Three Stories

The objective of this study is to extract the deepest meanings inside every story selected. This is to develop a more inquisitive and sensitive minds towards literary artworks. There are three stories selected for this particular study namely "Girl", "Incarnations of Burned Children" and "Rules of the Game". Each story suggests manifold thoughts about relationships, success, and behaviours. Results of the study confirmed life's most intriguing questions like what was entailed in "Rules of the Game"

1. Jamaica Kincaid, "Girl"

1.1 Kincaid's style was more on an imaginative approach. She used conventional and daily situations to show how the story is to be contemplated and understood.  She was showing how a certain girl should act in conformity with how a decent lady responds to her environment, especially on manners and etiquette. Humour, which I think is one of the primary components here, works by conforming through the norms and set standards of a certain group or place.

1.2 The conflict of the story can be found on the last part of the story when after all the admonitions and reminders of the mother; the thing which the girl was dreaded of becoming is still most likely to happen.

1.3 The mother was very serious in preventing her child from becoming a slut. The fairly precise household rules somehow explain how strict the mother was in forming the behaviour of her daughter. She has an intention to establish an ideal image of her child. In addition, the relationship between them was not very conversant considering that the mother holds a superior role between them.

1.4 It affected the meaning by reflecting the real intentions of the mother. It was not to instil good values and etiquette but to pretend and become selective of emotions depending on the type of people the girl encounters.

1.5 Abortion. The mother suggested some ways on how to get rid of unwanted pregnancy by making an abortive medicine. That way, if the girl accidentally conceives, he could resort to this abortive medicine and get rid of the developing blood on her womb.

2. David Foster Wallace - "Incarnations of Burned Children"

2.1 Wallace used words that sound horrific to stir hysterical emotions. He also used reiterating statements of the child tirelessly crying for pain. Furthermore, the emotions of the mother and the diaper which remained untied from the baby's genitalia area suggested of an anticipated grotesque picture of the baby's genitalia.

2.2 It helped Wallace to make the hanging door a reason for the late response to the cry of the child. The door served as the delaying agent for the father to respond to the need of his tormenting child. It suggested that if he could have not hung the door, he could have heard his son's voice immediately.  

2.3 I think the reason why Wallace did not include the scalds of the toddler to the story is that he wants the readers to guess what really happened to the child. He also wanted to emphasize the hysterical emotions of the parents.

2.4 I think the voice was sympathetic in a sense that it entails some sort of precautionary advice that if you cannot tend your child well, and you cannot subdue extreme emotions, you are most likely to become a reckless parent.

2.5 I think the child was dead considering that he was already untenanted, means that his parents are no longer getting in touch with him "physically". We cannot say a parent would abandon his child which is an almost impossible thing to happen. Spiritually, I believe he is still alive in the hearts of his parents.

2.6 The title "incarnation of burned children" suggests that after a tragic experience, when there were some distortions of physical appearance, you could see that there is hope after any untoward mishaps. There is a whole new being for the child not just physically but when it comes to wisdom.

2.7 Yes. Every child comes with a responsibility for the parents.

3. Amy Tan - "Rules of the Game"

3.1 What do you think are the importance of knowing the rules in any field of application - on a game, country or school?

3.2 How does the invisible strength play an advantaging agent in any field of application?