Boys: Short Story Analysis
“Boys” By: Rick Moody
Rebeca Montesinos
February 10, 2011
Micheline Maylor
English 1118
Energy is one of the single most important concepts to keep in mind when writing, it can make even the most insignificant occurrences interesting. Energy plays with the reader’s senses combining subject matter, leaps/ spacing and words into one to create a fascinating piece of work. “Good writers choose a topic they know a lot about—relationships, travel, growing up, bedrooms, hotels, restaurants, the synagogue on 42nd Street—and they trust that they will discover things about the topic as they work.” (Sellers 71) Rick Moody author of “Boys” has taken a relatable topic the process of growing up and has turned a thirty year frame into a condensed linear chronological format. Moody offers the reader a different view point, introduces repetition and the stressing of words creating a certain movement influencing the readers experience.
Rick Moody starts off with “Boys enter the house, boys enter the house.” (Moody 94), through his specific word choice “boys”, the reader is presented with a sense of familiarity, quickly presenting his intimate subject, the process of growing up. Through repetition Moody emphasizes the symbolism of his subject and the conflict of two boys growing up. For instance, “Two boys, one striking the other with a rubberized hot dog, enter the house. Two boys one of them striking the other with a willow switch about the head and shoulders, the other crying, enter the house.” (Moody 95) Moody plays a lot with his word choice one of the preferred styles in “Boys” is repetition to create emphasise. Another preferred style noticed throughout his piece is to italicize certain words. To italicize specific words the author creates stress in the way they are uttered to generate an impact in the reader, influencing their perception for the word. For instance words and phrases stressed to create that impact are, “… Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and
Rebeca Montesinos
February 10, 2011
Micheline Maylor
English 1118
Energy is one of the single most important concepts to keep in mind when writing, it can make even the most insignificant occurrences interesting. Energy plays with the reader’s senses combining subject matter, leaps/ spacing and words into one to create a fascinating piece of work. “Good writers choose a topic they know a lot about—relationships, travel, growing up, bedrooms, hotels, restaurants, the synagogue on 42nd Street—and they trust that they will discover things about the topic as they work.” (Sellers 71) Rick Moody author of “Boys” has taken a relatable topic the process of growing up and has turned a thirty year frame into a condensed linear chronological format. Moody offers the reader a different view point, introduces repetition and the stressing of words creating a certain movement influencing the readers experience.
Rick Moody starts off with “Boys enter the house, boys enter the house.” (Moody 94), through his specific word choice “boys”, the reader is presented with a sense of familiarity, quickly presenting his intimate subject, the process of growing up. Through repetition Moody emphasizes the symbolism of his subject and the conflict of two boys growing up. For instance, “Two boys, one striking the other with a rubberized hot dog, enter the house. Two boys one of them striking the other with a willow switch about the head and shoulders, the other crying, enter the house.” (Moody 95) Moody plays a lot with his word choice one of the preferred styles in “Boys” is repetition to create emphasise. Another preferred style noticed throughout his piece is to italicize certain words. To italicize specific words the author creates stress in the way they are uttered to generate an impact in the reader, influencing their perception for the word. For instance words and phrases stressed to create that impact are, “… Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and
Cited: Moody, R. “Boys.” The Practice of Creative Writing: A Guide for Students. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. 94-98. Print. Rick Moody Reads “Boys” and from Unpublished Novel. Walt Whitman Writers Series at St. Francis College. 2009. YouTube. Web. 07 Feb. 2011. Rick Moody. Enotes, n.d. Web. 07 Feb 2011. < http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-literary-criticism/moody-rick> Sellers, H. “Energy.” The Practice of Creative Writing: A Guide for Students. Ed. Leasa Burton. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. 69-100. Print.