Hola, mis amigos! Hoy es el quince de marzo y I have just finished reading two more obligatory short stories. Both of them, fortunately, were substantially more interesting and engaging than "Barn Burning"; I was actually able to complete them without so much as one droopy eyelid. Things can only go up from here I suspect, far above "Barn Burning" and the nadir of my literary career. I don't have long to write today, but in the time that I do currently possess I will try to recount my experiences whilst reading "How to Become a Writer" and "Everyday Use". So settle down, tuck into a nice bowl of plum pudding, and enjoy my rather jejune literary reviews.
The first story on my agenda happens to be "How to Become a Writer" by Lorrie Moore. Perhaps the best and most marketable difference between this short story and "Barn Burning" is the general tone of voice of the piece as a whole. As one may or may not be able to discern from my particular style of writing, I have a natural predilection toward literary styles that are at least partially sarcastic, humorous, or British in nature. While not exactly fulfilling my last requirement, the subtle sarcasm and mocking wit of "How to Become a Writer" made for a very enjoyable experience for myself. To give some background, the short story chronicles the literary journey of a girl from childhood through adulthood. The girl is presented with a variety of challenges throughout her life, such as a career conflict, plot development troubles, familial issues, and general teenage drama. Unfortunately, this youth has one key foible that presents itself at numerous opportunities: she is absolutely obsessed with her writing career. Having read other similar works, I can personally connect to that struggle. Nearly all serious writers are consumed by their works to the point of sheer ridiculousness. Even I have experienced fleeting writing addictions at points in my life; I can recall waking up in the wee hours of the morning to find myself sitting up in bed with my hands typing some manuscript at some invisible keyboard. But I digress.
Perhaps the real reason I liked "How to Become a Writer" was because of its vaguely sarcastic panache that eerily mimicked my own. Throughout the piece, Moore's style seemed to be that of a typical "How to..." guide: it used direct commands to list steps necessary to reach a certain goal. While it may seem unremarkable at first, the true value of this rhetorical strategy can only be appreciated upon closer observation. The "guide" is revealed to be a specific instance of one girl's journey into writing in the guise of an explanatory text. The blend of formal and yet informal styles into one professional-looking piece really sealed the deal for me; "How to Become a Writer" now sits atop my list of favorite short stories until the next time I can visit the library.
Quickly, the next short story I read was "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker. The only reason I rank this story higher than "Barn Burning" is its superior writing; unlike William Faulkner, it is actually possible to understand Alice Walker when she writes. Having said that, I still was unable to really connect with the story at large. "Everyday Use" chronicles a black farm family's internal and external conflicts through the flashbacks and discussions of the mother. There are four main physical characters in the story, including mama, the "large, big-boned" black farming woman with "man-working hands"; Maggie, the rather lilliputian younger daughter badly scarred from the time the family's first house burned down; Dee, the older daughter who has more opportunity and virtue than either of the two other women; and Asalamalakim, the Muslim companion of Dee. The major conflict of the story can be seen in the interaction between Dee and Mama, both of whom have different notions about their own black ancestry. Essentially, the conflict occurs when Dee, now Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, tries to covet two of her grandmother's quilts. Wangero argues that she should be the rightful owner of the quilts because she alone can appreciate their true historical and ancestral value. Mama, however, gives the quilts to young Maggie instead, quoting the fact that Maggie could always make more should they ever fall apart. One can thus see the argument as one of functionality versus historicalality that coincidentally mimicks the beliefs and experiences of each participant.
By all means, "Everyday Use" should have been an engaging short story. But in reality, I simply didn't find that it piqued my interest even slightly. True, the writing was a significant improvement over "Barn Burning", but even so I couldn't connect to the story as profoundly as with "How to Become a Writer". Oh well. There's always next time I suppose. I think I'm resilient enough not to let two rotten apples ruin my literary love; I'll just hope that "Cathedral" and "Everything that Rises Must Converge" are better. For all of our sakes.
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