Short Story Blog: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Plot:
The plot structure of this story is very unique for short stories. It is split up into chapters. I saw each chapter as representing a different part of Benjamin's life. The structure and order of his life is obviously very odd seeing as it is backwards. For this reason, it seemed interesting to me that the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, chose to write the story in such a structured form. I came to the conclusion that he did this to contrast the chaos of Benjamin's life and also to keep the reader strait on the events of his life. The idea of the story is confusing so the organized structure made it an easier read.
Point of View:
I found it interesting that the author chose to write this story from an omniscient third person point of view. I first felt as though it would have been more interesting to see the story from the point of view of a towns person, maybe someone close in age to Benjamin. However, I think the author made a smart choice. This way, the narrator could show all sides of the story. He could show the family members' thoughts as well as Benjamin's. Also, a towns person would not work because at times in the story, Benjamin's true identity was kept a secret.
Characterization:
I found the author's method of characterization the most interesting element of the story. It seemed logical to me that the author would focus in on Benjamin's mother at some point. However, she is barely ever mentioned, if at all. I was interested in how exactly she gave birth to a full grown man (this issue may have been the reason that the author didn't focus on her). At first I thought she might be dead, but on page 21 the author states that "Mr. and Mrs. Roger Button were not pleased" with the fact that people were saying their son resembled his grandfather. That is really the only mention of her I could find after Benjamin's birth. I was also surprised that his wife did not get more attention. She is only in a short portion of the story. I believe both of these individuals were paid the least attention to because they were women. I'm not saying that the author was sexist, it was simply a way of developing Benjamin as a character. Fitzgerald instead focused on the men in Benjamin's life. He did this in order to compare him to these men. Benjamin is compared to his Grandfather, father, and son primarily when his physical age matches them. All of them reject him in some way or another. Fitzgerald uses this to show Benjamin's complete aloneness among his peers.
Setting:
The time period this takes place in is very important. This is primarily because of the wars that take place during Benjamin's life. War is a big part of who he is. He was finally admired and respected when he was a leader in the army. But in the last few years of his life, even the army rejects him. It is also important to note that a good portion of the story takes place in his home or the home of his son. His abnormality is hidden away from the world for a good chunk of the story. He is only allowed out in society if he agrees to blend in with his environment.
Theme:
I had a lot of trouble coming up with a theme for this story. I eventually decided on a theme of aloneness. In a way I think this story is similar to "Metamorphasis". In both stories, the main character is physically embarrassing or burdensome to be around and so their family rejects them. Benjamin never has a lasting friendship. His wife might come close, but he tires of her and 'outgrows' her (in a backwards kind of confusing way). He is never accepted and he never finds his place. He never quite belongs.

Miss Brill

I honestly have no idea what the point of this story was. But with that being said, I hated the end. How could people be so heartless? I felt awful for Miss Brill. She had just come to the realization that she was part of the 'play' and someone would notice if she was gone. That is probably true to an extent. Her absence would be noticed but that does not necessarily mean that she would be missed. It seems as though she is viewed as an annoyance rather than an essential part of the 'play'.

Once upon a Time: Um morbid much?

The narrator's short story seemed morbid to me from the beginning. Very morbid. The whole idea of not helping others seemed a strange idea to promote in a children's' story. And of course the son getting injured in the security fence, very possibly leading to death, is a little ironic I think.
But I think the author was trying to make a point. First of all, the narrator says at the beginning that he was told that all writers should write at least one story for children. He then illustrated why this should not be true; some people just aren't cut out for it. I think the author was trying to show that all people have their weaknesses and we cannot be expected to be good at everything.

A Worn Path Question #6

I think that the student's suggestion of the grandson being dead could be accurate. I kind of wondered about him when she forgot the point of her journey. She seemed very confused. I also wondered about his existence when it was mentioned that she has made the journey on a regular basis for three years. It seems that an illness like the one described would not last three years and the symptoms would not appear like 'clock work' which was the schedule of her journeys.
I think the comment that 'Phoenix is alive' shows that whether the grandson was alive or not was irrelevant. It was his realness to Phoenix that was important. He gave her something to live for.

Eveline Question #6

I found the end of this story very peculiar. I don't think Eveline decides not to go with him. She never makes the choice really. I don't think she physically could bring herself to go. I found it interesting that she just froze. It seems that she didn't really think about the consequences of her decision or lack there of. I think she just was a little resistant to change and couldn't bring herself to do it.

Everyday Use

Dee confused me. She seemed to be trying to get in touch with the African part of her heritage. But here's the catch: she is African American, not African. She never lived in Africa. So why was she so obsessed with its culture? It seemed odd that she wanted to act African instead of American. At the time, racism was still part of society. The African culture I'm sure was affected as much as the African American culture, if not more. It's almost like she was shouting to the world that she was different.

Hunters in the Snow

This short story was my favorite of the week. I'm still not really sure why that is. Honestly, the end made me really irritated. Tub and Frank have no regard for the feelings or well being of Kenney. I thought this was very odd. I think part of the reason I liked the story was not because of the plot itself but that it seemed to draw me in. I actually found it to be interesting. It was suspenseful as well.

Hunters in the Snow Question #7

I found the scene in the tavern very interesting. It made an important point. Frank and Tub were selfish. They were so wrapped up in their own lives and issues that they ignore the fact that Kenney is seriously hurt. When they sat down for a cup of coffee, I was in shock. How could someone do that when their friend was dying in the truck. I found it weird also that they left the directions and instead of turning around, they just wung it. They risked their friend's life because they were so wrapped up in their own lives.

Bartleby the Scrivener Question #4

Bartleby's repetition of the phrase "I prefer not to" has an interesting affect on the other characters and their daily routines. One thing I noticed was that, the word prefer crept into the other characters' vocabulary the more Bartleby said it. I also found the narrator's response interesting. No matter how many times Bartleby would refuse to do something, the narrator would always ask him. I thought this was weird because I would think that one would give up eventually. I thought that the narrator weant too easy on him a lot of the time. He was disobedient and didn't deserve the favors that the narrator did for him.

Similarities

When I got half way or so through Interpreter of Maladies, I started to notice similarities between it and How I Met My Husband. First of all, both involve love that is not returned. More specifically, both main characters have the hope of writing to their 'loves'. Both 'loves' live quite a distance away. The one main difference however is that when Mrs. Das leaves, Mr. Kapasi knows he won't hear from her. Edie however is still under the impression that she will hear from Chris and she waits anxiously. The stories are overall very similar.

Interpreter of Maladies

This work also showed some irony. While Mr. Kapasi understands the language of English, I don't think he understands the culture. It really surprised me when he started to pay attention to Mrs. Das. She was so obnoxious! I was annoyed by her snobbishness. I assumed that was the view of Kapasi as well. Their lives were so opposite. He may have not been madly in love with his wife, but he seemed to show family values. Mrs. Das on the other hand doesn't seem to care at all for her children or for her husband. His love for her seemed ironic and illogical.

Irony in How I Met My Husband

The end of this story was ironic. First of all, the reader goes through the story thinking of Chris Watters as the romantic interest for Edie. Then he leaves her hanging. But the most ironic part was the fact that Carmichael assumed that Edie's daily smile was for him. This honestly cracked me up. He was so happy that she was excited to see him but in reality she was really just waiting for word from Chris. This was an interesting twist at the end and I loved it. I didn't really like Chris so I was hoping he would not be the husband.

A Rose for Emily: Question #3

The main detail that forshadows the conclusion is the buying of the arsenic. I saw the end coming once it was clear the Emily wasn't killing herself with it. She had to have had some purpose for it. I also saw it coming once Homer went into the home. He never came out but he was also never seen in the window as Emily was. Emily and her servant were the only two ever seen in the house. Emily also had motive for killing Homer in a way. She loved him but he obviously didn't care for her in the same way.