A Rose for Emily

This story presents an interesting view of the eponymous character. The story paints a portrait of a miserable old maid named Emily, who even at the beginning of the story, shows complete disconnection from the rest of the town. The story is told through the eyes of an anonymous observer, who begins speaking in the present, beginning with her funeral, then jumps into the past to explain her description as a "fallen monument". The narrator explains parts of Emily's past, and how she came to be in the lonesome situation she died in. The narrator explains her father's death, and her subsequent deterioration into a bitter old woman. At her father's death, who had restrained her her entire life, she goes into denial, clinging to the body for several day until the townsfolk intervene. She even descends into seemingly considering suicide. The narrator explains in the story how the people of the town resent her for her isolation, such as rejecting visitors and not paying taxes, and yet a the same time they feel a heavy sympathy for her, repeating the phrase "Poor Emily". She also seems to find a lover in a working foreman, who disappears into her house along with her. The narrator's limited point of view leaves some unanswered questions at the close of the story, leaving the reader to ponder whether the town had in fact misjudged Miss Emily.

The Chrysanthemums

This short story by John Steinbeck is a portrait of a middle aged woman who lives on a ranch with her husband. Her hobby is tending her garden of chrysanthemums, which she cares for greatly. however, her garden is also more than a hobby. The Chrysanthemums seem to change in their description along with Eliza. At the outset of the story, Eliza is depicted as being "lean and strong". However, by the end of the story, she is quietly sobbing to herself. She is also described using more masculine terms at the beginning; terms such as "mature", "handsome", and "over-powerful". At the end she is "crying weakly" over her chrysanthemums. Similarly, the state of the chrysanthemums seems to reflect this change. They go from being healthy old stalks to discarded little sprouts. In this way, they seem to function as an emotional barometer for Eliza.

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

This is a thought-provoking short story that primarily involves a discussion between two waiters working in a cafe in what is presumably Spain. They discussed an deaf old man who apparently sat at the cafe getting drunk until very late at night. The background and most of the story itself are told completely in dialogue, with little narrative action. The only narrated parts are sensory details and imagery. The characters in this story all remain completely nameless, from "the old man" to "the unhurried waiter", the story gives them names by using relevant descriptions of their prominent traits. The story seems to imply that the older people get, the more depressed and lonely they get; with the older waiter having insomnia and the old man being suicidal. It is not overtly clear or presented what the meaning of the "well-lighted place" is. Perhaps the light provides a place of respite for the disenchanted.

practice post

To be or not to be, that is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them.
To die, to sleep, no more.
And by a sleep to say we end the heart-ache and thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to,
Tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd.
To die, to sleep, to sleep; perchance to dream: Ay, there's the rub.
For in this sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil
Must give us pause.