"The Things They Carried"- question 1

In the fourth story in Tim O'Brien's collection of short stories, "On the Rainy River", readers learn of O'Brien's deepest, darkest, secret: he attempted to go to Canada to escape the draft, but didn't do it out of cowardice.

After reading the first four stories in this fictional auto-biography, I have some lingering questions. One of which is why does Tim O'Brien feel that Elroy Berdahl saved his life when he seemingly did nothing at all?

A possible answer is one that Tim O'Brien suggests quite often throughout this story; that Elroy saves him by doing ordinary tasks/activities with him that make him think about what he is doing and if he can really live with his choice. To me, Elroy is a representation of God, some other divine being ( I know how that sounds with Jimmy Cross representing a Christ motif), or Tim's conscience, because of how he seems to know all of the conflicts Tim is facing without actually asking any questions of him. He saves him with this knowledge and how he treats him accordingly. Perhaps Tim isn't the first almost draft-cutter that Elroy has encountered, thus he knows what people like Tim need -- time to be alone with themselves, away from the pressures, and a little indirect guidance to help him decide which path to take. The very end of the story (the fishing trip and Tim's departure) helps solidify the idea that Elroy represents God or some other divine being, almost more than just being a very empathetic, observant, conscious-like old man. In this scene Tim realizes that Elroy purposely takes him into Canadian waters to test him -- to allow him the time and space to make his final decision, with the prospect of escape only twenty yards away. However, Elroy only speaks when he realizes that Tim has chosen (probably because he is crying). "'Ain't biting'" are the only words he says in this scene, as if to say that the fish (drafted young men) are resisting the bait of Canada and exile, and more are continuing to swim along and live life as they had before (to some extent); just as Tim just had just done. (57) The next morning, Elroy is gone before Tim departs -- as if he never existed; as if his task was complete so he could move on to the next young man in trouble, like a guardian angel. That is how I think that Elroy saves Tim by seeming to really do nothing at all -- the distant relationship, the silence, the uncanny understanding of his plight, and the gentle tests all help Tim to realize that he is making a mistake by trying to do the courageous thing, and so does the ironically cowardly thing and joins the war.

Unnacustomed Earth- Short Story 1

Rereading the story, "Unaccustomed Earth", really helped me understand the conflicts between the characters that I only understood in terms of plot, and not as much in terms of literary meaning the first time. 

One lingering question that I still have about this story is why Ruma and her mother were considered "allies" when they argued so much, where as Ruma and her father had never had a conflict until the end of this story, but were as distant as if they had an irreconcilable difference? 

It is possible that, although they argued frequently and were so different, Ruma felt much more "open" and "allied" with her mother rather than her father because she felt that her father was judging her because he was trying to be the traditional father/husband of their culture, as well as assimilate into American culture, and provide for his family. Ruma's mother was home all the time, and so that is who Ruma talked to, and as a result, argued with. 

Combined 2: "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" and "Unaccustomed Earth

In this final post, I will be discussing how Jhumpa Lahiri uses the symbolism of meals in her short stories in Unaccustomed Earth, particularly in the story entitled "Year's End". 

In the second chapter of his book, Proffessor Foster writes that "whenever people eat or drink together, it's communion....breaking bread together is an act of sharing and peace....writing a meal scene is so difficult, and so inherently uninteresting, that there really needs to be some compelling reason to include one in the story. And that reason has to do with how characters are getting along. Or not getting along." (Foster 8) This concept of meals reflecting the status of relationships is used frequently in Jhumpa Lahiri's short story, "Year's End",  to gauge the relationships between Kashik and his new step-family. 

The first meal that Kashik has "with" his new family is when he comes home from college for Winter Break. I put with in quotations because his new step-mother and sisters don't eat with him or his father. From Kashik's meal alone where Chitara, his step-mother, tries to wait on him hand and foot, and his father has hidden the alcohol that he once drank with Kashik's mother, Kashik seems to be at complete odds with Chitara and her traditional customs. He is used to helping around the kitchen with the dishes, etc., having meals toghether as a family, having a drink after dinner, and having an independent woman in his family. She objects to all of this, and their language barrier further drives a wedge in their already distant, but short relationship so far (they had met for the first time at dinner) -- she doesn't really speak English and he doesn't really speak Bengali. She has no desire to drive a car (even when he offers to teach her), or even let her daughters go outside alone. Kashik can't help but compare her to his independent, outgoing, untraditional mother. This meal also reveals how Kashik's relationship with his father has changed and is now beginning to deteriorate rapidly. This is clearly shown when Kashik asks where the scotch that his father and his mother always used to drink was, and his father reveals how he had given up his old ways to avoid "alarming" his new wife. Kashik is astonished by how much his father has changed and makes him feel like his father is almost be trying his mother by completely changing who he was. This meal wasn't quite fitting of Professor Foster's definition of communion, but at least it did prevent the open argument that was waiting to happen but never did. 

The second meal, and last that demonstrates the symbolism of the meal. that Kashik has with people in his new family is breakfast the next morning with Rupa and Piu, his step-sisters, at Dunkin Donuts. Even if he is at odds with Chitara, Kashik can't help but like her daughters. They both are much younger than Kashik, and are portrayed by Lahiri as very naive and cute in a little kid-sort of way. Their excitement at getting donuts, and paying for them themselves (with Kashik's money, but they got to give it to the chashier) was contagious. But even this very happy meal and relationship were not without conflict. Rupa and Piu, unversed in how to treat store clerks in America, come off as rude (pointing at what they want instead of asking and not thanking the cashier). Kashik tells them this, perhaps a little harsher than necessary and the girls become slightly sullen, embarrassed that they have angered their step-brother and also still worrying about the upcoming start of school. Kashik reassures them about school and the relationship, and the meal, are back on happier notes. The girls bring back donuts for their mother and tell her all about their fun breakfast with KD (what they call Kashit, short for Kashit Dada - the Bengali term of respect for a brother combined with his preffered name) also helps to slightly strengthen the very fragile relationship between Kashit and Chitara. This meal was much closer to Professor Foster's idea of the purpose of meals in novels -- reflecting the status of relationships and helping to create peace between characters. 

Combined 1: "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" and "A Prayer for Owen Meany"

In these final two posts, I will be exploring how the authors of the two novels I have read this summer use elements that Professor Foster discusses in his book. This specific post will discuss how John Irving uses the importance of location and geography in his book; a topic which Professor Foster devotes the entirety of Chapter 19 to.

Most of A Prayer for Owen Meany is set in a small town in New Hampshire called Gravesend. It is a small town where the same families have lived there since before the nation was founded. The Meany family seems to be the only outlier in town - descendants of much more recent immigrants; a family who has not lived in Gravesend for generations. A more "working class" family, the Meanys always seemed to live much further outside of town than Johnny's "aristocratic" family, the Wheelwrights, did. The location of the Meanys' house also reflects their social status as well. Mr. and Mrs. Meany never seem to interact that much with the rest of the Gravesend community. The Meanys, especially Owen, are also excluded from another location for most of the book: Sawyer Depot. Sawyer Depot was the home of Johnny's rowdy cousins and his traditional aunt and uncle. It was also where the Wheelwrights would all gather together for Christmas and other vacations. Irving portrays it as a very luxurious, aristocratic place compared to Gravesend. Owen was never invited to Sawyer Depot, although he longed to go. Johnny always told him it was because of his concern for Owen's safety, that his cousins would demolish him in their violent games. Owen suspected that Johnny simply didn't want Owen to go at all, that Owen would embarrass him in some way. Even though he never went to the exclusive land of Sawyer Depot during his childhood, Owen and Johnny did go once they were older. Owen had expected it to look like Johnny had always described it when they were kids, but he was surprisingly disenchanted. It was a house by a lake with a boat house and boats. It was not the world that he had dreamed of visiting for so long; it was beautiful but it wasn't nearly as wonderful now that the cousins had grown up (he and Hester were actually in a relationship)- the sense of action and excitement that was there when they were kids was gone. It wasn't just that it was a different kind of place without the images of childhood mayhem, but it was also that the sense of exclusion or being forbidden to come to Sawyer Depot was gone; Johnny had taken him there and Hester's parents had been very civil, if not outright kind, towards him (they were not on the best terms with Hester, their daughter).

Another incredibly important place in A Prayer for Owen Meany is where Owen dies. Owen has two visions concerning his death: one when playing the role of the Ghost of Christmas Future, he sees his gravestone with the date of his death on it, the other is a dream that he has frequently describing how he dies- in a sunny, hot land with palm trees where he is surrounded by nuns after having saved a group of Asian children. Owen is not told expressly where, but with the context of the 1960s in America and all of the global events associated with that era (the Vietnam War), Owen logically assumes that he will die in Vietnam and so does everything in his power to get there and make sure that Johnny, who is a part of his dream, does not (particularly as the death toll rises in Vietnam). Owen feels he must go to Vietnam and not avoid his death because he claims that it is what God wants him to do. It turns out that Owen was wrong; he doesn't die in Vietnam and he doesn't spare Johnny the sight of his death. It happens in a place that today is one of the more observed places for violence such as this in the world: an airport. Owen thought he would die in battle, a war hero. He did die a war hero by saving those children and preventing the grenade explosion from causing more deaths than just one, but it wasn't where he thought it was going to be. It wasn't across the globe in a wild and terrifying place, it was across the United States. He wasn't killed by a foreign enemy, a classic "bad guy"; he was killed by a very sick teenager whose brother's body Owen had just escorted home. The location of his death doesn't allow Owen the almost stereotypical war hero's death, but it allows him a hero's death that has a profound effect on audiences today because of all of the security measures taken to prevent such a terrible attack from happening.


Professor Foster writes that geography allows for the character's words, actions, and thoughts to gain contextual relevance and meaning that is unique to the location where the novel or even the scene is set. John Irving uses this a lot in his novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany, particularly in reference to Gravesend, Sawyer Depot, and the place of Owen's death.

"A Prayer for Owen Meany"

In this post I will answer the following prompt: Is the appearance of characters in any way a factor in your novel? How?

Owen Meany was a very special person in John Irving's novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany. He not only is one of the two main characters of the novel, the other being his best friend, Johnny Wheelwright, but he is the most unique character in the novel and perhaps one of the most unique I have ever experienced in a novel. Owen's appearances are a major part of what makes him so unique and influential in the novel. He was tiny, barely reaching five feet tall, but it was his voice that would turn people's heads the most. Owen's voice was, as Johnny's mother's voice teacher, Graham McSwiney said, "in a permanent scream". This was not intentional on Owen's part, his Adam's Apple was stuck in this position, perhaps because of the amount of granite dust he was exposed to as a baby. The way Owen's voice is conveyed by Irving in the novel is through only capitol letters (also how Owen wrote his column for Gravesend Academy's student newspaper and how he tried to write in college). This contrast in the physical novel also contributes to the power of the appearance and sound of Owen Meany. Owen's unique physical characteristics set him apart from every other character in the novel, which, along with his intellectual and humorously serious personality, allowed him to be heard almost more than any other character, even Johnny, whose memories are the tool with which we can see Owen and the story of his short life and his relationship with Johnny. Owen's tiny physical features somehow drew people to him, making him very popular with people, particularly women. Johnny, on the other hand, was so "normal" that he seems to almost fade in Owen's enormous shadow of "extra-ordinariness". Owen's voice could repulse people, but it also had a hypnotic-like quality because it was so strange; allowing his extremely wise and occasionally religious thoughts to be heard by his audience (often Johnny, but sometimes a myriad of others, including priests and other adults). Stereotypically, Owen's abnormal appearance would render him a social outcast and the victim of many bullies. Although he was teased by his Sunday School class (including Johnny) and often slightly prejudiced against in Little League, Owen Meany was incredibly popular and influential in his small town of  Gravesend, New Hampshire and once he was a little older, never teased again. His unique physical appearance helped make him so special and helped him to make such a difference in Gravesend and be so influential on people, particularly Johnny.

"Unaccustomed Earth" post 2

In my second post about this collection of short stories, I will be answering the following prompt: Are there any generational conflicts in your novel?

The short answer is yes. In several of the short stories there is a rift between two generations, often a parent and child and their relationships with others (often non-Bengali people). However, I will focus on one example from the book. The second chapter, entitled "Hell-Heaven", tells of the narrator's relationship with her mother, especially with their family's interaction with another immigrant referred to as Pranab Kaku. Pranab Kaku is a much younger Bengali immigrant who the narrator and her family semi-adopts. Their family loves Pranab Kaku just as he does them. Eventually Pranab Kaku brings a girl to dinner with the family. Not a Bengali girl like the family is expecting, but an American. Her name is Deborah. The narrator loves Deborah, her mother does not. Her mother is not only against Deborah's American culture, but as the narrator looks back on this, she discovers that her mother was jealous of Deborah's relationship with Pranab Kaku. Deborah represents the "evils" of American culture that the narrator's parents and many other immigrants like them try to avoid at all costs. As the narrator grows up in American culture, she feels that the things that her parents, particularly her mother, fear and thus despise to be normal. Things such as being forbidden to go to school dances, to date, to wear a bra , and many other things that her peers were allowed to do and were normal for them to do made the narrator resent her mother. Deborah and the narrator became close while Deborah and Pranab Kaku were dating, but the couple became more distant once married. The narrator's mother blamed Deborah, but personally I suspect it was the fact that Pranab Kaku's family did not approve of the marriage as well as the difficulty that Deborah and their children later would have faced in an attempt to fit in with the very selective Bengali immigrant community that drove them away. This is another generational conflict inside of this story. However, When the narrator was a teenager, Deborah and Pranab Kaku (who had married several years earlier) invited them over to their house for Thanksgiving dinner, something that the narrator's family had never celebrated before. The dinner is very tense for the narrator's family, as they are the only Bengali family there. The narrator somewhat enjoys the dinner (partially because there is a cute boy her age there and she is snuck a drink of alcohol in the kitchen), but her mother is clearly tense and is as polite as she has to be while not enjoying herself and being appalled by the differences in culture (drinking for example). At this dinner, her mother kind of accepts defeat in the generational conflict by letting the narrator go for a walk with the boy her age (in which they stay out so late that her parents leave without her). 

Defiance is a hallmark of both of these generational conflicts between Pranab Kaku and the narrator and their parents. Pranab Kaku defies his parents by rejecting the marriage that he was supposed to be arranged into back in India by marrying Debroah, even at the cost of his relationship with his parents -- though he does not know that they threatened to disowned him and blame the narrator's parents for his betrayal. The narrator defies her parents in a more secretive way since hers are not across the globe from her. She sneaks out to parties with her friends and is much freer with her choices about drinking and sexuality and even drugs than she probably would have been had anything of that sort not been so strictly forbidden. These generational conflicts in this short story, "Hell-Heaven", mirror many others throughout this collection of short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri. 

"Unaccustomed Earth" post 1

In this first post of two about this book, I will be answering the following prompt: Discuss the title of the novel. Is it appropriate? In what way? If you could give the novel a different title, what would it be?

The title of this novel, "Unaccustomed Earth", is very appropriate for Jhumpa Lahiri's collection of short stories because of the common ties that it acknowledges between all of the stories. These common ties are the basic back stories of the characters: Indian-Americans who are either immigrants themselves, or are the children of immigrants. All of these families feel like outsiders in their new environment; parents in particular resisting assimilation like the plague. As many of the children grow, they often try to assimilate more, often straining relations with their families. The title of this novel demonstrates the unfamiliarity that these families feel while in America, as America might seem to them like an entirely new planet from India when they first arrive or even once they have settled. 

If I had to choose a different title for this collection of short stories, I would title it "Journey to a New World of Isolation: life of Indian Immigrant families living in America through short stories". I would title it this because it captures the common ties of the stories and acknowledges that Lahiri's book is not a traditional novel, but a collection of stories.