Adam, Response 2 impressions

In the Jewish tradition, when someone dies, there is a practice called "sitting shiva." I might have the details and nuances wrong, but basically it means that people come over and sit with you, without expectation. I think this is a very important practice. I've been blessed not to have anyone very close to me die, but I imagine that having someone near you, not necessarily saying anything, but there, could be reassuring.

The baker inadvertantly sit shiva with Ann and Howard. He allows them space to be. He is in some ways the perfect practitioner for this ritual. He is socially isolated and can only offer food, literal nourishment, after so much loss and emptiness. His story of loneliness allows the parents to focus on something else, and to sit together with what was, and is, a total stranger. Sitting shiva (as I, perhaps incorrectly understand it) wouldn't work best with certain family members. They're too close. But this big burly guy, without a life, is what is needed at this certain time and place.

I also really like that there is no wallowing in pity. There is immediate anger at the baker, but ultimately there is respect and closeness from a distance, if that makes sense. The baker is a safe stranger.

Overall I appreciated Carver's careful language. His description about wavering on whether to go home or not seems to be as true to life as is possible in a story like this. And it works. In a hospital there always seems to be some sort of expectation on what one is supposed to do, say, and act that is never really stated, but the environment makes one feel that there's a right way to do things. At least that's how I've felt. Or maybe it's that the environment is just filled with life and death, that causes the constant uncomfortableness. But surrounded by fresh, rich dark, sweet, complex bread and a large, simple man, comfort can be found.

As I read I knew I would need to post a video, and this song ran through my head constantly during the middle. Sort of obvious, but good. I'd never seen the video for it before. If you don't know French (I don't), the translation is the most commented post.

"love is watching someone die" "What Sarah Said"-Death Cab for Cutie



(sorry guys, you'll have to copy and paste. My computer won't let me hyperlink, after I already had it linked, tried to change it, now it won't link. Sometimes I hate computers despite the joy they bring. argh.)

A happy little story? (Response 1)

I thought that maybe this was going to be just a happy little birthday party story. Then it wasn't. It was better.

Halfway through, the slow simple sentences built tension to the point that I wasn't sure if it would be a better story if the boy died or if he woke up and was fine for a while, and/or then died... I really enjoyed how straightforward the sentences were. At times I thought, well he's gotta die, but then Carver seemed to give just enough doubt that I wanted the boy to pull through for these sad folks.

It was clear halfway through that the story was going to be about loss to some degree, if not the loss of life, then definitely the loss of childhood, or hope. So my predictions as I read mostly came true. I was pleasantly surprised at the baker's being awakened from his sad life by the family. They shared a moment, and pain, and loneliness-some fresh and some that had grown for a long time into a disconnection.

I looked of course for the small, good thing until it showed up, and was pleasantly surprised by what it was. I'll write more about that in my second response.

The story also had a lot to say about waiting. I'll share with your guys a short piece I wrote for Cercone on the topic of waiting. A painful, helpless, anxious feeling.

A Small, Good Thing (Responses 1 and 2)

Apologies. I had written my posts within the comments.

Response 1:

            I had already read “A Small, Good Thing” by the time I had seen the prompt for this week. Since I already know what happens in the story, I would like to discuss my preconceptions about the short story and how they were met by the text.

I would like to start by examining the title of the short story. “A Small, Good Thing,” in my opinion, is a very broad and unspecific title. I think that the title is very intelligent because it doesn’t really allow the reader to form very specific preconceptions about the plot. Carver, very intelligently, avoids specifics. The same can be said with the first line of the short story, “Saturday afternoon she drove to the little bakery in the shopping center” (804). The line leaves little room for preconception. We know what day it is, what time of day it is, that there is a female character, and that she is going to the shopping center. However, we learn nothing too specific where we can make any assumptions about the plot. Rather than saying “Ann drove,” Carver uses a pronoun (she) to mask her identity. Instead of naming the little bakery and the shopping center, Carver chooses to simply call the two places “little bakery” and “shopping center.” In a sense, we are given very small details as we read each sentence. This may be a little adventurous, but we can look at these details as “small good things” that eventually accumulate and become a larger thing (characterization, plot). Essentially many works of literature follow this trend, but the title of this work paired with its textual mechanics really made me think about it. With these things being said, I didn’t really have many preconceptions about the plot in its entirety after reading the title. In fact, I had no idea what the story was going to be about so I was more excited to get into reading it.

The title, though, did make me think about small moments and how much weight they carry (sometimes it really is the little things that matter). I suppose one could argue that the reality of the text is that small things do matter and they are often starting points for bigger things (the process of grieving, for instance). More specifically, it seems that “a small good thing” is a good place to start (while grieving, or taking part in a larger process) and its presence is elevated by the negative things that may have happened beforehand. To bring this notion back to the text, the small act of eating cinnamon buns in the bakery meant so much more to Ann and Howard because of what they just went through with their son getting hit by a car and dying. Eating cinnamon buns and talking with the baker may have not been as rewarding if negative actions did not occur beforehand. We can even bring this idea full circle and relate the textual happenings to the process of reading. My preconceptions were formed by “A Small, Good Thing,” the title of the story. This small good thing, a title, was a good place for me to start the process of reading and analyzing text (similar to how the cinnamon buns were a good place for Ann and Howard to start). Ann and Howard’s consumption of cinnamon buns and talking to the baker were escalated by their son’s death; whereas, my curiosity after reading the title was elevated due to the fact I had never read anything from Carver before and he had not been too detailed in his title and the first sentence of his story.

I had stumbled upon this story thinking I was going to read a very short story (I heard rumors that Carver wrote in a minimalist style) and I read a much longer work. I hadn’t really thought about what the story would be about, but Carvers writing style kept me hooked.  My preconceptions were not well detailed, but I had expected something small to mean something larger, and I think the reality of the text proves that notion to be somewhat correct. 

Response 2:

After reading “A Small, Good Thing” I must say that I really like Carver’s writing style and the way in which the story was presented. He starts us off with miniscule details and we soon know tons of information about Ann, Howard, and the inner-workings of their family. I am intrigued by the delivery of the story and the development of the characters. More specifically, I like the way in which we find out information about the characters (both through their discussion and the way the narrator describes their actions). I’m not sure if anyone else feels this way, but I feel as if there is a very dreary to this story. Even before Scotty is put into the hospital, it feels like something bad is going to happen. I think the stature and blankness of the baker foreshadows negative implications for the characters. In many ways, the baker halts any positive vibes we get upon reading the beginning of the text. When I think about birthday cakes and birthdays, I generally think happy thoughts. However any happy thoughts about birthdays ceased once I read, “the baker was not jolly” (Carver 804). To be honest, I was more curious about the baker than I was about the Scotty, Ann, or Howard. Ann’s meeting with the baker resonated in my head as I continued to read the rest of the story. His constant phone calls also made him more mysterious; at times he seemed like a complete psychopath. I think, though, that I only viewed him as cruel based on the fact that I knew Scotty was in the hospital.

There are many tensions within the plot of “A Small, Good Thing.” First, there is the most obvious tension between Ann, Howard, and the baker. This conflict is inevitably resolved when both parties realize that there isn’t much difference between them. At the end of the story, they are both lonely and are both, in a strange way, finding comfort in one another. Then, there is the conflict taking place between Ann and herself. She seems to feel as if she is a terrible mother and one might argue that she felt guilty about not living up to her past promises about moving (the ones she made while praying). Lastly, there is conflict between the baker and self. This tension isn’t really evident until the end of the story, but we see that he is an extremely confused person and isn’t really as bad as he seems at first. His confusion is evident in those final paragraphs, “I don’t know how to act anymore, it would seem” (829). I think there is some type of closure at the end of the story, though. I feel as if the baker and Ann and Howard console in one another (both parties are lonely and very confused).

My favorite lines in this story are the lines that the baker speaks to Ann and Howard. These were my favorite because, as I said before, the baker’s actions in the beginning of the story made me curious. The paragraph where he talks to Ann and Howard give us some insight into his life and allows us to view him from a different perspective. I had also not expected the baker to be kind at any point in the story and was surprised that he had some personal issues. The bakers character makes me think about the people we randomly see or meet during our lives. Sometimes we’ll look at someone and assume we know everything about them simply by observing their posture. However, as the baker shows, there is much more to a person than how they present themselves. There is something beyond their presentation that only a conversation can uncover. I enjoy how Carver ends the story with the baker, Ann, and Howard all eating and talking as the sun rises. The “high pale cast of light in the windows” (830) could also be symbolic of better days (the sun and its brightness).

For my video/song I decided on "Spanish Sahara" by Foals. Mostly due to the lyrics and the theme of isolation that seems to be dominant in the video:

James Response #2

We’ve all been there. Long hours that stretch for days. Exhausting. Emotional. We’ve all been stuck in a hospital at some point in our lives. It is an excruciating experience, one that Raymond Carver captures in the first half of “A Small Good Thing.” I almost grew frustrated at the pace of the story, before realizing what I believed the author to be doing. Reading about Ann and Howard, the uncertainty, the stress, the sleeplessness—you feel what they feel, you feel hopeless and scared. You are in the room with them, wringing your hands, perhaps saying a prayer, waiting for the little boy to pull through.

Carver also explores other aspects of these traumatic experiences. Ann and Howard are constantly pulled by forces of guilt and paranoia. They struggle with the thought of leaving their son for basic necessities. I am also taken back to a trying time in my life when Ann is nitpicking exactly what the doctor has said, and how he said it. You look for anything—anything that might give away some answer, when in reality the doctor must only have good intentions. Carver adds to this paranoia in Ann and the reader him/herself by having the doctor constantly popping in and popping out, always saying the right thing but always waiting for the boy to wake up. He gives us hope. He gives us something, yet nothing at all. And because of this, as readers, we are imprisoned in that hospital along with Ann and Howard.

While this only encapsulates half of the story, I like to think it is the key. Through their awful hospital experience, the parents starve themselves of any real nourishment. We are brought into this world of theirs and we suffer with them. After the whole misunderstanding with the baker is worked out, and they begin to fill themselves up on warm bread, we are satiated as well. After a long and arduous few days, this is the start of the healing.

As for the music video, I went with "Grapevine Fires" by Death Cab For Cutie. It's a slow and depressing song that has beams of hope and light that shine through if you really listen. The song is dealing with a tragedy (specifically the wildfires in California I believe), yet the voice in it is looking for something to hold on to (a lover, family, possessions from our homes). I think the melancholy and touch of hopefulness capture Carver's story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8ZUV9IBEXY

James Response #1

I really don’t know what I was expecting from Raymond Carver’s “A Small Good Thing.” I have found in the past that short stories can vary greatly. Some are entertaining and have an incredible twist at the end, while some can just simply glide along beautifully and make you think. I don’t think I was expecting much of the former. Most short stories I have read in my collegiate studies are more illuminating, dramatic pieces that make you appreciate nuance. From Carver’s reputation, I placed him in that category.

I suppose the title made me think that someone would have to appreciate something…well, small. Something that is often overlooked or not necessarily thought of as important. By the time I read through the story, that thing is said to be the warm baked goods. But what is it really? What is Carver really saying? I thought the “small, good” thing would be something tangible, but I’m coming to realize that there is something bigger here. Is it companionship? Or the small steps that one takes in the process of healing? I’m interested to hear other people’s thoughts on what this might be.

A Small, Good Thing

Response 2

Considering this was the first short story I had read by Carver I was intrigued by all facets of the reading experience. I was attempting to observe his style while also establishing the characters and the emotion of their relationships. Though all of my predictions turned out to be wrong, they made the outcome of the story slightly more interesting. Earlier I was going to wager that the baker was important based on the initial description devoted to him, but didn’t feel it strongly enough to write it.

I found all of the characters interesting based on their close and constant interaction. The doctor was hard to dissect though, as if his competence was called into question based on his only abilities being false assurances and sorrow. Scotty’s character was the catalyst, but nothing otherwise, which was perfect because it made him a universal child.

I felt tension building as I read, but once Franklin was mentioned, it was gone. I realized they both had to die as some kind of parallel narrative spreading the pain of the situation further.

I was struck by Howard’s introspection about the series of events his life played out in: college, marriage, college, child, career success and so on. I used to over structure my life and the fact that his life collapsed so quickly was a great reminder that no one controls life.

“There it sits over there, getting stale. I’ll give it to you for half of what I quoted you. No. You want it? You can have it. It’s no good to me, no good to anyone now.” Given the fact that the bake called the cake Scotty, I couldn’t help applying this to the deceased boy. Aside from this morbid parallel the baker consoles Ann and Howard in a way they and the doctor could not.

I chose the song “Day Old Hate” by City and Colour to pair with this story. It doesn’t all fit with one character but the statements relate to the feelings they shared:

Response 1

“A Small, Good Thing”

-Saturday afternoon she drove to the bakery in the shopping center.

Neither the title nor the first line exactly presents an abundance of information to interpret. I suppose that goes along with the fact that Carver is a minimalist. I really feel isolated with this starting point. I could run with something about bread being her small good thing. She is only a pronoun, maybe she will never be deserving of a proper name. She could have a husband, but I don’t think she has kids. They would have been mentioned? Saturday afternoon shopping could mean she is too busy to go during the week, or she’s having a dinner party that night and wanted something fresh. The bakery is a small, locally based organic operation which makes it good? I don’t believe extrapolating from such a small amount of information is going to lead me in the proper direction.

Well, I went on to read the first paragraph. She has a kid, probably a husband. She needs a birthday cake. She will likely get a name because the kid is Scotty. I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up being a minor character based on the fact that kids take over their parents’ existence. That previous sentence is in direct contrast with my idea of a professional woman who was going to host a party for people her age. At least it is a party.

Based on the minute, choppy details going into the description of characters, I would be shocked to see flowing or emotional descriptions of any person. I just glanced and saw the woman’s name is Ann.

My stream of consciousness has been muddied with her name. Back to the book.

Response 2

Post 2: After reading, What do you think of the narrative of "A Small Good Thing"? What intrigues you? What characters are interesting to you? What are you not sure about? What tensions took place in the story? Look back at your first post, were your assumptions about the plot correct? What specific quotes, lines or passages do you like? Why? Find a music video online that you feel connects to your writing and include it at the end of your post.


NOTE: Embedding will not work within comments, one would have to post the video in a NEW POST. With that being said, please just post the URL at the bottom of your post (just so we can remain somewhat organized). Please make sure that you copy and paste everyones link to listen to the music/watch the video of the song they have posted. 

Response 1

I was looking at the post suggestions that are on UBLearns for this course and they are all geared towards novels. I think the most logical thing for us to do is make the questions relevant to short stories. With that being said, I have re-tweaked the first two response prompts. Feel free to make suggestions on how to make the questions better and to reformulate questions for upcoming weeks. Also, since we don't have the books, I believe we should have all read "Small Good Thing." As mentioned in class yesterday, once we all get our books we can figure out how many stories to read a week and what not. 


Post 1: Read the 1^st line of "A Small Good Thing," think about the title. What do you think this story will be about? Take some guesses and see where they lead you…


If you have already read the short story by the time you read the prompt (above), consider addressing the following;


Preconception vs. Textual Reality
Talk about the expectations you had for "A Small Good Thing" before reading (perhaps this expectations stemmed from word of mouth or simply by reading the title). Then, talk about how your expectations were exceeded, proven, or disproved by the "reality" of the text.

Posting and Becoming an Author of the Blog

Hello everyone,
As per our discussion after class tonight, posting times will be as follows:

Post responses to reading by Friday night (at midnight)
Respond to posts by Sunday night (at midnight)

If anyone finds anything interesting worth sharing, share away. Let's try to use this thing as much as can to share important or interesting information about Carver and the stories we read.

I have also created a gmail address for our group (send me an email for the username and password). I used it to create this blog... I just figured it'd be cool to have. In order for all of us to post under our own usernames we must become authors of the blog. Post your GMAIL accounts in the comments for this post and I will send you an invitation to become an author of this blog. From there posts should show up under individual names.

I'm looking forward to working with everyone and excited to read these stories and poems.

-Vincent