Readings

“Return”

The narrators critical moment is when she physically crosses the boarder into Cambodia. “On foot, we crossed the boarder and I mentally went and kissed the little sign in Cambodian Khmer Land. My eyes filled with tears, I took a fistful of Earth and I out it in my pocket, my earth (29).” By physically crossing this boarder she crossed an emotional threshold as well. She is finally in a place that she has come to recognize as her home and physically becoming part of it has created her critical incident.

“Give Me Back My Coat”

The narrator of this short story I obsessed with suicide. He considers all the different possible ways he could die, and yet manages to talk himself out of each one. He finds a reason or detain within each method that deters him and forces him to find another possible method. Finally, he creates the perfect scenario. However, it is foiled by “you.” When his perfect idea is foiled, it torments him internally: “I was even more distressed that before. I struggled to open the door to the house and then double-bolted it. I felt like the loneliest person in the world, swollen everywhere, without a coat, or anything of value. I couldn't kill myself in that state. It would have been wrong. You have to take stock of reality (43).” Since his plan could not be carried out he is left, trapped in his mind, to think of the chaos “you” created.

“Light Beer and Peanuts”

Color is very important to the narrator. It is something she struggles with in Italy and India. It seems as though she in unable to fit in anywhere and resorts to the use of products to camouflage her appearance. Her mother buys her “anti-wrinkle cream for her face, and firming cream for her body, a jar of cellulite cream and conditioner, a horse-hair glove for bathing, eye cream, dental whitening powder, and some other potions that would be lined up under the bathroom mirror or piled up on the pink vanity in the pink bathroom...(52).” After she buys into this 'look' she realized that her being natural may be the best option even though she concludes with “You can't say being natural is always the best look (53).”

“The B-Line”

he narrator begins discussing all of the words that have died inside of her. Her own thoughts are trapped by the words of the metro, symbolizing how her culture and background is trapped by the new society that she has entered. She never seems to have a critical point or incident but one can see her internal turmoil at its peak when she says “The words inside assail me like flashes, sudden musical chords or like something that snaps (54).” even though it is seen how deep her internal struggle is, she remains wordless, trapped still by the society that is not hers.

“The Beggar”

I found the interesting theme of word-loss as connected with the authors story “The B-Line” to be particularly interesting. His fascination with all words and rejection of some indicate that the words for the beggar have more weight and volume than the paper they are written on. This is most clearly defined with the word absence: “The poet fit ABSENCE into his box – and what a strange thing! It took up more space than UNCONSTITUTIONALLY (63).” His box is saturated with words but he has to sleep in order to use them. This reflects his relationship to society and that he is disconnected and cannot fully participate because a barrier has been created between him and society.