Andre Dubus’s “Rose” Theological view
In “Rose”, the last short story by Andre Dubus our group has read, Dubus ties a seemingly unrelated string of people together: the weak boy who tried to be a soldier, the volunteers who offered to die for a cure for yellow fever, and Rose herself. First we’ll look at the boy who decided to join the army. Dubus writes from experience here, he was in the Marines until some incident caused him to quit. Therefore, he probably witnessed many examples of what he shows in this story. Here the boy is very weak, but decided to volunteer anyway. The drill sergeants know right away that this boy will never make it but they do not dismiss him immediately. Instead, they try to break him, submitting him to the most grueling training imaginable designed to break his spirit, and eventually make him quit. He is surrounded by doubters who keep telling him he can’t do it. But while asleep, he is released from his doubt and is able to do amazing things, such as lift a 200 pound locker with only his arms. Dubus notes him as a volunteer who really could do it but was unrecognized. The medical volunteers of the story are probably not true, as Dubus suggests they may have been convicts forced into it, but he leaves the hope of some people so giving of themselves that they will die voluntarily to save their brothers, especially to cure millions of people. Rose is ultimately the most notable volunteer of the story. She does, for most of it, stand by idly and simply fall into despair as she watches her relationship with Jim fall apart as he becomes a child abuser. Her sin is one of inaction, as she herself desperately wishes that she hit him with the skillet in the first place. But in the end she redeems herself as she selflessly rushes to save her children who are trapped in a burning apartment and leaves Jim forever to protect her children. The three are all examples of the ideal of a selfless volunteer that Dubus glorifies in this story, even if the volunteers themselves go unrecognized.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Conflict in Dubus
The defining characteristic of a story is that it contains a conflict and a resolution--otherwise it would merely be a documentary of facts. This is a law Dubus observes in his writing. However resolution is not defined by closure. Dubus often plays with this little freedom in his short stories because they are meant to be thought provoking. The best way to incur thought in a person is to hide information. Curiosity does not occur out of thin air; it is something that happens when a piece of information is at our disposal but not yet in our grasp. Readers of Dubus want to believe that they have curiosity; we would love to believe that a final existence is in our grasp and that somehow conclusions and closure can be found in the ink and paper in front of us. We seek out details in the story that would somehow explain the future of his fictional (and all too real) world. This problem presents itself in only certain of his stories. In a story like If They Knew Yvonne, we know that Harry comes to terms with himself, his sin, and the reality of his existence. In The Fat Girl, happiness is finally reached despite it's being at the cost of a skin and bones figure. However Miranda Over the Valley, similar to Rose, has a sense of resolution without any closure about the story. We fully understand the conversion in Miranda even if we are not satisfied by it. The story of Rose is a similar one. If there is a moment of grace for her it is not between her and any other character, but between her and the reader. There is a realization of her strength in the author/narrator and reader... but not in Rose herself. This creates for an interesting dynamic in the ending of the story. Normally at "cliffhanger" endings one finds a big drop. But Rose's is the tip of an iceberg (one just needs to read it like twelve times and look over the ending about five more before they can formulate their thoughts on the subject... I mean common). Anyway, Rose is a perfect ending to understanding the reality of Andre Dubus and how he uses sin. Where, in turn, a complete understanding of this technique is rather required to fully articulate the ending of the story, in which not much happens... but a great amount is said.
Analytical Response C
This review is over Andre Dubes' "Rose." This short story was a very in depth and creative short story. The story was the author telling the story of a woman named Rose. Rose's story was one filled with heartache, happiness, and despair. The story began with an intro about the storytellers life and how he came to meet Rose in a bar by the name of "Timmy's." The author, who goes by no name, was an older man in his fifties who was very friendly and relaxed. He began seeing Rose all the time at the bar he frequented. Over the course of a few visits, the author and Rose talked and Rose told her story. Rose's story was based around her early marriage to a man named Jim and there three children. Rose's struggles were around married life, children, and being tormented by not being the wealthiest people in town. She raised her children in happiness until one single event set off the bad times in her life. When her husband stuck one of the children there marriage began going downhill. After months of the same instances happening it all came to a head one evening. Her husband Jim was very upset at his son for making noise and threw him across the room. When Rose heard the sound she was immediately on the scene and began getting her things together to take the children away. Jim showed further violence when hitting Rose. Rose began to take her son to the hospital and realized she must take the girls with her. She went back for the girls and walked in on Jim setting their apartment on fire. She ran for the children and was successful in getting them out. She returned to car and drove away and in the process ran over Jim and ended his life. She would never see her children after that night because of killing Jim.
The story was very entertaining and enjoyable. The struggles of one woman proved to be very heartwarming. I have to say I liked how Dubes revealed Rose's life over the course of the story. He made the author seem very mystic too. I enjoyed how the story was told, in a bar just the two of them talking and telling stories. I must say there wasn't a single thing I disliked about this story. Dubes is an incredible short story writer who has immense presence in the pages. Compared to Dubes' other stories, this story is very similar, with great characters and description I found this story to filled with great emotion just as "The Fat Girl" was. Both stories contained great stories of real lives filled with tragedy but ended in peace. Moments of grace that I recognized were at the end when Rose wholeheartedly walked out of the bar with her confidence and will. She is an incredibly strong person and that was shown throughout the story especially when she ran into the fire to save her children.
The story was very entertaining and enjoyable. The struggles of one woman proved to be very heartwarming. I have to say I liked how Dubes revealed Rose's life over the course of the story. He made the author seem very mystic too. I enjoyed how the story was told, in a bar just the two of them talking and telling stories. I must say there wasn't a single thing I disliked about this story. Dubes is an incredible short story writer who has immense presence in the pages. Compared to Dubes' other stories, this story is very similar, with great characters and description I found this story to filled with great emotion just as "The Fat Girl" was. Both stories contained great stories of real lives filled with tragedy but ended in peace. Moments of grace that I recognized were at the end when Rose wholeheartedly walked out of the bar with her confidence and will. She is an incredibly strong person and that was shown throughout the story especially when she ran into the fire to save her children.
Sin in Dubus
A major theme in all of Dubus’ short stories is sin and its consequences. Each main character of each story has to deal with a unique set of emotional and psychological consequences, though many are paralleled throughout Dubus’ works. Being our first Dubus story, The Intruder did not elaborate much on the consequences of Kenneth’s actions. However, in this short story, Dubus shows us a way how people escape their guilt from sin, which he does in almost all his stories. In If They Knew Yvonne, Dubus shows us a quick but painful escape from sin, with Harry lying in bed with a knife, but then tells us that escaping your guilt and sin is not the way to move past it. You must deal with it head on, instead of cowarding in Fantasyland or completely stopping your temptations.
Back to the topic of consequences of sin, Dubus fills the pages with it. In Killings, the sin of coveting another man’s wife leads to the sin of murder, which leads to another sin of murder, which is magnified by an omissive sin from the Mrs. The consequences of all this sin is two men dead and the lasting heartache it will cause Mr. and Mrs. Fowler.
In Rose, Dubus again stuffs his pages with sin. This time however, his main goal is to highlight the difference between omissive and active sin. For an example displaying omissive sin, had Dubus used an example like Rose seeing Jim stealing from work and her not saying anything about it, he would not have made his point. He needed to show an example of omissive sin that could rival the sin of beating your kids, so that the reader asks the question: Which sin is worse?
He does this well, as you see that the omissive sin carries with it as much consequence as the active sin. The consequence of Rose’s omissive sin is her guilt, and also Jim throwing her kid, but mostly her guilt. This guilt drives her to commit another sin, which as Dubus shows us with the ending, is actually the worse sin. Dubus shows us this in the ending with Rose being completely baren of self-confidence, hope, or life, and why? Because of her active sin, not her omissive sin. Had she dealt with her guilt and anger in a reasonable manner, she would still have her kids. But she doesn’t, she chooses the path of wrath, and Dubus tells us decisevelly, you do not overcome or move past sin by committing more sin.
Back to the topic of consequences of sin, Dubus fills the pages with it. In Killings, the sin of coveting another man’s wife leads to the sin of murder, which leads to another sin of murder, which is magnified by an omissive sin from the Mrs. The consequences of all this sin is two men dead and the lasting heartache it will cause Mr. and Mrs. Fowler.
In Rose, Dubus again stuffs his pages with sin. This time however, his main goal is to highlight the difference between omissive and active sin. For an example displaying omissive sin, had Dubus used an example like Rose seeing Jim stealing from work and her not saying anything about it, he would not have made his point. He needed to show an example of omissive sin that could rival the sin of beating your kids, so that the reader asks the question: Which sin is worse?
He does this well, as you see that the omissive sin carries with it as much consequence as the active sin. The consequence of Rose’s omissive sin is her guilt, and also Jim throwing her kid, but mostly her guilt. This guilt drives her to commit another sin, which as Dubus shows us with the ending, is actually the worse sin. Dubus shows us this in the ending with Rose being completely baren of self-confidence, hope, or life, and why? Because of her active sin, not her omissive sin. Had she dealt with her guilt and anger in a reasonable manner, she would still have her kids. But she doesn’t, she chooses the path of wrath, and Dubus tells us decisevelly, you do not overcome or move past sin by committing more sin.
My letter to my friend Rose
12/2/07
Dear Rose,
I know you are older than I am, as you have children and I am still in high school, so maybe you will not be able to hear what I am saying or value my opinion. However, I feel the need to contact you.
You are special because every human being has good in them. I see the good in you especially your willingness to protect your children. You did this when you saved your dauthers from the fire. Your natural instinct is to protect them from your husband. You married him thinking he was a good man which he was and then something happens to people when they have children. This was not your fault. Yes, you are responsible for your children and from what I see, you are a good, caring mother. Sometimes, even in my life, things get confusing, friendships change, parental relationships shift, it becomes difficult to balance school work and my other work, and even I feel in certain circumstances like a failure. I have people around me that love me and do not allow me to feel these negatives thoughts for too long. I want to be that person for you.
Remember the good that you do. Do not hold on to the bad stuff for long. And also remember that everyday is a new day and can be a new beginning with a new way of looking at yourself and your life. Take real small steps. I will be there for you to talk to whenevery you want.
Your friend,
Sloane
Dear Rose,
I know you are older than I am, as you have children and I am still in high school, so maybe you will not be able to hear what I am saying or value my opinion. However, I feel the need to contact you.
You are special because every human being has good in them. I see the good in you especially your willingness to protect your children. You did this when you saved your dauthers from the fire. Your natural instinct is to protect them from your husband. You married him thinking he was a good man which he was and then something happens to people when they have children. This was not your fault. Yes, you are responsible for your children and from what I see, you are a good, caring mother. Sometimes, even in my life, things get confusing, friendships change, parental relationships shift, it becomes difficult to balance school work and my other work, and even I feel in certain circumstances like a failure. I have people around me that love me and do not allow me to feel these negatives thoughts for too long. I want to be that person for you.
Remember the good that you do. Do not hold on to the bad stuff for long. And also remember that everyday is a new day and can be a new beginning with a new way of looking at yourself and your life. Take real small steps. I will be there for you to talk to whenevery you want.
Your friend,
Sloane
Monday, November 26, 2007
Creative response b.
~As in most of your stories, you have a passage that suggests something about the character or about yourself. what are some of the subtle messages in this passage and what do they signify?
-One "subtle passage" that i put into my story was about perfection. Matt Fowler's life was quite normal up until the death of his son, Frank. So this passage was added to show the perfection in his life that had, for the most part, gone down the drain. "The grave was on a hill and overlooked the Merrimack, which he could not see from where he stood; he looked at the opposite bank, at the apple orchard with its symmetrically planted trees going up hill. As Matt was walking away from the symmetrically planted tree's, he was walking away from the "orderliness" in his life.
- Another is subtly emphasizing the reality of life when Matt is about to shoot Richard. Matt realizes the things around him more than ever. Life is so real to him right now ad he does not know what to do with himself. "The turned west, drove past the Dairy Queen closed until spring, and the two lobster restauranst that faced each oher and were crowded all summer and were now also closed, onto the short bridge crossing the tidal stream, and over the engine Matt could through his open window the water rushig inland under the bridge; looking to his left he saw its swift moonlit current going back into the marsh which, leaving the bridge, they entered.
~ Why would you make Matt's character someone who is not necessarily afraid to speak his mind but a character who is not compelled to speak his mind?
Matt was made a quiet character because it goes along with the story. His son was murdered and although he is a fearful father, he takes the initiative to do something about his son, which was not the best idea. When Matt's children were young, he always feared that they would get hurt, but in reality nothing happened to them when they were young. After a while he started to worry about them less and less and in an unexpected way Frank, his youngest son, gets shot. By making Matt a private character, the story is more dramatic for Matt and the reader.
~Why did you make Matt a character that keeps to himself and then at the end, suggest to the reader that nothing has changed in his personality?
-The last sentence of the story is the line that pulls the story together in a way. "He saw Frank and Mary Ann making love in her bed, their eyes closed, their bodies brown and smelling of the sea;the other firl was faceless, bodiless, but he felt her sleeping now; and he saw Frank and Strout, thei faces alive;he saw red and yellow leaves falling to the earth, then snow: falling and freesing and falling; and holding Ruth, his cheek touching her breast, he shuddered with a sob that he kept silent in his heart." I love this line because it has so much symbolism within it and its another one of my "subtle passages." First of all it brings Matt back to when his son and Richard Strout were alive. Memories rush through his head like he rushed to "get rid of" Richard. The snow is like Matt; he is falling in life freezing for a second and then falling. In other words, he is not changing very much. He falls, then maybe contemplates his fall, but then begins to fall again. He has yet to have a revelation. In the last line I chose for Matt not to change because not everyone in life learns a lesson or forgives people, the easiest solution for people is to get rid of the harm and animosity surrounding their life. Everyone wants to be happy, but they do not want to pay the price or realize some of the most important things in life that they are surrounded with.
-One "subtle passage" that i put into my story was about perfection. Matt Fowler's life was quite normal up until the death of his son, Frank. So this passage was added to show the perfection in his life that had, for the most part, gone down the drain. "The grave was on a hill and overlooked the Merrimack, which he could not see from where he stood; he looked at the opposite bank, at the apple orchard with its symmetrically planted trees going up hill. As Matt was walking away from the symmetrically planted tree's, he was walking away from the "orderliness" in his life.
- Another is subtly emphasizing the reality of life when Matt is about to shoot Richard. Matt realizes the things around him more than ever. Life is so real to him right now ad he does not know what to do with himself. "The turned west, drove past the Dairy Queen closed until spring, and the two lobster restauranst that faced each oher and were crowded all summer and were now also closed, onto the short bridge crossing the tidal stream, and over the engine Matt could through his open window the water rushig inland under the bridge; looking to his left he saw its swift moonlit current going back into the marsh which, leaving the bridge, they entered.
~ Why would you make Matt's character someone who is not necessarily afraid to speak his mind but a character who is not compelled to speak his mind?
Matt was made a quiet character because it goes along with the story. His son was murdered and although he is a fearful father, he takes the initiative to do something about his son, which was not the best idea. When Matt's children were young, he always feared that they would get hurt, but in reality nothing happened to them when they were young. After a while he started to worry about them less and less and in an unexpected way Frank, his youngest son, gets shot. By making Matt a private character, the story is more dramatic for Matt and the reader.
~Why did you make Matt a character that keeps to himself and then at the end, suggest to the reader that nothing has changed in his personality?
-The last sentence of the story is the line that pulls the story together in a way. "He saw Frank and Mary Ann making love in her bed, their eyes closed, their bodies brown and smelling of the sea;the other firl was faceless, bodiless, but he felt her sleeping now; and he saw Frank and Strout, thei faces alive;he saw red and yellow leaves falling to the earth, then snow: falling and freesing and falling; and holding Ruth, his cheek touching her breast, he shuddered with a sob that he kept silent in his heart." I love this line because it has so much symbolism within it and its another one of my "subtle passages." First of all it brings Matt back to when his son and Richard Strout were alive. Memories rush through his head like he rushed to "get rid of" Richard. The snow is like Matt; he is falling in life freezing for a second and then falling. In other words, he is not changing very much. He falls, then maybe contemplates his fall, but then begins to fall again. He has yet to have a revelation. In the last line I chose for Matt not to change because not everyone in life learns a lesson or forgives people, the easiest solution for people is to get rid of the harm and animosity surrounding their life. Everyone wants to be happy, but they do not want to pay the price or realize some of the most important things in life that they are surrounded with.
10 Questions to Consider
1. Asses the guilt/innocence of each character in the story. Do you believe that any one character is truly innocent in their actions?
2. This story focuses a lot on contrasting active sin and passive sin. Do you believe the more sever (mortal v. venial) sins in this story are the active of passive ones? i.e. Murder v. assisting in the murder or disavowing information of the murder
3. Is a sin always a sin or do the circumstances of the action change the nature of the sin. i.e. killing for vengeance of a son or killing for jealousy towards a lover
4. The movie version of this story “In the Bedroom” obviously signifies one very important area/symbol for the story. What do you think the bedroom represents in the story/for different characters/in different scenes?
5. What do you think happens after the story’s end? What do you believe should happen?
6. Were Matt’s actions those of justice or of vengeance? Are the two sometimes the same thing?
7. What significance does retribution seem to hold for the different characters in the story as opposed to Dubus? Do you think the author is in concurrence over the topic with and certain characters view?
8. Is it possible that the outcomes of the story could have been affected by the “by standards” who don’t necessarily take action against someone but who take no opportunity to stop those that do? (Mainly Matt’s wife)
9. Draws some parallels between the motives for Frank and Strout’s murders. How are they similar? Different? Is one more justified than the other?
10. Was it right? (Although simple this question boils down the entire story; it applies to all sub-plots and should be considered through the perspectives of the characters, the author, and finally through you. Decided how these different views compare and contrast with those in your group.)
2. This story focuses a lot on contrasting active sin and passive sin. Do you believe the more sever (mortal v. venial) sins in this story are the active of passive ones? i.e. Murder v. assisting in the murder or disavowing information of the murder
3. Is a sin always a sin or do the circumstances of the action change the nature of the sin. i.e. killing for vengeance of a son or killing for jealousy towards a lover
4. The movie version of this story “In the Bedroom” obviously signifies one very important area/symbol for the story. What do you think the bedroom represents in the story/for different characters/in different scenes?
5. What do you think happens after the story’s end? What do you believe should happen?
6. Were Matt’s actions those of justice or of vengeance? Are the two sometimes the same thing?
7. What significance does retribution seem to hold for the different characters in the story as opposed to Dubus? Do you think the author is in concurrence over the topic with and certain characters view?
8. Is it possible that the outcomes of the story could have been affected by the “by standards” who don’t necessarily take action against someone but who take no opportunity to stop those that do? (Mainly Matt’s wife)
9. Draws some parallels between the motives for Frank and Strout’s murders. How are they similar? Different? Is one more justified than the other?
10. Was it right? (Although simple this question boils down the entire story; it applies to all sub-plots and should be considered through the perspectives of the characters, the author, and finally through you. Decided how these different views compare and contrast with those in your group.)
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