Redemption In Tim Gautreaux's 'A Path To Choose'
English 102 – 13
03 Oct 2013
Redemption: A Path to Choose
A retired professor at Southeastern Louisiana University, Tim Gautreaux is also a novelist and short story writer. His works are very descriptive; the reader is able to visualize what the plot of the story is like. His stories have a typical Louisiana setting and they focus mainly on uneducated, ordinary people of the countryside who succumb to moral or ethical dilemmas. The Kirkus Reviews explains his works as: “A terrific debut collection from a Louisiana writer whose stylish, sympathetic understanding of working-class sensibilities and Cajun culture gives his work a flavor and universality unique among contemporary writers” (Kane 54). In his short stories “The Courtship of Merlin LeBlanc,” “Easy …show more content…
The characters of his stories are usually working class citizens who are presented as psychologically weak individuals. In “The Courtship of Merlin LeBlanc,” the protagonist, Merlin, never felt confident enough to warn his children whenever they were about make to a mistake: “(…) he was tempted to tell her she was making a mistake, he held his tongue, as he always had with his children” (Gautreaux, “Courtship” 60). Similarly, Marvin of “Easy Pickings” called himself Big Blade which made him feel superior and dangerous even though he was a short and petty person (Gautreaux 62). Marvin was unsatisfied with his height, which he tried to alter by using a different name. Father Ledet of “Good for the Soul” was reliant on alcohol and had a weak decision making capability. He had a good motive of helping others – he considered it his responsibility – but he could not foresee the consequences of his
03 Oct 2013
Redemption: A Path to Choose
A retired professor at Southeastern Louisiana University, Tim Gautreaux is also a novelist and short story writer. His works are very descriptive; the reader is able to visualize what the plot of the story is like. His stories have a typical Louisiana setting and they focus mainly on uneducated, ordinary people of the countryside who succumb to moral or ethical dilemmas. The Kirkus Reviews explains his works as: “A terrific debut collection from a Louisiana writer whose stylish, sympathetic understanding of working-class sensibilities and Cajun culture gives his work a flavor and universality unique among contemporary writers” (Kane 54). In his short stories “The Courtship of Merlin LeBlanc,” “Easy …show more content…
The characters of his stories are usually working class citizens who are presented as psychologically weak individuals. In “The Courtship of Merlin LeBlanc,” the protagonist, Merlin, never felt confident enough to warn his children whenever they were about make to a mistake: “(…) he was tempted to tell her she was making a mistake, he held his tongue, as he always had with his children” (Gautreaux, “Courtship” 60). Similarly, Marvin of “Easy Pickings” called himself Big Blade which made him feel superior and dangerous even though he was a short and petty person (Gautreaux 62). Marvin was unsatisfied with his height, which he tried to alter by using a different name. Father Ledet of “Good for the Soul” was reliant on alcohol and had a weak decision making capability. He had a good motive of helping others – he considered it his responsibility – but he could not foresee the consequences of his