Friday, February 27, 2009

Given Her History/Eleven On Top

Given Her History April –May is a young girl who found herself, and her brother's dog Jake, abandoned in a ditch after her parents and her youngest brother were killed in a fire. She assumed her brother Billy had left her there before he fled town. She was found by members of the very small community, who convinced a reluctant teacher and her husband to take her and the dog in. Juris, a well respected figure in town, was kind to her and brought her clothes. He asked here where her older brother Billy went. It was widely believed that he set the fire and would return one day for April-May and the dog Jake. April-May was distrustful of all those in the community. They had never been friendly to her transient family. Her father was cruel and abusive. They were very poor and even had no running water. This set her apart socially from the rest of the small community. April-May knew that the teacher did not want her living with them. After the husband died, Vivian, an elderly long standing community member took them in. She seemed to understand April-May's difficulty relating to people and always communicated to her by talking to the dog. This seemed to open up a little crack in April-Mays veneer. She had times of laughing or smiling, and even had fun rebuilding a burnt-out rabbit hutch that Vivian had to make a playhouse. Throughout the story April-May had a few flashbacks to her life with her family. It gave the effect that she was working through some of her past, but there were only a few flashbacks. So it also gave the effect that she was trying to bury her past. she always thought Billy would returns for her and seemed to look forward to it, although he was mean to her when they lived at home. After two years, he returns, and tries to barge in on Vivian and intimidate her. Jake is going crazy. Vivian ends up shooting Billy. April-May looks at Jake and realized he was her protector, not Billy.

This story was sad and a commentary on how abuse can destroy lives. I also chronicled the isolation April-May felt from the community due to her station in life, her families past and their perceptions of her. Even the school teacher refused to teach school if she attended. Although the matriarch, Vivian, took her in, the community still did not accept her. I tried to think of comparison's with Eleven on Top. The only comparison that I see is that Vivian was a strong women who did what she thought was right for the girl and her dog. She also was not intimidated by Billy. The moods of both stories were sharp contrasts. Eleven on Top was largely fun and light, even with some gruesome crimes. It seemed a little surreal. Given Her History seemed all too realistic and sad. A commentary on the darker side of society. Eleven on Top was a good length. I think if it was longer it would have become to tedious, but if shorter would have lost the flow. Given Her History was fine as it was, but also could have been developed further and explained more of the past, where Billy went, why Vivian took in April-May, and what happened after Billy died. I enjoyed Eleven on Top more this week. I needed something light and happy to read.

So far I have read short stories by two women and two men. Am I being stereotypical in my thinking that women tend to explore feelings and emotions more than men? or at least in a different way? It seems like the men approach the stories in more direct and factual ways. When they address feelings it is quick and to the point, or inferred. The women tend to flesh out the emotional side of the story a little more.

Given Her History was a good story as far as the writing goes. I did not like it because it was too dark and sad for me. But the writing was good and the pace was fine. I did wonder what would happen when Billy came back, but expected a bad confrontation in which April-May might be harmed, so I was suprised at the ending.

I am realizing that short mystery stories are entirely different than what I would have expected. I also seems like a lot of good mysteries are dark and gloomy, because crime is dark and gloomy of course. That is why I think it is good, as a mystery lover, to have lighter stories now and then like Eleven on Top. Something to read when I want a puzzle, but not a social commentary or depressing crimes.

5 comments:

  1. Hey Mary, To me this short story is on my top list. So many of the other short stories jump around and leave out stuff and I guess I need to expect less from a short story. I am just the type that likes to know the whole story and what happens in the end. I don't like dark and gloomy either. I like happy endings. When I read this one I thought it had somewhat of a happpy ending because she had finally someone such as Vivian in her life to take care of her the right way.

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  2. Hi Mary -

    I think it is truly sad that these destructive and abusive patterns continue to be passed down, generation after generation. And to add insult to injury, society shuns them rather then reaches in to break the cycle of violence. A pretty sad commentary on the darker side our culture. Even though this is fiction, I truly believe that many real-life April-Mays will grow up to marry someone just like Billy, and that saddens me.

    Dave


    Dave

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  3. Mary,

    To comment on your question between male and female writers, in two of the selections I have read, one of them, THE BLIND MAN'S SIGHTED DAUGHTERS by Joyce Carol Oates, and this week's selection, A DAY MEANT TO DO LESS by Kyle Minor, both of them are very similar in nature. They both deal with adult children caring for older, ailing parents. I was originally under the impression that female writers also wrote in a more feeling and emotional way, and in some ways this is true. However, between the two selections I mentioned, I did find a lot of similarities and was surprised that I didn't feel as though something was lacking between them, specifically based on the gender of the author. Kyle Minor wrote as emotionally, although from the point of view of a male adult child as Oates wrote from the point of view of a female adult child.

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  4. I enjoyed your post! I echo that I am surprised by the differences of a short story mystery and our novels. I am finding that the short stories seems to be less of a mystery and more just a story of crime. It would also seem to me that, in the short stories, there seems to be a stronger difference between male and female authors. I wonder if, given a shorter period in which to develop a story, there is a stronger tendency to stick to a more basic level of understanding and inspiration, and we therefore see more gender identity worked into the story. It is surely an interesting trend and one worth further thought.

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  5. Hi. I also was beginning to think that there was a marked difference between the male and female authors, and how they approached their writings. I know I also originally thought that the female authors were more focused on emotion. But after really contemplating over the last few days, I'm thinking now that it's more about ME being a female, and my "trust" in the female writers to tell me about those emotions without judgement.

    I know when the male author of Black Betty tried to give me information about Betty's vulnerabilities, I was skeptical about his feelings about Betty. I assumed that, because he was a man pointing it out, he must be judgmental of her. In retrospect, I think it was just my interpretation and lack of trust in Walter Mosely to give me what I needed.

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