Kyle Kopta DTC 354

   I really enjoyed Richard Wright's "Big, Black, Good Man". Much like Grace Paley's "The Contest", I feel that the narration of Olaf's experience and his thoughts lent itself to the idea of a character study that allowed the reader to see the absurdity of his thoughts. Again, like "The Contest", we are also only given the perspective of one character to lean into an exploration of their psyche. Because Jim's actions are not explained by the author, readers project their own biases on to the character, just like Olaf did. When the story is resolved. hopefully readers recognize their implicit biases.

   Being a very short story, it is very impressive how much substance Luisa Valenzuela is able to fit into "I'm Your Horse in the Night". On my first read, I understood it solely as the tragic story of two lovers, but mulling it over has made me think about ideas of feminism, oppression, and power dynamic. The female narrator seems to long for a more romantic relationship with Beto, while he dismisses her romanticism and likens her to a passive horse. He also calls her "Chiquita" and , further establishing a power dynamic in their relationship. It makes me wonder if Valenzuela is trying to liken this oppressive and somewhat one-sided relationship to the violent climate around them.

   In contrast to the sophisticated language of some of our other readings, Grace Paley's "The Contest" is written in a more simple and easily readable prose. Although the story is not as poetic as others, I really enjoyed the smart quips sprinkled throughout the story - "I never forget a name, no matter what typeface it appears in." Without them, this story would definitely read more depressing rather than facetious.     In terms of themes, I get a strong sense of women empowerment from this story. Despite us reading the story from the perspective of a man who doesn't seem to have his life together, Dotty's power in the relationship is clearly highlighted. She knows what she wants and seeks it out in a productive way, while Fred views life as a contest and acts in other immature ways. I found this tactic of using the narrator to call attention to their own flaws very effective - much like a character study.

   Vladimir Nabokov's "Spring in Fialta", much like our previous reading "Hair Jewelry", reminds me of my favorite qualities of films written by Charlie Kaufman (perhaps simply because I think about them a lot). Particularly, I drew parallels between the movies Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Anomalisa to this short story; in both works there is a clear focus on recounting events through memory, the implications of problematic relationships, and a narrative that jumps between different time frames. I really enjoy this style of storytelling because it has a way of avoiding the tropes of fully benevolent characters and "bad guys". All the characters in these stories are human, and thus act in morally ambiguous ways that allow us to reflect on their actions and their consequences. Furthermore, because everything we learn in "Spring in Fialta" is told through the filter of Victor, we have to think about the details he might have chosen...

   This story by Yasunari Kawabata is definitely one of the weirder ones we have read for this class. As I read, I continuously had a very uncanny feeling that simultaneously made me very curious as to what was going to happen next. The story is paced in a way that slow and conversational, but it also reveals enough new information as the story goes that makes you want to read more. The story is grounded in reality, but the surrealist aspects allow for an entirely unpredictable experience.    After finishing this story, I was reminded of one my favorite films - Spike Jonze's Her . In this movie, a man has a relationship with an operating system. The surface-level similarities between Her and "One Arm" are easily recognizable (man has relationship with unconventional "object"), but they also tell a similar story of a human need for intimacy told in an unorthodox way. This unusual play on an otherwise fairly normal relationship story in both examples is very f...

   I found myself really enjoying Nadine Gordimer's "The Life of the Imagination", and I continue to like it more as I think about it. The story of a love affair is not what one would first think of as a catalyst for discussion on issues of race relations, but Gordimer is able to pull it off so well through subtle writing and insightful glimpses into the thoughts of our main character. This story was also interesting in that it made me very curious of the background of the author.     After a bit of research, I learned that Nadine Gordimer was a South African writer and political activist. Primarily, she spoke out about apartheid in South Africa, which I found to be a really interesting point of view to write from. Many people don't realize the institutional racial segregation was in place as late as the 1990s in South Africa, but the story still resonates with us as Americans. Why? I would argue that the answer is in the title. Although we didn't live throug...

   I was really thrown for a loop by Raymond Carver's "Fat". The unusual frame narrative and conversational tone made me think on my first read that not much of significance had happened. However, the idea of control really stood out to me multiple times as I read again. The man being served makes a point to say that he has no choice in the way that he eats, and the narrator likens herself to him (and presumably his lack of control) when she is taken advantage of by her partner. I initially had no idea why the man in the restaurant referred to himself as "we", but it shows a connection between these two characters that hopefully ends in a change for our narrator.

   Albert Camus' "The Adulterous Woman" is romantic in the most melancholy way. The feelings of disillusionment that Janine feels are certainly bleak, and the reoccurring themes of lost youth and dormancy contribute to the reader's woe. After finishing the story, I found myself thinking back to the title of the story. Janine is seemingly given the title of adulterous, even though she does not commit actual adultery. Is the want to commit the act equal to the act itself? Has she committed adultery in the eyes of society by daring to become more than an extension of her partner?

   Through metaphor and clever description of ordinary events, Italo Calvino is able to make the process of riding on a train seem like an adventure (as the name implies). Not only does the story become an adventure, but it becomes a relatable one when the simplest task (purchasing a ticket, trying to sleep, changing clothes) is recounted in a way that reveals the quirks of our main character Federico V. As I read, I found myself relating to the compulsions of the character, but I related in a way that made me rethink the detriments of these compulsions. Do I "hype things up" instead of living in the moment, and what effect does that have on my life? Being that our main character is on his way to Rome, I couldn't help but make associations between his actions that I relate to and the Roman virtue of Gravitas. Are my efforts and energy being used constructively reach my goals?

   What immediately caught my attention in Abdeslam Boulaich's "Cowardice" is how the introduction reads like the beginning of a joke. This story being significantly shorter than the others we have read also lent itself to this idea. However, by the end, you realize this story reads more like a proverb than a joke, and the "punchline" is more akin to an observation of humanity. I interpreted this story as a way of communicating the idea that regardless of creed, we all lie (either to ourselves or others) to ultimately serve our own goals. Even when the Christian sees himself as having good intentions at the end of the story, he is still disposed towards lying for his own sake. As humans, are we all predisposed to lying for our own self-interest?