Themes

I think that all of the short stories convey that life is going to give a person lemons. Basically, there is going to be a hard time in every life. It is up to the individual how she handles it. A person can become bitter and take advantage of people, or she could put all her focus on becoming better at one thing. There is always the option of hiding the past from others, or the person could just run away from life. Each story shows a different way the characters dealt with their "lemons." I learned that the best way to deal with the hardships is to take the hit and try to improve the current weakness.

Not only will life give a person "lemons," that person will always run into the users and genuine good people. For example the users of the short stories are Mr. Shiftlet, Waverly's mother, Annie's father, and Donny. The genuine good people would be Lucynell (the daughter), Waverly, Annie, and Daisy. Each story conveyed the idea that at some time a person is going to get used in his lifetime. It could be a simple as being used for showing off or as dramatic as being stolen from. It all depends on the user that particular person meets.

Teenage Wasteland

Donny really made me upset because I do not have a lot of patience for people who do not try in school or any other activity. I think that people should work as hard as they can at something before they have the right to look for pity from anybody else. To me, Donny was just looking for attention. I got that idea because after his mother started giving all her attention to him, his grades improved. Meanwhile, his younger sister was hurt by her mother's blindness towards her. I think Donny started cutting classes simply to get his father's attention because he already had his mother's attention. I just get annoyed with people like that because I view them as lazy and pompous.

Donny really got to me when he started seeing Calvin Beadle, but he did not apply anymore effort into his grades. His parents were spending a lot of extra money that they did not have on his sessions, and Donny was not improving his school work. I think Cal improved Donny's attitude because Cal gave Donny everything he could possibly want. Cal gave him freedom, made excuses for him, and even made time for Donny to spend time with a girl. I just do not agree with a child wasting his parents' money. Not only is Donny wasting his parents money, but he is using the money that was typically used on luxuries. Once again, his little sister is getting the short straw. That is what really upsets me.

I think that Cal was like all of his pupils when he was younger, and he does not want them to succeed because he did not. When Donny talks about Cal divorcing his controlling wife, it reminded me of Donny's relationship with his mother. I think that Cal just encourages his pupils that it is possible to live on their own. I am not a big fan of his character because he seems suspicious to me.

Book of the Dead

The beginning really confused me. When I first read through it, I thought that Annie was very young and relied on her father. I caught on a little when the author started talking about a sculpture Annie made of her father. I did not entirely catch on until the author started describing Annie's job. Then, I got that she was an adult, but I do not get why the author would start out the story like that. Did the beginning mean to confuse the reader on Annie's age?

I thought that it was weird that Annie's dad lied all this time about his actual place at the prison. Even if he is ashamed of what he has done, why would he lie to his daughter about his past? He did not have to tell her everything that he did at the jail, but he could have at least told her that he was a prison guard. The scars on his face constantly remind him of what he has done, but yet he still cannot tell his daughter the truth. The way he is described in the story, he is a strong and courageous man. I do not think that hiding things from the past is courageous, and it is definitely not a sign of strength. I do not think it was right for him to allow his daughter to be inspired by his lies. If he chooses not to tell her everything about his time at the prison, that is up to him, but he should have at least told her some of the truth so she would have the correct image of her father.

When her father hides the statue in the water, I guess that shows that his shame of his past is a great part of his current life. He did not mind living in the lie when it was only his daughter believing the lies, but once the statue that was inspired by his lie was about to leave his presence, he became aware of his guilt. He was willing to do anything to stop the lie about his life from spreading to another family. I think it was a little selfish because his daughter had worked hard on the statue and had found a willing buyer for it. I do not think that the father had any right to take the statue and hide it forever because it was the beginning of his daughter's success. It is a definite sign of selfishness to me. I do not find the father the slightest bit heroic.

Rules of the Game

I liked the idea behind "Rules of the Game," but I did not like the writing style of the author. I like how she tells the story of the determination of a young girl. I think the story is inspiring because it shows that if a person works hard enough, she can achieve what she wants to. The little girl spent hours playing with her brothers, old men in the park, and even professional opponents. She learned from each player and took what she learned to achieve what was thought to be impossible before. When she would walk into the chess tournaments, her opponents would look down upon her, but she did not care what the opinions of the opponents were. All she wanted to do was win the game. I can connect with the main character in multiple ways. One thing is that I try to keep the same mentality she has about the opinions of others. I try not to let the opinions of others rule my life. If people do not want to accept me for who I am, it is their loss. Also, I connect with the way she feels about her mother. The young girl becomes annoyed with her mother because her mom does not understand the rules of chess. I am easily annoyed with people who are not at the same level of understanding that I am. The fact that I could relate to the main character is what made the storyline enjoyable. One thing I did like about the author was her use of character descriptions. When the young girl was competing in chess tournaments, she was always cleanly dressed and innocent looking, but her opponents were messy looking and smelled. The descriptions showed how confident the girl was when she was playing chess and the enjoyment she found in playing a single game. I think that Rules of the Game proves that if a person wants something bad enough, it is possible with some sacrifices.

The Life You Save May Be Your Own

Mr. Shiflet is a shady character from the beginning of the story because he does not really answer any of Lucynell Crater's questions directly. Suspicions are raised by Mr. Shiftlet's profession because he says he is a Carpenter. It would not be that suspicious if he was not missing an arm, but a one-armed Carpenter does not seem likely. It appears that Mr. Shiftlet likes to be doubted because he tells Mrs. Crater four different names that could be his. It is hard not to be suspicious of his character after that. I think he wants to be doubted by Mrs. Crater because he does not want her getting to close to him. I think that he was after her money at the very beginning. I feel bad for Mrs. Crater because he takes her money, car, and her only daughter. The abandonment of her daughter has to be hard on her because she pushed Mr. Shiflet to marry her daughter. I think that she blames herself for getting her daughter hurt. I thought that Mrs. Crater was a stronger character than she ended up being. In the beginning, I thought that she would not let Mr. Shiftlet get too close to her daughter or herself, but I am wrong. I guess that proves that evil can affect anyone at anytime. Stories like this just make me angry because I feel that people should work for what they have. Mr. Shiftlet worked for his food and board, but he his work did not earn him the $17.50 or the car. I get the impression that Lucynell Crater and her daughter work hard for everything they own. I guess that is what angers me the most. Lazy people annoy me, and I view Mr. Shiftlet as lazy in a way. He can do hard work, but he is not willing to work hard to get his own place and live make the money to buy his food by working himself.