey find his keys and wallet. He even envisions himself eating dinner with the entire Donfrey clan. None of this is actually happening.
Roosten reaches his shop across the street from a junkyard where "hoboes hung out." Roosten imagines himself beating up a homeless man with "ghoulish" teeth and red eyes. Roosten frames this as a valuable lesson for the homeless man. Instead Roosten and the homeless man exchange weak smiles and go on their ways.

Analysis

The narrator of this story cycles between a third person detached POV and direct access to Al Roosten's real thoughts. I would argue that the focus of the story is the distinct voice representing Roosten's inner thoughts. The voice is contradictory. It goes from one thought to the exact opposite immediately. I would characterize it as neurotic and possibly unstable. Roosten typically envisions himself performing outrageous feats but his real-life behaviour is contained and measured. The frankness of the third-person narrator brings the reader closer to Roosten, making him a more sympathetic character. There's a tension between Saunders's view of Roosten as disgusting and the narrator's desire to make Roosten seem pitiful and sweetly stupid.

Donfrey acts as an interesting foil to Roosten. Donfrey is much more successful and handsome than Roosten and Roosten even admits that Donfrey is a "good guy". The narrator remarks that Donfrey and Roosten are "twin pillars of the local business community," yet appears to have a much better life. Donfrey is simply and upgraded version of Roosten in every way.

The voice of Roosten's mother is an interesting aspect of this story. It's telling that the dead mother is still speaking so coherently and frequently in Roosten's head. We can add hearing voices to the list of Roosten's issues. The mother is giving and realistic. She tells Roosten that his "moral courage" is his most important trait.

I am surprised at how much there is to examine in this story. On the first reading, it was hard to track the story's plot while following the crazy statements of Roosten's inner thoughts. Once I became comfortable with this structure, it became easier to find the meaning in this story. It will be fun to revisit this story and find even more insane ways that Saunders creates meaning. There's a lot to chew on in Roosten's thoughts and in the story's unique setting. 

An illustration of Al Roosten and Larry Donfrey from the New Yorker.

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"Mr. Voice" by Jess Walter

"Sometimes your life changes in big, dramatic ways, as though you've been cast in a play you don't remember auditioning for. Moments have the power of important scenes: being paraded in a tiny purple dress at a wedding, someone putting headphones on you and playing a rock song. But other scenes seem to occur offstage; it's as if you just awake one morning and understand that a certain thing is now something else."

Summary

I recently checked out 2015 edition of The Best American Short Stories. The final story in this collection is Jess Walter's "Mr. Voice". The teller of this story is a young woman named Tanya who lives with her single mother. Tanya's mother is a "stunner" who goes through men like toilet paper. Out of nowhere, Tanya's mother settles down with a man referred to as Mr. Voice, a fifty-year-old radio host known for his distinctive speech patterns. Tanya and her mother move in with Mr. Voice and his son Brian, a teenager who wiles smoking weed and playing guitar.

One day, Tanya's mother leaves with Brian's guitar teacher Allen. This forces Tanya to spend more time with Mr. Voice who she starts referring to as Claude. Tanya realizes that Mr. Voice AKA Claude is the closest thing to a responsible parent that she will ever have. He even teaches Tanya about female reproduction. Tanya reaches puberty and starts to notice the attention of men, but Tanya only has eyes for her step-brother Brian. To get closer to Brian, Tanya flirts with his best friend Clay. Unfortunately, this leads to Clay practically raping Tanya when she is home alone. But this story interrupts the rape by having Mr. Voice kick Clay out of the house. Mr. Voice teachers Tanya that she never has to do something that she doesn't want to do. Tanya also learns that Brian is gay so there goes her chances with him. After her mother dies, Tanya learns that Allen, the guitar teacher, is her biological father, though at this point, Tanya could care less because the only real parent she has ever had is Mr. Voice.

Analysis

This story is both uplifting and tragic. Although Tanya's mother abandoned her with Mr. Voice, it's probable that she married Mr. Voice because she knew he would take care of Tanya. So even though mother made poor choices, at least she could give Tanya the parent that she would never be. Mr. Voice is clearly a hero in this story. When Tanya finds out that Allen is her biological father, she ends the story by referring to Mr. Voice as father. A parent is not someone who creates you, a parent is someone who takes care of you after you are created.

The turning point in Tanya's character is when she realizes that she is her own person. She doesn't have to listen to her mother's crazy advice and no matter how similar they look, she can blaze her own trail. Without Mr. Voice, Tanya would have lived her life is accordance with her mother's advice: "Your looks are like a bank account...at some point you'll have to spend the money." Understandably, something about this advice makes Tanya feel ill.

This is a very pleasant and succinct story. The events are straightforward and easy to understand and the characters' actions are clear-cut by the story's end. Tanya's mother leaves because that is what the story needs to have happen. The story also gives the audience exactly what it wants. Mr. Voice saves Tanya from Clay because that is what needs to happen. If Tanya were actually raped, the story would progress in a very different fashion. The story gives you the possibility of horror but would never fully allow this horror to take place. God forbid the people reading this story might feel sad or cold at the end and then Jess Walter would look like a creep. There's no chance of that happening. Jess Walter needs his readers to feel somewhat happy so they will go out and read his next book.

I shouldn't say that about this story. It's my first encounter with Walter's work and I found it to be quite clever and engaging. However I hope that the other stories in this collection are not as family-friendly wholesome entertainment. I hate it when literary fiction tries too hard to make you feel happy. Literature exists to challenge us and make us consider things with new perspectives. It has no obligation to feed us warm emotions. This is not what I expect or find admirable in work of literature.

As always, please feel free to leave your thoughts in a comment. Thanks for reading.

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Related Posts:

• "Anything Helps" by Jess Walter
• "Thief" by Jess Walter

Junot Diaz: "The Sun, The Moon, The Stars"

"The Sun, The Moon, The Stars" is the opening story in Junot Diaz's "This is How You Lose Her". The stories in this collection deal with the relationship failures of Yunior, a character who appears in many of Diaz's works. Yunior is a complex character. He is macho like the typical Dominican male, but intelligent and inclined towards referencing famous works of literature.

Summary

This story focuses on the relationship between Yunior and his girlfriend Magda. The relationship starts out well but deteriorates after Yunior sleeps with another woman named Cassandra. Magda learns about Yunior's infidelity and starts treating him differently. While Yunior and Magda still hang out, it's clear that Magda doesn't want to stay with Yunior. However Yunior still loves Magda so the two take a vacation to Santo Domingo to hopefully renew their love for one another. Nothing changes. The two still don't get along and Yunior has to placate Magda's every desire. Eventually Yunior reveals that the relationship ended despite his attempts to keep it going.

Analysis

The tragedy of the story lies in Yunior's inability maintain his relationship. Even though he loves Magda, he has no control over his animal desires. The real question is how much Yunior actually loves Magda. His words say one thing while his actions say another. Magda is probably correct in judging Yunior based on his actions rather than on his words.

Similar to other stories written by Diaz, the teller is looking back to the past and acknowledging that he has changed. Yunior wants to show exactly how foolish he used to be, but how do we know if Yunior has really changed? Yunior expects us to trust him merely on his word. You could argue that the main conflict is not between Yunior and Magda, but between Yunior's past and future selves. The version of Yunior telling the story thinks long-term, whereas the Yunior in the story thinks short-term.

The tragedy of the story is balanced by Diaz's humorous tone. This is the main reason why I enjoy reading Diaz's work. He finds humor in some of the darkest places. He also has a good eye for picking out the most revealing character actions. When describing the fancy resort in Santo Domingo, Yunior says, "Every fifty feet there's at least one Eurofuck beached out on a towel like some scary pale monster that the sea's vomited up."

Conclusion

I am excited to read more of the stories from "This is How You Lose Her". If you liked this post, also check out my thoughts on Diaz's story "Aurora". Please let me know what you thought of this post, or why you read my reviews. Tell me what story you are reading and would like to talk about. Thanks in advance.

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George Saunders on Process

In a piece titled “On Process”, George Saunders discusses several interesting ideas about fiction. Saunders starts his process by looking at a single sentence and repeating it until a next step appears. Ideally the next step should come should come unwilled. Saunders hopes that the forward movement of his stories feels natural, instantaneous, and unstoppable. However the mechanism of this process is mysterious. Where do narrative impulses come from and can their quality improve? Saunders cares deeply about the quality of his writing, as most fiction writers do, so it behooves him to understand process as much as possible.

An enabling characteristic of Saunders’ mentality is zero investment in the writing. Saunders wants to feels like he is reading a piece for the first time. Saunders cares not about the piece’s success or quality and focuses only on the story’s natural energy divorced from any thematic aspirations. Saunders wants to keep it interesting and believes that the most interesting connections come from the mind of someone with zero previous experience with a given story.

The other critical idea for Saunders is iteration, or repeating the process over and over until a story becomes its own unique thing. On a given day, Saunders averages about three readings, each followed by integrating changes into the text and generating a new printout. Yet Saunders runs into trouble when he says, “the result will be more like you, the writer, than even you, the ‘person’ is.” It’s difficult to pinpoint what Saunders means by this.  He obviously supports the iterative process, but how does making something more like the writer than the person improve quality? To clarify, I think Saunders wants to keep his “real self” out of his writing because deep down, he considers himself a boring person.

So what is the point of fiction? Why go through the trouble of Saunders’ intensive writing process? Well have no fear because Saunders is here to give us the answer:

“Most of us, at a certain point in our lives, come to understand that we are here to grow. To grow in love, patience, gentleness; to become more able to deal with the harshness and victories of life with aplomb and generosity. But how to do it? Art can be a way of training ourselves in these virtues – not in a holy or precious or dogmatic way, but in the same way that a crazy night on the town, or a catastrophic love affair, or a close brush with death, can train us. Reality says: here I am. Likewise in a story, the truth says: here I am, albeit in a strange garb.

Here is what I think Saunders is getting at. To grow in virtue, people need “reality” checks. Normally people get this from formative experiences but fiction can also provide it. Fiction should mirror reality. The work should be an accurate encapsulation of a realistic situation. If something is an accurate depiction of reality, it is more likely to resonate

Ok, that is enough for now. I want to stop before I jump to any more conclusions about what George Saunders may or may not be trying to say. You can find the piece on the Kenyon Review website.

Flannery O'Connor - The Turkey

Flannery O'conner's story "The Turkey" focuses on an eleven-year-old boy named Ruller who chases down a wounded turkey. O'connor provides glimpses into Ruller's imagination throughout the story and this is what makes the story interesting. Ruller is an unusual boy who spends a lot of time by himself. I can relate to Ruller's tendency to imagine as a way to make life more compelling. While Ruller's father thinks that playing alone is unusual behavior for a young boy, one can argue that this is perfectly normal for a child with an overactive imagination.
The story also focuses on Ruller's concept of God. Ruller attributes the cause of events in his life to decisions that God makes. Ruller believes that God gives him the turkey so he can bring it home and impress his family. Language regarding God's influence on Ruller's life is a big part of the story's humor. O'connor seems to be commenting on the tendency of humans to believe that God personally controls the outcomes of everyday life.
Ruller's main shortcoming is his belief that God is responsible for how his life works. This allows Ruller to avoid responsibility for his own actions. Ruller has bizarre sense of right and wrong. After he captures the turkey and wins the admiration of people in his town, he feels a need to give money to a beggar. Giving money to the poor is Ruller's way of thanking God for the turkey. Unfortunately, in the same way that Ruller tracks down the turkey, a gang of boys trakc down Ruller and steal his turkey. After this happens, it's natural to assume how Ruller feels about this. It's a tragic end for Ruller that points out the flaw in believing that God is personally invested in trivial human events. The story is an interesting exploration of childhood imagination and a brilliant snapshot of a single meaningful event in the life of a young boy.

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