Discussion Topic #5

From Example 1 I see an East Indian store clerk trying to have a conversation with a daily customer. The customer is closer to retirement age than not but not quite that far along in life yet. He is a loner, either divorced or widowed and has been laid off from work. He is embarrased and depressed and is withdrawn into himself. He'd rather do his drinking alone and away from home even. No one to know, no one to care but the birds in the park.

From Example 2 I read and reread it several times. I got two visual possibilities on it. The first was of a woman dreaming in a drug induced sleep. She could possiblly have had surgery and be in the groggy state after anestesia has been administered or sleeping from pain medication being given.

My other mental picture is of being abducted by an alien world and adapting to the environment after experimental treatment.

Example 3 conjures up a country couple who have grown chidren. They are comfortable enough with one another to argue with love underneath the dissatisfaction. They are poor, undereducated, yet hard working. The wife was a stay-at-home wife and mother dedicated to her family, church and community. She is a self-sacrificing person.

The husband is a rough-around-the-edges dad who tries to be tough, but his daughter and wife know he's just a push-over teddy bear.

He knows it's just one more bail out trip to get his daughter. The light has gone off and he knows she has to want to change before it will happen. All his and his wife's wishing won't change the situation.

His love and devotion to the safety of his wife rule over anything else, so he goes along for the ride.