"A & P" By: John Updike

A & P by John Updike is an intriguing short story. The story begins with the sentence, "in walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits." This first line immediately drew me into the story and I was anxious to find out where the girls were walking around. I was quite surprised to find out that they were in a grocery store. It was somewhat humorous. As the story continued from the male narrator's perspective, I realized that he was very critical of the girls and their physical appearances. The twist comes at the end when the narrator, Sammy, decides to quit his job. While he has not been sympathetic to the girls up to this point, he is offended by the way Lengel, the store owner, criticizes the girls for being in the store with bathing suits. Lengel tells the girls that they should be dressed "decently" when they come into the store. The girls claim that they are "decent." Even though Sammy has examined every part and move that the girls make in the store, he is sympathetic to them. It is interesting how he views himself as the "unsuspected hero" and comes to their rescue. He quits his job as a statement. He defends their honor. This was a very satisfying ending and in a way surprising. I enjoyed this short story. 

Favorite passage: "You know, it's one thing to have a girl in a bathing suit down on the beach, where what with the glare nobody can look at each other much anyway, and another thing in the cool of the A & P, under the florescent lights, against all of those stacked packages, with her feet paddling along naked over our checkboard green-and-cream-rubber-tile floor." 

Why I like it: I like this passage because it creates a contrast between the expected and the unexpected. We expect to see girls in bathing suits at the beach. We do not expect to see them in the cold and boring environment of a grocery store. I really like the image of the florescent lights and the stacked packages as a background for the girls in bathing suits.

Purpose it serves:  This passage shows us how out of place the girls are in the setting of the grocery store. It connects the end of the story when Lengel says that the girls are not "decent" to be in the store. They do not belong under florescent lights and on tile floor, but they belong on a beach with the warm sun hitting them. 

"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" By: Gabriel García Márquez

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel García Márquez is a mystical short story. Many aspects of the story include a contrast between the complexity of the natural and the supernatural. The angel came to help Pelayo and Elisenda because their child was very sick. The couple quickly took advantage of the angel and used him to their own advantage. They put him in a cage and they charged admission to view him. Pelayo and Elisenda were ecstatic with all of their money and they even bought themselves a larger home. It was disappointing to me that they were not grateful for the angel's help. At the end, when the angel leaves them, Elisenda says that he was, "no longer an annoyance in her life but an imaginary dot on the horizon of the sea." This shows she and her husband did not really appreciate having the angel around and all the good he brought to them.

3 Questions:
1) Is Gabriel García Márquez making a comment on human nature and how many people do not appreciate kind acts towards them?
2) Why did Pelayo and Elisenda react so selfishly toward the angel?
3) Why was the angel characterized as an old man with enormous wings rather than a more mystical being?

"Half A Day" By: Naguib Mahfouz

Half A Day by Naguib Mahfouz is short story that reminisces about the past. He takes us on a trip down memory lane. Mahfouz creates a dynamic that seems dominantly negative. He talks about the corporal punishment that is used in his school setting. It seems as though the main character is deeply confused by his past and wants to break it down. This was an interesting read that definitely took a while to fully comprehend.

Dating Advice

If you have a secret crush, keep it a secret. You can give subtle hints like laughing at his joke or smiling at him when he passes you. Stay cool and calm. If he takes the hint and decides to ask you for coffee do not say yes right away. Play hard to get. Tell him your busy but would love to do it when things settle down. After coffee never ask him when you are going to see him again. Just tell him it was fun. Still keep your crush a secret. It is always good to keep yourself a mystery and have them chase you. Have fun and do not let your major crush distract you. Hope this helps and good luck!

"How to date a brown girl (black girl, white girl or halfie)" By: Junot Diaz

"How to date a brown girl (black girl, white girl or halfie)" by Junot Diaz is a dating manual. This short story breaks down the dating game into step by step instructions.  Diaz takes into account all different dating possibilities. It has humor but at the same time contains some stereotypical perspectives. One line that really stuck with me was at the beginning and end of the story. Diaz says to get ready for the date you must, "clear the government cheese from the refrigerator."You have to impress your date. The story ends with the same line which links the short story together. The last line of the story is, "put the government cheese back in its place before your mom kills you." He does not want his mother to know that he is embarrassed by his background. I like the full circle of the story. This was an unusual but interesting read.

Alternate Ending for John and Mary in "Happy Endings"

G.  John and Mary meet when they are 18 years old. They are both students at a local university. During the first week of school, they meet during freshman orientation and are immediately enamored by one another. They do everything together. They travel together and meet each other's families. After graduation, they get married and they move to a big city. Mary becomes and architect and John is a scientist. They have two children and a dog. Life is great. Then one day, Mary meets George, another architect. They fall in love. Mary informs John that she wants a divorce. John is devastated but agrees to the divorce. John and Mary are divorced. Mary begins a new life with George in a new city. John works hard in his lab and hopes to meet another woman of his dreams.

Happy Endings By: Margaret Atwood

Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood left me intrigued. I reread each section a couple of times until I realized that no matter what happened the characters died. I guess Margaret Atwood is right when she says, "the endings are the same however you slice it." At some point everyone will die. As the stories progressed, they became shorter with less substance. Atwood did this intentionally to show no matter what happens in someone's life the end result is the same. The beginning paragraphs are somewhat humorous and by the end the paragraphs are filled with sorrow. This was a short story that really makes the reader think about life.