Essay of the Short Story 'Crossing'.
A. Crossing
Crossing is a short story written by Mark Slouka. The short story was written in the year 2009. The short story revolves around the nameless main character and his son. They are going on an annual traditional trip. The trip is a one day where they drive to a place in the woods where they spend the night at an old settler’s barn.
The name of the main character is not revealed – no names at all are revealed, so every character mentioned in the short story is nameless. That gives the effect that the particular character could be anyone. The reader does not identify the character with another fictional or real character with the same name. The character could be looked upon as a clean slate.
It seems like the main character has been through something that has made him sad or depressive. For some reason it made him happy, and he hadn’t been happy in a while. (p.2, l. 4-5) it is like he has lost the ability to be happy, and when he finally gets happy he doesn’t know why – it has become somewhat rare for him to be happy. For a long time he hadn’t wanted her back, hadn’t wanted much of anything, really. (p. 2, l. 15) it seems like he has been going through a break-up or a divorce, and maybe that is what has made him so depressive. Maybe it was something he did when he looked at her she shook her head and looked away and at that moment he thought, maybe – maybe he could make this right. (p.2, l. 19-20) we get the impression that he did something wrong because he feels that it is up to him to make things right.
Throughout the short story the main character gets a lot of flashbacks. We get the impression that the main character has been on the same trip with his own father when he was a kid. So what do you do if you fall? he remembered asking once – how old could he have been, seventeen? – and the old man calling back over his shoulder, “Don’t fuckin’ fall.” (p. 3, l. 61-63) and during the trip with his son, he gets these flashbacks.
Throughout the whole
Crossing is a short story written by Mark Slouka. The short story was written in the year 2009. The short story revolves around the nameless main character and his son. They are going on an annual traditional trip. The trip is a one day where they drive to a place in the woods where they spend the night at an old settler’s barn.
The name of the main character is not revealed – no names at all are revealed, so every character mentioned in the short story is nameless. That gives the effect that the particular character could be anyone. The reader does not identify the character with another fictional or real character with the same name. The character could be looked upon as a clean slate.
It seems like the main character has been through something that has made him sad or depressive. For some reason it made him happy, and he hadn’t been happy in a while. (p.2, l. 4-5) it is like he has lost the ability to be happy, and when he finally gets happy he doesn’t know why – it has become somewhat rare for him to be happy. For a long time he hadn’t wanted her back, hadn’t wanted much of anything, really. (p. 2, l. 15) it seems like he has been going through a break-up or a divorce, and maybe that is what has made him so depressive. Maybe it was something he did when he looked at her she shook her head and looked away and at that moment he thought, maybe – maybe he could make this right. (p.2, l. 19-20) we get the impression that he did something wrong because he feels that it is up to him to make things right.
Throughout the short story the main character gets a lot of flashbacks. We get the impression that the main character has been on the same trip with his own father when he was a kid. So what do you do if you fall? he remembered asking once – how old could he have been, seventeen? – and the old man calling back over his shoulder, “Don’t fuckin’ fall.” (p. 3, l. 61-63) and during the trip with his son, he gets these flashbacks.
Throughout the whole