It becomes ghoulish and obscene when one reflects that these people are Colby's friends! What could he have possibly done to deserve such animosity from his own friends? One is left to dangle precariously since no answer to that question is revealed. But the narrator does point out that no one ever went too far again.
The most egregious part of the discussion occurs in contemplating whether rope or wire should be used for the hanging. One friend who has been quiet all along suddenly advocates the wire. A wire? Surely not, Colby would assuredly suffer to excess by choking and likely decapitation. His friends cannot be serious and Colby's luck at last wins him some solace as he is granted a reprieve from the wire (Some of Us). The narrator uses caution for the environment as a way to get the others to back off the idea of a wire since it would hurt the tree! Of all the stories, this one is hardest to digest because it makes clear that the friends successfully exterminate Colby. Punishing a friend by death, for whatever act, is so unexpected along with the manner of these friends, so mundane and unassuming, that the story achieves the absurd. Another part of this story that catches the reader's attention is that this group apparently believes they have the authority to judge one another's actions. Again noticing that no one else ever went "too far again" implies this 'authority'.
Jason Vines call the town in Barthelme's "A City of Churches" a sick town. ("A Sick Town"). Vines points to Barthelme's use of irony and diction to reflect a society of virtual uniformity with no buildings except churches (A Sick). The story is definitely strange with its' endless churches and sense of total conformity. Any claims of choice in religion is simply untrue since so many other religious groups are excluded, not to mention non-believers ("A City of Churches"). All services, businesses, living quarters, jobs, everything is located in one of the many churches. Cecelia, who is planning to open a branch of a car rental agency, comes to Prester and discovers unfathomable distrust of all things not of Prester. Mr. Phillips welcomes Cecelia to Prester and shows her about town explaining how things operate there (A City). He shows her an apartment in a belfry, including the church bell. Cecelia wants a different place, and Phillips offers to show her one where she will share with others but ther e is no bell. Cecelia wants one where she does not share with others. This is simply not done! Mr. Phillips admits all the buildings are churches and asks Cecelia her religious preference who fails to identify any denomination. However, Cecelia offers that she can "will" her dreams, or at least most of them and Mr. Phillips asks about the content of these dreams. Cecelia tells him the subject matter is sexual, which is clearly not acceptable in Prester (A City).
As she begins to realize that Prester is not the place for her, Cecelia lets Mr. Phillips know of her reluctance. But Mr. Phillips identifies Prester as "perfect" and that with some work Cecelia will fit in well. She is uninterested and in her haste to go, Mr. Phillips grabs her arm, in an...
Postmodern Lit. An Analysis of the Postmodern Short Story Robert Coover's "Going for a Beer" passes like a dream: the faint perceptions of a man who does not know if he is coming or going -- or as Coover puts it, whether he has achieved an "orgasm" or not -- in the midst of various connections and misconnections to an assortment of characters. At the end, his life is over and all
Storytelling Review of Literature For hundreds of years, stories have been used to teach children about morality and ethics. Indeed, many of the same myths, legends and fairy tales have been handed down from generation to generation, remaining largely intact. However, these myths also contain hidden meanings that illuminate the cultural or historical aspects of their origin. The first part of this paper studies the literature examining hidden meanings, cultural norms and morals
In Miller's Batman, one sees a man waging war on a world that has sold its soul for empty slogans and nationalism: the Dark Knight represents a kind of spirit reminiscent of what the old world used to call the Church Militant -- he is virtue violently opposed to all forms of vice -- even those that bear the letter S. On their chests and come in fine wrapping. Miller's
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