JCO: An Encounter with the Blind
Hi friends!
I read these stories last month, but I'm happy to
try to remember some things about them! The following
statements aren't meant to be definitive; they're just
my thoughts.
I'm not sure how the Senator intends to victimize
the boy, other than to hijack him so his wife can be
impressed. What else do you think he had in mind?
The boy is a desperado who has learned what he
needs to do to get by. The Senator is a man who needs
to be in control. He doesn't mind so much the
anonymous accident of a bear attack, but can't stand
the thought of a person getting to him.
There may or may not have been sex in that half
hour, but the main thing is that the boy got through
to the Senator in a way he resented.
At the end of the story, the Senator decides to
give the knife back; he tries to restore himself to
the role of decision-maker. Much as buying a round of
drinks or waving another driver forward at an
intersection might be an act of control rather than
kindness or courtesy.
The Senator helped the boy to the bench because the
boy couldn't hurt him physically. But he drops the
knife out the window because he's afraid of a boy with
a knife. That's why the boy smiles at the end.
The story seems to be saying that control is an
illusion. Sooner or later, something will get us.
The boy never comes out and says what he really
means. His language is all about how helpless he is.
This kind of innuendo is very creepy--reminds me of
Mafia guys in movies saying "You have a lovely
family."
I haven't read the JCO books mentioned in this
discussion. This story reminds me of Somerset
Maugham's long short story *Rain*: A preacher looks
down on and tries to redeem a woman he regards as
slutty, but the woman gets to him in the end.
Laurie
=====
Better Edit!
http://www.betteredit.net
laurie@betteredit.net
"Wow, it looks a lot better than it did."
--MLIS student
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Tone Clusters: The Joyce Carol Oates discussion group
To send a message to the group, email jco@usfca.edu
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I read these stories last month, but I'm happy to
try to remember some things about them! The following
statements aren't meant to be definitive; they're just
my thoughts.
I'm not sure how the Senator intends to victimize
the boy, other than to hijack him so his wife can be
impressed. What else do you think he had in mind?
The boy is a desperado who has learned what he
needs to do to get by. The Senator is a man who needs
to be in control. He doesn't mind so much the
anonymous accident of a bear attack, but can't stand
the thought of a person getting to him.
There may or may not have been sex in that half
hour, but the main thing is that the boy got through
to the Senator in a way he resented.
At the end of the story, the Senator decides to
give the knife back; he tries to restore himself to
the role of decision-maker. Much as buying a round of
drinks or waving another driver forward at an
intersection might be an act of control rather than
kindness or courtesy.
The Senator helped the boy to the bench because the
boy couldn't hurt him physically. But he drops the
knife out the window because he's afraid of a boy with
a knife. That's why the boy smiles at the end.
The story seems to be saying that control is an
illusion. Sooner or later, something will get us.
The boy never comes out and says what he really
means. His language is all about how helpless he is.
This kind of innuendo is very creepy--reminds me of
Mafia guys in movies saying "You have a lovely
family."
I haven't read the JCO books mentioned in this
discussion. This story reminds me of Somerset
Maugham's long short story *Rain*: A preacher looks
down on and tries to redeem a woman he regards as
slutty, but the woman gets to him in the end.
Laurie
=====
Better Edit!
http://www.betteredit.net
laurie@betteredit.net
"Wow, it looks a lot better than it did."
--MLIS student
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Tone Clusters: The Joyce Carol Oates discussion group
To send a message to the group, email jco@usfca.edu
To subscribe, email majordomo@usfca.edu: subscribe jco
To unsubscribe, email majordomo@usfca.edu: unsubscribe jco
posted by Admin at
8:01 AM
