Ashley Adams
Blog Option 5
When I first opened the anthology to
read this story for homework, I had not idea what to expect. The title does not
give any indication of how graphic this story really is. Reading it, you are
immediately thrust into the story of a soldier who has had his skin taken off.
The author leaves little to the imagination. Usually having an author give so
many details is a good thing. It allows you to picture what they were picturing
in their minds when they wrote the story. This particular story, however less
details would have been better. “He would walk around on his skinned feet,
leaving bloody footprints up and down the corridors, look for somebody to love
him” (L' Heureux 339). We are also given a very descriptive metaphor comparing his
physical state to a food item. “He was raw, he was meat…” (L'Heureux 339). Even typing
these quotes right now, I feel a bit squeamish. I also felt bad for Hanley at
the beginning of the story. This soldier was just in the wrong place at the
wrong time, and had this horrible event done to him. Reading more of the story
though, I begin to not feel as sorry for him. He does the exact same thing as
his tormentor to a woman who only wants to help him. Now it can be argued that
she willing let him do this to her, but that’s a conversation for another day.
I
would give this story 3 stars out of 5. While I did not like the
detailed descriptions of Hanley, the rest of the story was interesting to me.
The whole concept of Hanley wanting someone to possess him, to love him and the
quote, “there can be no possession, only desire” really spoke to me and got me
to thinking (L' Heureux 343). We all have desires, and how we act on these desires, I feel
shows what kind of person we are. I would not recommend it to anyone that does
not like gory details, but if they don’t bother you, I would recommend you give
it a read.
L' Heureux, John. “The Anatomy of Desire.” American Gothic Tales. Ed. Joyce Carol Oates. New York: The Penguin Group. 339-343. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment