Short+Fiction

All good stories, long or short, begin with a problem.Short, short stories or microfictions must get to the problem right away. After reading "Paring Knife," "Deportation at Breakfast," and "Night," please respond to each of the following prompts. Initial your responses and reference at least on of your classmates' responses (unless you are the first to post). Use at least one quote from each story. Initial all your posts. Please adjust the formatting as you edit the document so that all responses fall under the appropriate heading.

__PROMPT 1: In 5-6 sentences, describe what you see as a central problem in "Paring Knife." To what extent is this problem resolved? How do you know?__

The Central problem in this story is the knife, and how the man is still living in the past in his relationship. He recalls the event that led to the knife being placed under the refrigerator, and how bad the night was. "I was about to ask the woman I love if she remembered that incident....without saying a word, picked up the knife and slid it under the refrigerator." The woman decides to slide the knife under the fridge, to because that was an old incident that should stay in the past and forgotten. She loves him, and obviously forgave him for that night, and that the past is the past.-DC

I agree with Curtis, that the central problem is the knife, but I don't think that he's "living in the past with his relationship." I think the way he describes his presumed wife as "the woman I love" shows that he's very much in the present. As he's reflecting on what happened the night the knife went under the fridge, I think the problem resolves itself. Clearly his wife remembers what happened, so she puts the knife back under the fridge almost to sweep it under the rug. Not to ignore the problem, but almost to leave it where it is, resolved, and not in need of further arguing. - JP

The central problem in The Paring Knife is how the knife brings back certain memories. The forgotten knife is the reason that they remember the forgotten incident. When the woman he loves returns the knife to its former hiding spot, it is not to try to forget the incident, but to remember it. The next time they encounter the lost knife, they will remember their fight and its resolution. The problem of the knife is resolved by being transformed from something lost into a keepsake, or a reminder. - JL

The central problem in "The Paring Knife" is the man's inability to forgive himself. This is personified in the knife that was knocked under the fridge the night of their fight. He holds on to the guilt and sadness of that night and brings it up in an attempt to close the matter. However, it is obvious this man is his harshest critic, as 'the woman he loves' has clearly already forgiven him. She makes this clear when she replaces the knife under the fridge as if to physically put away the matter. (AC)

The central problem is the man's inability to move on from problems. _DG

I agree with both Alison and Joseph Long. I think that the knife signifies how he can't seem to bring himself to forgive and forget all of his past mistakes. I also think that the knife reminds him of these mistakes. He can't let go of the fact that he hurt "the woman [he] love[s]." Now every time he sees the knife, he's reminded of what happened and why he doesn't want the fight to happen again. -MH

The central problem in "The Paring Knife" is the way the knife found under the refrigerator reminds the narrator of an incident in the past that was not one of his finest moments. He wound up knocking everything onto the floor off the dining room table and crying out of embarassment, and the knife reminds him of this. Despite the fact that "the woman he loves" has forgiven him about their argument, he still thinks about this. However, he is unable to move on even now, and he ends up putting the knife back underneath the refrigerator, almost as if he does not want to forget this moment. DH

I think the central problem is definitely up for interpretation but after reading I think the central problem is the fact that their relationship is never resolved. Their arguments are never discussed and the fact that her name is never referred to in the entire piece makes me think you could just stick any name there, like a "insert name here" type deal. His anger, after shoving everything off of the table, is a clear example of how they can't talk to each other about their problems. I don't think the problems resolves itself because this short story makes me think that this is a re-occurring problem in the relationship. FS

The central problem in The Paring Knife is within the memory that the man has of how the knife got under the refrigerator in the first place. The conflict within story had already been resolved, & the man describes what happened. The husband & wife got into a fight, which resulted in the husband throwing dishes off the table in the kitchen, including a paring knife that ended up under the refrigerator. The problem of how the knife got to be under the refrigerator was resolved when the wife threw the knife back under, as if she was trying to avoid the topic that they were originally arguing about. -AH

The central problem in the Paring Knife has to do with the characters inability to deal with issues from the past. After the couple finds the knife, the man begins to reflect and think about how exactly it made its way under the refrigerator. Although he wants to discuss what happened in the past, his wife is not willing to go back to that place. Instead of dealing with the issue she decides to once again sweep in under the refrigerator once again and pretend it never happened. So the resolution to the problem is to not deal with it at all which isn't really dealing with the problem.-MS

__PROMPT 2: In 5-6 sentences, describe what you see as a central problem in "Deportation at Breakfast." To what extent is this problem resolved? How do you know?__

The central problem in this story is that the main character watched the chef get deported and didn't do anything. She just sat there and watched until she got up to flip her eggs. Then when people mistaked her for being a waiteress, she still didn't do anything, and kept playing the role until it got out of hand. The problem is that she never takes action or admits to what actually happened, and has no idea how to run the restuarant, especially by herself. The problem is never really resolved because she says at the end, "Maybe I'd take out a help-wanted ad in the paper tomorrow...There was no way I could run this place alone." She has no plans on leaving. GC

I believe the problem in this story is the moment when the narrator "got up from [his] red swivel stool and went behind the counter." He then assumes the role of Javier, just as easily as the authorities had aprehended him. I think at that point, the story changes from an event, to a new life, if that makes any sense. It changes from short-term, to long-term. First it's just a breakfast, then it becomes a new career for the narrator. The problem is somewhat resolved, because the narrator commits to running the resturant in Javier's absence, but he also can't run it the way it is, a one-person job. The end of the story also brings us full circle to how Javier was doing such a good job. - JP

The central problem in "Deportation at Breakfast" is the abduction of the man whose job it was to cook and serve the restaurant patrons. It is not completely resolved by the narrator's assumption of Javier's job, but it appears resolved to the customers. The way the narrator covers for Javier cannot last. The story is slightly surreal, in that a "normal" customer would never assume someone's identity. Therefore, the ending of the story, suggesting that the narrator will continue to run the restaurant, could be a definite resolution to the problem of the absent fry cook as Joe suggests. It would, however, introduce the new problem of "[running] this place alone." - JL

The central problem in "Deportation at Breakfast" is the lack of narrator doing nothing, when Javier is taken away. The narrator then proceeds to get behind the counter, trying to finish her breakfast, then assumes the role of Javier. She doesn't know what to do, and never tells the customer that she doesn't actually work at the resturant. " There was no way I could run this place alone." The narrator decides to stay. She needs help though, and this shows how great of a job that Javier was doing by himself.-DC

The problem in "Deportation at Breakfast" are the characters' lack of emotion. When the narrator enters the restaurant he is very observant, yet reserved. He does not show any eagerness to begin his meal, nor does he attempt to reach out to other characters. It's lmost as if he is not within hte story at all, but watching from an outside perspecive. When the cook is deported, there is no scene. He is calmly escorted out; there is no struggle between the chef and the poloce, nor is there any shock or excitement among the customers. The problem is never resolved. Once Javier has left the scene, the narrator continues on just as calmly to fix his breakfast, as well as the other customers who enter the restaurant. (AC)

I think that the problem is "Deportation at Breakfast" is that the narrator doesn't know how to react when Javier is taken away. Only after "some hesitation" does he get up to fix his toast and his eggs. Then he hesitates again when other customers try to pay him or ask him questions, such as if one party can move the tables together. In this way, I disagree with Alison about the problem. I don't think that the central problem in the story is the narrator's lack of emotion. I think that that is definitely part of the story, but it's only a trait of the character. -MH

The central problem in "Deportation at Breakfast" is the narrator's indecision, his passiveness. He fails to do anything when Javier is taken away from behind the counter, and even after that, he cannot make up his mind as to whether or not he should continue to cook his breakfast. Once he makes his decision to assume Javier's job, he is stuck with customers' orders and although he "thought of telling them I don't work there," he does not actually reveal this. Here his lack of assertiveness keeps him stuck behind the counter in the busiest part of the morning. His choices ultimately cost him, and this problem is not resolved in the story. DH

I think the central problem in this short story is the main character's inability to be patient and he seems very conceded. Once Javier is arrested all he can think about are his eggs and how they need to be tended to. It's quite obvious to see that the man is a bit ridiculous. I don't see that the problem is resolved. He does get up to fix his eggs but that does not make him a more patient person of any kind. This reveals that the man is impatient and he needs to be pleased. FS

The problem in the story is that the narrator only thinks about doing the right thing. However, twice the narrator still continues on as if nothing wrong has happened. The first time is when he sees Javier taken from the store, and the second time is when he seats customers even though it is not his restaurant. The problem is not truly resolved because the narrator fails to do the right thing. In the end continues the pretend that he works at the restaurant. The right thing would have been to tell the customers what actually happened instead of lying to all of them.-MS

__Prompt 3:In 5-6 sentences, describe what you see as a central problem in "Night." To what extent is this problem resolved? How do you know?__

The problem in this story is the recurring "dream, but not" of the father of this family. Their child has passed away in his or her youth, and the father is still hearing his breathing from where he should be. I think what his wife says to him doesn't mean anything, and that she's still mostly asleep when she says it. The problem isn't resolved at all, because it continues to happen every night, and his child isn't coming back. He knows as well, because he says "the room was, of course, empty" but he still hasn't accepted his child's death. - JP

The central problem in "Night" is the father's inability to believe that his child has gone. The problem is not resolved at all, because the father continues to hallucinate every night. As Joe said, he is aware he is hallucinating ("the room, of course, was empty") but hallucinates alone. His wife goes not wake up to tell him he is imagining things, so he continues to wake up every night. There is not even a suggestion of resolution. In fact, the final sentence explicitly excludes any chance of resolution. - JL

The central problem in "Night" is the father not being able to let go of his child. Like the other Joseph's said, he is well of his hallucinations, but he is still alone. The problem isn't resolved because this hallucinations occur every night, and his child can't come back from the dead. He has yet to come to accept the death of his child. -DC

The central problem in "Night" is the father's inability to accept the absence of his child. It says "this happens each night" (62), so obviously this sense of loss is reoccuring. He moves through the dark house, aware the room will be unchanged from his last visit. The problem shows no hope at being resolved, until the father is able to move on from the loss of his child. This, most likely, will only happen over time. (AC)

The central problem in "Night" is that the father can't get over the death of his daughter. I agree with Joseph that the problem is never resolved. The main character states that "this happened each night like a dream, but not." So this character can never get over the death. It is never resolved. He always maintains the belief, maybe not completely consciously but definitely subconsciously, that his child is still alive. -MH

The problem in "Night" is that the narrator cannot move past the idea of his child having died. He continues to visit the room at night almost as if he's wishing that the child will eventually reappear. This has a tragic and somber tone, and the problem is not resolved in the short story. DH

The central problem revolves around the fact that the dad is having to cope with his son's death. This challenging task stretches him farther than he's ever had to stretch. I think, much like Daniel, that it's a very emotional and deep problem that is not resolved until he makes peace with his son's passing. The entire short story is dark and kind of scary so I believe the reader is looking into the mind of the father. FS

The problem in this story is that the man has not been able to let go of his child that is no longer there. Constantly that man believes that his child is back and is in the room next to him. Every night the same thing happens and he goes into the next room to be reminded that his child is no longer there. The problem is not resolved in the story because it is still a recurring problem that the man must deal with. If he was finally able to accept that his child was gone then the problem would be better resolved. -MS