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Dorothy Howard
Lit. 2205-525
Dr. Cassel
6 August 2014
Introduction to Anthology
People read short stories for a variety of reasons. The most obvious is that its short, gets to one point
quickly with a few characters. Fictional writing is generally done just to entertain readers. They can be a
source of entertainment, escape, fantasy and much more. A great short story captivates its reader.
Some authors create stories with a singular point of view, while others introduce more complex plots
and storylines. Some stories contain immense power, since they allow tellers and listeners to confront
the past together and share otherwise unknowable experiences. When one is internally consumed by
resentment, they become isolated and it takes an extreme event such as a great loss to regain inner
peace. Loneliness and isolation are forces as destructive as any piece of ammunition. In repeatedly
emphasizing the impact of worry, fear and solitude, the thoughts and actions of the characters can
become very dangerous and destructive creating an exciting story! The stories in my collection: Sonnys
Blues by James Baldwin, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte P. Gilman, The Things They Carried by
Tim OBrien, A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor and The Moth by Helena M.
Viramontes all share these characteristics.
The literary elements that connect my stories are the themes, conflicts, and symbolisms. The themes
have recurring social and psychological issues like fear, mental health, isolation, violence, aging,
maturity and death. The authors have weaved the theme into the plots, which is used as a vehicle to
convey the message. The titles of the stories are often of significance in recognizing the theme.
The stories are suspenseful with psychological and physical suffering with a touch of gothic. The authors
have no narrative physical description of the characters so readers must form a picture of the characters
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based on their dialogue. This is a great way to draw the reader into the story as they visualize and
formulate the characters.
Themes
The authors rely on the uniqueness of their own perspective and life experiences as in OBriens The
Things They Carried and Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper. The wifes mental breakdown in Gilmans
The Yellow Wallpaper when she said, But here I can creep smoothly on the floor and my shoulder just
fits in that long smooch around the wall, so I cannot lose my way. Ive got out at last, in spite of you and
Jane! And Ive pulled off most of the paper, so you cant put me back in (313). Gilmans focus is on the
psyche and its influence as examples of both psychological realism and gothic fiction. She lets her
character slowly fall into the abyss of madness. It could be considered a detailed and emotionally
charged account of depression and despair, especially since it is told from the vantage point of her
actually suffering a nervous breakdown. In OBriens The Things They Carried Lieutenant Cross shares
the psychological things the soldiers carry through war. The daily burden of trying to survive each day
with its many horrors is mentally and physically hard. He said, They carried all the emotional baggage of
men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing-these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own
mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight, they carried shameful memories (613).
Conflict
In A Good Man Is hard To Find the main conflict is religion and the grandmother. The grandmother
claims to be very religious. Shes very self-righteous and judgmental. The grandmother has conflict with
everyone. Because of her own desires and always wanting to be right she leads her son, daughter-in-law
and grandchildren on a dangerous and destructive journey. She lies about everything and talks her son
into making a stop to a make-believe place. The son follows her advice and goes off the main road. They
run into the escaped, serial killer, the Misfit. She has conflict with him but realizes she cant outsmart
him. There was a pistol shot from the woods, followed closely by another, then silence (625).
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In Sonnys Blues the conflict between two brothers and Sonnys conflict with drugs sends them on
the road to self-discovery as they learn things about each other and themselves. The brothers
experience death, drugs, self-hatred and many more emotions. As one brother slowly kills himself with
drugs the other kills himself with self-righteousness. He came by the house from time to time, but we
fought almost every time we met (35)
The Moths by Helena M. Viramontes is a story of a young Hispanic girl coming of age. She learns the
cycle of life from the death of her beloved grandmother. Her conflict is with all of her family, the church
and herself. Shes not close to her parents and siblings, but absolutely adores her grandmother. As she
cares for her grandmothers deceased body she experiences a spiritual change that could only come
through her grandmothers death. The moths symbolize a rebirth in her and her grandmother. I wanted
to rest my head on her on her chest with her stroking my hair, telling me about the moths that lay
within the soul and slowly eat the spirit up; I wanted to return to the waters of the womb with her so
that we would never be alone again (775).
The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien had many conflicts. The main conflict is the Vietnam War.
Besides the physical conflict and fighting that went on, there was a philosophical conflict. Just fighting
the terrain of jungles, tunnels and mountains was a conflict. Vietnam caused conflict within the soldiers.
The conflict was daily as the struggled to come to terms with the horrors of war and all of the pain that
theyve gone through in Vietnam. The uncertainty about the future and about the enemy and about the
purpose of even being there was tough on the soldiers. Of course the biggest conflict for Jimmy Cross
was the internal conflict concerning Martha, whom he daydreamed about all the time. It was phantom
jealousy he knew, but he couldnt help himself. He loved her so much (607)
In The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator must deal with several different
conflicts. She is diagnosed with temporary nervous depression and a slight hysterical tendency Most of
her conflicts, such as, differentiating from creativity and reality, her sense of entrapment by her
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husband, and not fitting in with the stereotypical role of women in her time, are centered around her
mental illness and she has to deal with them. She said, I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes
(303).The most obvious conflict the narrator has to deal with is living in the room with the yellow
wallpaper and differentiating creativity from reality. The narrator becomes fond of the wallpaper and
feels an excessive need to figure out the pattern. She says, I determine for the thousandth time that I
will follow that pointless pattern to some sort of conclusion (306).
Symbolism
In A Good Man Is hard To Find OConnor used the grandmothers hat, which she wears for the sole
purpose of showing that she is a lady, represents her misguided moral code. The only thing that matters
is her standing as a lady, a ridiculous concern that reveals her selfishness and flimsy moral conviction.
You wouldnt shoot a lady would you? The grandmother said and removed a clean handkerchief from
her cuff and begin to slap at her eyes with it (623).
In Sonnys Blues Baldwins use of symbolism brings them more tightly together like a real family.
Baldwin uses symbols such as lightness, darkness, ice, jazz music and the image from the book of Isaiah
of the "cup of trembling" to add more depth and meaning. The narrator describes a glass sitting over
Sonnys piano as shaking to highlight what a difficult and complicated position Sonny is in. He said,
Then he put it back on top of the piano. For me, then, as they began to play again, it glowed and shook
above my brothers head like the very cup of trembling (43). This image is borrowed from the Bible,
where the cup of trembling is used as a symbol to describe the suffering and fear that have plagued the
people. Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that plead the cause of his people, Behold, I have
taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more
drink it again ( King James Version, Isa. 51:22). It was a reminder of all of Sonnys suffering, while also
offering the chance for redemption and peace.
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In the The Yellow Wallpaper Gilman uses this nightmarish, hideous paper as a complex symbol to
create the portrayal of the oppression of women in the nineteenth century. Her twist on traditional
symbols that usually provide a sense of security and safety adds to this woman's own oppression,
contribute to the trapped feeling. The narrator is driven to make sense of the wallpaper and interpret it.
The narrator could not escape the predicament she was in and lost herself. But nobody could climb
through that pattern-it strangles so. I think that is why it has so many heads. She said, They go through,
and then the pattern strangles them off and turns them upside down (Gilman 311). The wallpaper
develops its symbolism throughout the story.
In The Things They Carried there was many symbols. The things they carried symbolized emotions
such as: comfort, fear, hurt, love, memories and much more. One symbolic gesture I thought was
particularly interesting was the soldier, Norman Bowker carrying the thumb of a dead Vietnamese boy.
It had been cut from a VC corpse, a boy of about fifteen or sixteen (609). The boys thumb symbolized
all of the faceless dead Vietnamese. There were hundreds of thousands of unidentified dead
Vietnamese. Bowker cut his thumb off as a reminder of what they had gone through in the war.
In The Moths the author uses moths and rebirth as symbolism and characterization to paint the
scene of a young girl that lost her way and ends up finding herself within her grandmothers (death)
cycle of life. Then the moths came. Small, gray ones that came from her soul and out through her
mouth fluttering to light, circling the single dull light bulb of the bathroom. Dying is lonely and I wanted
to go to where the moths were, stay with her and plant chayotes whose vines would crawl up her
fingers and into the clouds (774). She now knows what life is through death. Her grandmothers death
gives her a new meaning on life. She is able to feel again. The bathroom was filled with moths, and for
the first time in a long time I cried, rocking us, crying for her, for me, for Ama, the sobs emerging from
the depths of anguish, the misery of feeling half born, sobbing until finally the sobs rippled into circles
and circles of sadness and relief.(775). The young girl accepts who she is and has found peace.
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Overview
A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery OConnor is a fascinating story of a stubborn, self-righteous
grandmother who leads her son, Bailey, his wife and children on a journey of terror. The grandmother
tries to convince her son, Bailey to take the family to east Tennessee for vacation instead of Florida. She
points out an article about the Misfit, an escaped serial killer, heading toward Florida. On the day of the
trip, the grandmother hides her cat in a basket in the car. She wears a dress and hat with flowers on it so
that people will know she is a lady if theres an accident. On the way they stop to eat. Then bak on
their way. Back in the car, the grandmother wakes from a nap and realizes that a plantation she once
visited is nearby. She convinces her son to turn off on a dirt road. The family drives deep into the woods.
The grandmother made a mistake about the plantation. Horrified at her mistake, she jerks her feet, the
cat jumps on Baileys neck, causing him to wrecks the car. The childrens mother breaks her shoulder,
but no one else is hurt. A passing car stops, and three men get out, carrying guns. The grandmother
shrieked, She scrambled to her feet and stood staring. Youre The Misfit! she said. I recognize you at
once!(623).Yesm the man said, but it would have been better for all of you, lady if you hadnt of
reckernized me (623).
Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin is a story centered around the conflict between two very different
brothers. One is a teacher and the other a heroin addict, jazz musician. The story gives the readers an
inside look into family, drug addiction and socioeconomic struggles in the Black community, and the
language of Jazz music. Its a story about an aspiring musicians life as it is seen through his older
brothers eyes. They have extremely different views on music being a source of income. The conflicts
between Sonny and his brother are brought about due to Sonnys struggle with heroin and Sonny
wanting to make a living from playing music. It sends them on a journey of self-discovery as they learn
things about each other and themselves. The brothers experience death, drugs, self-hatred and many
more emotions. As one brother slowly kills himself with drugs the other kills himself with self-
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righteousness. The self-righteous brother finally goes to hear his brother Sonny play his music and both
of their lives are changed. Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last that he could make us
free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did (43).
In Charlotte Perkins Gilmans the Yellow Wallpaper the story takes you on a journey of
psychological fear as you watch a woman plumage into shear madness. Gilman herself suffered from
depression and unfortunately committed suicide. The narrator is driven to make sense of the yellow
wallpaper in her bedroom and interpret it. She has recently had a child and is suffering from post-
partum depression. An ailment doctors in the early nineteen hundreds knew nothing about. Upon
retreating to an isolated mansion her husband, John, a doctor, thinks it best to confine her to an upstairs
room for her mental well-being. He has told her that she should not write anything, which she loves to
do. She thinks theres a woman behind bars creeping in the wallpaper, attempting to break free. The
narrator begins to tear down pieces of the wallpaper to rescue this trapped woman. As she tries to free
the woman in the wall paper her decent into madness escalates. John tries to get into the room, its
locked. John, frantic, finds the key and unlocks the door and enters the room. Shocked by what he sees.
What is the matter? He says, For God sakes, what are you doing! (313). He faints! Hes too late!
Tim OBriens The Things They Carried is a riveting story of First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his
troop of American soldiers in the Vietnam War. OBrien describes the soldiers in a way that captivates
your heart as you experience the emotional trails they endured in the war. OBrien himself was in the
Vietnam War and knows first hand the horror, fear, pain and the things one carries in war.
Exposed to the horrors of war the mens notions of right and wrong shift and bend. OBriens stories
show that the jungle blurs boundaries between right and wrong. The brutal killing of innocents on both
sides cannot be explained, and in some moments of disbelief, the men deal with the pain of their
feelings. The things the characters carry are both tangible and intangible. While they all carry heavy
physical loads, they also all carry heavy emotional loads, composed of grief, terror, love, fear and
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longing. Each mans physical burden underscores his emotional burden. Henry Dobbins, for example,
carries his girlfriends pantyhose and, with them, the longing for love and comfort (607). As the soldiers
fight mentally and physically they try to withstand the daily trials. Death is at every step, every second.
They carried diseases, among them malaria and dysentery. They carried lice and ringworm and leeches
and paddy algae and various rots and molds. They carried the land itselfVietnam, the place, the soila
powdery orange-red dust that covered their boots and fatigues and faces. They carried the sky. The
whole atmosphere, they carried it, the humidity, the monsoons, the stink of fungus and decay, all of it,
they carried gravity (610).
The Moths by Helena M. Viramontes is a story of a young Hispanic girl coming of age. She learns the
cycle of life through the death of her beloved grandmother, Abuelita. She is an outcast and not close to
her parents and siblings, but absolutely adored her grandmother. Her grandmother is the only one who
makes her feel safe. The grandmothers death represents great loss because the grandma was the only
person that gave her a sense of hope. The grandmother must die so the girl can let go of her resentment
and experience a rebirth and accepting herself. After the grandmother dies she carries her to the
bathtub. As she lays next to her she experiences a spiritual change that could only come through her
grandmothers death. The moths symbolize a rebirth in her and her grandmother. I wanted to rest my
head on her on her chest with her stroking my hair, telling me about the moths that lay within the soul
and slowly eat the spirit up; I wanted to return to the waters of the womb with her so that we would
never be alone again (775). The way the young girl transformed from being immature to having to face
death and being a mature care-giver relates to the way her grandma transformed from death.
Comments
My anthology is a diverse collection of stories. Each author displays his or her technical skills and
unique style. The collection is fresh and memorable. The antagonists in the stories offer a plethora of
excitement and suspense. The psychological journey is a roller coaster of fear, horror and disbelief. I
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gasped at the shocking story endings. The stories are entertaining and riveting and I wished they were
longer. This collection has made me want to read more stories by the authors. I thoroughly enjoyed
each story and give them a Big Thumbs Up!





















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Works Cited
Baldwin, James. Sonnys Blues. The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Ed. Richard Bausch and
R.V. Cassill. 7th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. 603-615. Print. (35, 43).
Gilman, Charlotte P. "The Yellow Wallpaper." The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction: New
York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. 302-313. Print. 313, 306,311, 313.
OBrien, Tim. The Things They Carried. The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Ed. Richard Bausch
and R.V. Cassill. 7th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. 603-615. Print.
OConnor, Flannery. A Good Man Is Hard To Find. The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Ed.
Richard Bausch and R.V. Cassill. 7th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. 625,623. Print.
Thus saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken
out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it
again (The King James Version, Isa. 51:22.
Viramontes, Helena Maria. Moths. The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Ed. Richard Bausch and
R.V. Cassill. 7th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. 603-615. Print. 775, 774, 775