The Story of an Hour

When I read this story it reminded me of all those people out there who are stuck in a bad relationship, but in this story the wife gets out conveniently. Mrs. Mallard, who is young but has a heart problem, gets the news that her husband has passed away in an accident. She has pretty good control of her emotions, she weeps when it is appropriate but in her own privacy she experiences a joy that one may think she hadn't experienced since her childhood. She tries to reason with these feelings that overtake her as she realizes that she is now free from the burden of a loveless marriage (on her part). "There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself" (Chopin, 194). The statement seems to have two meanings, in one way it sounds like she is afraid she will be alone as she grows older, in another way it sounds like the weight has been lifted and she is free to do as she pleases living for noone but herself. The sex in this relationship seems to be more like work than of pleasure. "There would be no powerful will bending her in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature" (Chopin, 194). It seems like this would mean she had sex with her husband because he took care of her and provided for her, almost like room and board. The author does use foreshadowing in this story in paragraph 10, "[n]ow her bosom rose and fell tumultuously" (Chopin, 194). More on her physical excitement also appears in paragraph 11, "[h]er pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body" (Chopin, 194). The reader should pick up on this as one of the very first things you learn about her is that she has a heart condition.

The Lottery

The more I read this story, the less I liked it. It starts with an optimistic feel to it, with the children finishing school for the year, and people gathering in town and socializing, but it becomes mood continuously declines throughout the story. There is some foreshadowing to the mood decrease early on when the boys are gathering stones and when they nervously awaited while the men drew slips. "By now, all through the crowd there were men holding the small folded papers in their large hands, turning them over and over nervously”(Jackson 408). Later when it is determined what family has 'won' the lottery it becomes clear that this is not the type of lottery you want to win. The end of the story when the villagers are picking the stones up and Mrs. Hutchinson is getting hit in the head the story started to upset me. Their actions are foolish seeing as how they do it because it is a tradition and they do not even know the point to their cruel actions.

A Worn Path

I thought this story had lots of hidden details to it. Phoenix Jackson, an old Negro lady is walking down this path and has many problems along the way, but is always thinking about her grandson. On her path, she run into coons, wild hogs rabbits, beetles, foxes, owls, and wild animals. One statement that caught my eye was in the beginning when the Phoenix says "Seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far" (Welty, page 449). I feel that Phoenix was relating back to salvery. She also sees a scarecrow in a corn field. This scarecrow I feel isn't real, but Phoenix, I think, is seeing things along the way refering to slavery and how white people used to scare her. Phoenix says she walking this great path for her grandson to get medicine because he is sick. The story states over and over in the story how old Phoenix is. I think she is just seeing things along the way. She also sees a man that points a gun at her. The man says "Doesn't the gun scare you? and Phoenix says No, sir, I seen plenty go off closer by, in my day, and for less than what I done" (Welty, page 452). As the man points that fun at her, she holds very still and donesn't scare her, almost as if she was ready for something like that to happen. She sees dozens of black children playing around her. Phoenix reaches her destination and then one the nurses ask why she came and asks about her grandson. Phoenix stares silent and says "My grandson. It was my memory had left me. There I sat and forgot why I made my long trip" (Welty, page 454). This is why I believe that she was seeing things and that she was refering to slavery in the things that she describes. The doctor does give her some medicine and then old Phoenix heads back on that worn path home.

The Chrysanthemums

This story is about a farmer's wife. A hard working, lonely woman, whom meets a stranger unexpectedly. She is working in her garden, and a man in a wagon appears offering to sell her some of his trades, offering to polish her kettles, sharpen her scissors. The stranger and her get into a conversation of flowers. They both share a common interest in the planting. I think she feels a connection with him. He is actually taking time to be with her. Unlike her husband, he seems so busy with his steers.

The Lottery

"The Lottery" is a story that I wouldn't read again if I had a choice. When I read the story the first time, the excitement of the drawing and the gathering of the townspeople misled me to believe that something good was going to happen, money or a brand new wagon perhaps? But is the excitement in the near miss of death or is it the relief to get on with your life for one more year after you survive this drawing? I don't get it I guess. When I painfully read the story the second time, I saw the symbolism of the black box (death), Mr. Graves name, etc. I found a bit of irony in the quote "...but now that the population was more than three hundred and likely to keep on growing, it was necessary to use something that would fit more easily into the black box" (Jackson, 406). How is it that the population will keep growing when you are killing someone off every year, and why on earth would you move to town that exercised this particular type of ritual, when later in the story it tells of other towns doing away with "the lottery"? This was definitely a morbid tale.

Doe Season

I liked this story alot. To me, it was interesting, and made me want to keep reading it. It is about a young girl named Andy, who experiences her first hunting trip with her father, and a family friend and his son. The hunting party, except for her father, had doubts on Andy ever killing a deer. But she proves them wrong. She gets a shot at a doe, the doe runs off, and the hunt is on to try to find this doe. The doe isn't found, until the next day. But Andy had an encoutner with the doe that no one in the camp knew about. She is able to visibly see her shot and reach into the doe's wound, which she describes as "torn flesh sticky and warm." She feels the heart, warm and beating, but when Andy tries to remove her hand, she really struggles and she gets a terrible burning sensation. So, was the doe trying to let her experience pain too, like it was? She is free from the doe, goes back to camp, and the next morning they all go out to try and find it. The doe is found and is gutted out at that time by the others. Andy has a hard time watching this and leaves, which she seems, distraught.

"The Worn Path"

"She did not close her eyes, and when a little boy brought her a plate with a slice of marble-cake on it she spoke to him. "That would be acceptable," she said. But when she want to take it there was just her own hand in the air. " Eudora Welty pg 450. I start out with this quote from the story because right away we realize something isn't right with this woman? She may have dementia or have hallucinogens that she may not know of. Throughout the story shes constantly seeing things with the Scarecrow and the hunter and even her grandson, which we don't even know if he is real? When she arrives at the clinic/hospital the people ask her all kinds of questions and she doesn't answer like she had a black out like would if you had seizures. When a person has a black out they forget what they were doing and have an out of mind experience such in a way that Phoenix did. Phoenix's whole goal you would think is to get her medicine to her grandson in this story but in actuality its more about her life and the struggles she has been through. Maybe she was a slave in her earlier years? Or maybe she had family that were slaves? She talks to the nurse about how her and her grandson are the only two left in the world. Phoenix is all alone and believing that her grandson is still alive gives her the strength to make it into town and gives her something to do to pass the time.

This story is about a single,well to do woman, who spends her Sunday afternoons in a park admiring others. There is a parade of people and she almost acts as if she wants to be them in some sort of way. She is a lonely lady, hoping to meet a stranger, that she can call her own someday. Miss Brill was an observer, and enjoyed watching people. Almost as if she was a dreamer and wishing she had what others did. She is a lonely lady. A smart, intelligent woman. An english teacher who was anxious to share her experiences with her class. At the end of the story, it talks about how she was made fun of by a young couple. She left the park that day, feeling alone, sad, empty, as thought no one had a care for her in the world.

The Lottery

I did not like this story. All 300 towns people; men, women, and children all gathering around the town square as if there was a big party going on. "Children assembled first...stuffing pockets with stones...picking the smoothest and roundest stones. The men gathered next...speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes. Soon the women...calling the children" (405). It took me two times of reading this story to catch that the children were collecting rocks. I guess the first time I thought that they were just being boys, collecting and comparing rocks to pass the time while the adults take care of business. I was suprised how women were allowed to participate in the drawing if they did not have a man or grown son around. While reading it the first time I was also suprised of the lack of excitement to participate in the lottery. "Guess I gotta fill in for the old man this year" (407). However after finishing reading the first time I would be less than excited too.

I Stand Here Ironing

As I was reading this story, I was really saddened. I felt bad for Emily and her mother. Emily's mother was young, at age 19 she was living in the Great depression and single at the time raising her. I felt hurt when she sent Emily away to a convalescent home so she could concentrate on her other children. Emily is not a fast learner and as pretty as the other children. She wanted to be like them. Emily would eat only very little. I believe it was because she never felt loved and that the thought of food spoiled her appetite. Her mother always felt guilty but didn't really take much action in showing Emily love. I felt that she never did work on showing her very much love even when she tried. Her mother felt it was to late and kind of just gave up. Emily could tell and showed it through her actions toward her mother. Emily did find a different kind of love in which she was good at and felt important. Emily would perform shows for crowds, and crowds would love her talent. She thought she was somebody at last. Emily just wanted her mother's love and knowing what had happened to her in the past, she would never feel that kind of love that her other siblings had. I feel that there are many children like this and it makes me feel for those children. I can't imagine what they are thinking everyday and how it will affect their lives and possibly their children. Children do need love growing up, and most importantly during those younger years. I wonder if the author had any kind of problems like this when she was younger? I liked this story, but it was sad to me.

The Storm

The Storm was a good story to me. It starts out when a storm is about to roll into their town. Alcee was just riding his horse to Calixta's house. I thought maybe he knew that Bibinot wasn't at home. It seemed as if he wasn't worried about seeing Calixta alone. I was surpised to read that Alcee and Calixta were lovers in the end. I thought Alcee and Calixta were lovers in the past. The story states in this passage "that Calixta had not seen Alcee very much since her marriage and never alone." This stuck out to me because I thought maybe they had been together before Calixta got married, and Bibinot was suspicous of them two together alone. Alcee would fasinate about Calixta's body, lips, skin, and eyes. It was like he had been dreaming about her for a very long time. Bibinot was a very good husband to Calixta. Alcee was also married to Clarisse, who he wrote a letter to in the very end of the story, that "she should not hurry back and to to stay a month longer if needed. He was willing to bear the separation a while longer." I don't think that Alcee and Clarisse were a very happy married couple, but to stay together because they had children. They were good to each other but not happy. I think secretly Alcee and Calixta are both waiting for another storm.

Graded

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"The Lottery"

I did not like this story at all at first I wasn't quite sure what was going on in my mine a lottery is a good thing. All the towns people rush to be there like its a great thing but now that I look back and reread it a little I find that its not a good thing at all and don't understand why anyone would want to have this kind of a lottery? Everyone in the town had to be there and take a piece of paper from the black box that dated back who knows how long? According to the part stating "Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now, and she held her hands out desperately as the villagers moved in on her. "It isn't fair," she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head." Shirly Jackson pg 411. I was so appalled that someone would think up this sick game/lottery. From what I understand I guess its good if you don't get to be picked cause everyone gets to throw a rock at you? How long does this go on and every month? Is this a way for people if they have problems with someone to get back at them in some sick way? I guess I am confused at what was the point of this story and who would do such a thing?

A Good Man Is Hard to Find

This story is about a Grandmother, her three grandchildren, her son and daughter-in-law. They all live together and are discussing a family trip to Tennesseee to visit some relatives. The story starts out with the Grandmother discussing a newspaper article regarding three inmates that escaped from the state pen, and on their way to Florida. The Grandmother is bound and determined for the whole family to go to Tennessee, in hopes of not running into the inmates. So, the next day, the family packs up, and heads off for their vacation. The two oldest grandchildren, John Wesley, eleven years old and June Star, I'm thinking she is maybe around eight or nine, but seems to know more than she should. Both children are sassy and disrespectful. The daughter-in-law is just kind of there. She is busy with the baby, and the grandmother's son, Bailey seems to be a different character. I don't think he feels to much love for his mother. I think he just puts up with her. So they are on their way to Tennessee. They stop at a filling station for lunch and small discussion with the owners. They leave the station, and end up taking a "detour" to scenic route through a plantation. This of course is the grandmothers idea, and her and the children were able to persuade Bailey to take this detour. So the family is traveling on a dirt road, in which the grandmother was sure it was the right road, that she remembered. Turns out it was the wrong road, and entirely different road in a different state. They end up having an accident, flipping the vehicle. The daughter-in-law and baby get thrown out of the car, the grandmother is injured and the rest are okay. The family is sitting on the side of the road waiting for help and it turns out three men come across them. All three men get out and right away the Grandmother has suspicions that they are the "misfits" that have escaped from the prison. Right away there is conflict, one of the three men take the grandson and Bailey to the woods, they end up shooting them. The Grandmother is begging them, they kill her and finish the rest of the family off. I just was surprised that the ending turned out how it did. I wasn't expecting for all of them to die. The Grandmother was a talker, and I thought she could of persuaded the men off in another direction and they would of been left alone and went off on their vacation.