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- Reading responses are due by 10pm on the day PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
“Wolf’s Head Lake,” was so scary. The way that Oates played on imagery with the title, with the concept of the child predator circling the camp like a hungry wolf looking for a little lamb. The narrator is almost letting the reader know that this has happened before at this campground. It almost seems like a common thing. When you go to vacation at Wolf’s Head Lake you have to watch out for the man and his companion creeping around the perimeter. Oates also uses interesting imagery in the way she describes the big woman who assists the man. “She’s got a quick wide smile like a knife cutting through something soft.” With this type of style and the looming storm that begins to creep towards the camp as well, the reader can easily see the danger that is fast approaching. The narrator is definitely seen as a teenager or someone with a bit of immaturity. When Oates puts that the narrator tastes the rust from her hands off of the door hinge, it’s almost like the childish antics that Bender wrote about in “Loser,” When the boy wants to lick the emerald. Overall the style used and the way that this story was deliberated was probably one of my favorites. I could easily see and feel everything that Oates was trying to get across to the reader.
ReplyDeleteIn “Recuerdo,” Valdes left me on the edge of my seat. In a lot of ways Valdes leaves the reader thinking that Rosita will let Don Lorenzo marry Maruca. Valdes’s style is very straightforward but still aloof. We have complete access to the narrator’s thoughts and feelings and turmoil. But, Rosita is still unsure of what to do definitely. She is easy to relate to, being in her 30s and still completely at a loss on what to do with her life or her current situation. She doesn’t feel she can help and wants to rely on someone so badly, but can’t and has to carry herself along with all her children and a lazy man. Valdes gives Rosita’s a beautifully tragic story so much longing, yearning, and confusion that any reader can relate to.
Claria Buddle
Wolf’s Head Lake is rather confusing, but it may have been written as such purposefully. It ends without a real “conclusion” and I am left confused and wondering if I had missed something or read the narrative wrong. It almost gives a feeling of wasting the reader’s time, as it appears to build up to nothing. I believe now that the narrative is about that build-up rather than its conclusion. It continuously perpetrates a sense of tension, of something is about to happen. The narrator writes the details, especially those at the end like fish line and knives, as if they are incredibly important, insinuating that an event is about to take place, yet decides to leave it up to the read to question whether or not that event is implied or not.
ReplyDeleteRecuerdo is a slightly uneasy reading that makes usage of powerful characterization for its story. Valdes writes each character then shapes them in front of the reader which helps guide how the reader should feel for each character. The biggest example is Don Lorenzo, who is given many characteristics that make the reader dislike the character without even considering his role, which only further drives home a feeling of disgust towards him. This narrative is rather tragic, as although there is not true conclusion, the ending implies that Rosa is at the very least liking the idea of giving her daughter away to Don Lorenzo so that she may need to be in poverty and obtain a nice house of her own. There is a slight hint of irony in the story, as although Don Lorenzo wishes to “take care” of Maruca and “promises” to get her a house and such, he is a divorce lawyer. I think this helps develop a sense of mistrust and pity in the reader, as they can imagine that this character is not afraid of leaving and will end up with most if not all “shared property” as he knows the laws and has dealt with these cases before, making the reader feel that much more uncertain if giving Maruca to him will truly result in the future that Rosa envisions for her.
-Pedro Conchas
I would like to discuss the author’s different approaches using the iceberg theory. Some writers, like Hemingway, will subscribe to this type of writing, leave 10% of the story expose but guide the reader in exploring the rest 90%. Other writers, rather explore some of the rest 90% in their story through reflection. Now as critics, to what extent can we advise a writer to include reflection in their story if they their style is that of Hemingway?
ReplyDeleteBut, the pieces for this week show the pros can cons for choosing either reflection, straight documenting what you see as Hemingway, or a combination of both. Wolf’s Head Lake, by Joyce Carol Oates, accomplishes narrating 10% of the story. A creepy day in a camp is described with descriptions such as “marbled with some clouds and some of them are dark, heavy, tumescent as skins of flesh ready to burst (Starkey 164).” The characters who were the center of story as well, were establish through tone with descriptions such as “she’s got a quick wide smile like a knife cutting through something soft (Starkey 165).” When the reader finishes, they understand something is up with the man and women cursing around the camp; and the author not once had to explicitly say they were more than likely robbers, rapists, murderers, etc.
In Recuerdo, by Guadalupe Valdes, the tone of desolation is also set up with descriptions such as “But it was noon. And there were no happy or laughing or laughing Americanos; no eager girls painted and perfumed and waiting for customers; no blaring horns or booming bongos (Starkey 166).” Even the sign outside Lorenzo’s office “Divorces…Lorenzo Perez Sauza…Attorney at Law” alludes to what will happen if Maruca and Lorenzo married. Valdes expands beyond 10% of the iceberg theory by venturing to guide the reader in exploration with “But Maruca…no need for her to marry a poor young bum who could not even get a job….no need at al (Starkey 169).” Valdes could have stopped at the description of their home, and Rosa’s contemplation, however he ventured further than that. Valdes could have omitted the last few sentences; he could have stopped at “but only that,” and would his story have the same effect?
As critics, we need to ask whether it is in the intention of the writer to include reflection is his writing, reflection that guides the reader, but we as readers we are also entitled to ask for that reflection. Depending on the type of writer, he or she may or may not deliver.
-Alejandro Sanchez
Reading Oate's Wolf's Head Lake made me think of what it could possibly be about. I instantly noticed the repeat of the phrase, "It's an early dusk" to indicate time or something else entirely. It could be a way for the writer to tell the reader that there may be something far more sinister about to happen. It does reminds you in the beginning that the sun is setting and dusk is approaching, which could be a way of putting that the safety of daylight is now gone. The switching from third, first, and second person did confuse me for a bit since I was caught unaware by the sudden changing of the point-of-views. The imagery itself is fantastic since I consider descriptive language to be really important for setting and what is going on within the scenery. An example of this would be, "...sandy rutted driveways and grassless lots and towels and bathing suits hanging on clotheslines chalk-white in the gathering dusk." This is such an excellent usage of describing of what is being seen even if I dislike the amount of 'and's' being used in that particular sentence. I am unsure if it is mean to give the reader a sense that something dangerous is about to happen since nothing truly goes wrong for some time. It is slowly building to a sense of suspension for the audience to give some sort of thrill. I liked the quote, "small cottages of memory" since it felt like giving the reader a reference to something nostalgic or a childhood memory, and it felt really comforting in an odd way. The conclusion itself was breathtaking because of the way it causes you to wonder of what happened afterwords. "I see the slow passage, he's patient, circling the cottages, looking for the way in." This gave me chills since it gives the feeling of being hunted/stalked by something possibly dangerous. It was a very good read and I enjoyed the suspense that it threw around, and I absolutely loved the ending to tie up the piece together.
ReplyDeleteRecuerdo does make one wonder of what is going on. From what I'm gathering, Rosa is deciding of what she wants for her daughter. She naturally wants for Maruca to marry a good man and to live in a nice house to support her own children. You can feel the distaste that Rosa is having for considering of giving her little girl away to a man like Don Lorenzo, but might consider having her daughter marry him since he has a job and can support Maruca. The emotions of confusion and loss does show quite considerably in this story. I believe that what she is thinking is true, it is hard to find a decent guy with a good job and the options for a husband are rather limited. It seems like a hopeless situation and Rosa needs to make her choice of what she needs to do for her and Maruca's future.
-Alexa Rodriguez
Joyce Carol Oates “Wolf’s Head Lake”
ReplyDeleteThe author does a good job with the setting in this story. I was able to envision the lake, it was put into great detail. I have to admit, this setting allows the reader to take place in this particular campsite. This story had me a bit confused because the author switches to first point of view then to second point of view and then to third person point of view. The story was not very consistent. She focuses more on the character’s surroundings. As I got to the end of this story, it was weak, I felt nothing really happened. There was not much character development that Joyce Carol Oates put into this story.When it came to her sentences there was more descriptive that played in this story than narrative. I seriously did not understand the point of the story at all. I would of like this story better if the author put more background on what the characters went through.
Guadalupe Valdes “Recuerdo”
In the story, it was the complete opposite from “Wolf’s Head Lake”, there is more character development towards Rosa. I enjoyed reading Guadalupe Valdes Recuerdo, this piece kind of reminds of my mother how she is, for some reason. And what she wants best for her daughters lives. What my my mom likes to say to me “Don’t get married” for me not to settle down. Anyways, back to this story, the protagonist is Rosa and she is on her way to meet her daughter’s boss. Oddly enough she wants this attorney to marry her daughter. Rosa couldn’t help but think that maybe her daughter’s life could be better with him since he has all the money. She does not want her children to face the disappointments she went throughout her life, she wants a better future for them, and the one thing that Rosa wanted was financial stability, sadly she could not offer that to her children. There was more drama, in this story, the author does a good job by displaying these heavy emotions between Rosa and her daughter by using dialogue. With this dialogue in the story, the flow of the story was more smoother. I wondered what the daughter thought at the end, if she could really picture being with this guy in the future. The mother just wanted her daughter to go with Don Lorenzo because of his money. She did not want her daughter to live in poverty. Overall, these stories were okay, they were a bit hard to grasp, last weeks stories were better than these in my opinion.
-Andrea Espericueta
Oates short story “Wolf’s Head Lake” takes the point of view perspective to a whole other level of writing I myself have never attempted. Now, the way he handles telling the story, it would seem that he accomplishes what he sets out to do. He successfully, maybe not as smoothly takes the reader, from seeing the perspective of the murderer and transporter which is in the first person to the second person which would be as if we were seeing this as an accomplice or perhaps even the woman who’s under his custody. Where the story goes lacking, is in the department of character development, as it seems to me that Oates tends to focus more on the surroundings throughout the story as opposed to the characters themselves. This doesn’t necessarily spoil the fun of reading the piece as what he does expound on really is the holdfast of the entire story. I enjoy gloomy stories, and I have to say this one does gloom very well. It’s got a darkness about it, that I really enjoyed. Like I said before, the POV I think gave the reader a chance to experience each character individually, not so much as an omnipresent viewpoint as would have been the case if I were writing it.
ReplyDelete“Recuerdo” was without a doubt a more traditional take on the short story. Rosa’s surroundings are very well fleshed out as we are given good description as to what is going on all around her. One thing that stands out the most is the attorney, and how dangerous a person this man can be. What I can relate to with this story is how; people are always on the lookout for financial security. It makes me want to get a career going as fast as possible in my own life, because I feel like that’s what lies underneath most women. They want support. Much like in this story Rosa gets comfortable with the attorney when she realizes just how secure money wise her daughter would be by staying with the man. While his character does not seem ideal does it really make Rosa a bad mother? What is the lesser of two evils?
- Lucas Zamora
“Wolf’s Head Lake,” was a very intimidating story filled with a lot of captivating detail. For the most part the element that stood out the most throughout most of the story was the description on the setting and the attention to detail of the surrounding area. The attention really helped in deepening the perception of the story thus adding power to the already dark situation going on. There were really no character descriptions to focus on other than her thoughts but rather the whimsical, unsettling environment. The narrator is very knowledgeable and smart referring to how she knows that this person is up to no good and she watches the predator constantly and gathers the patterns in which he does is preying on the children. It’s scary and unsettling. On the other hand, I felt that the words often clashed and I found myself stuttering throughout most of the passage and reading it over and over. The wording seemed so tight and uncomfortable almost reflecting how dense and foggy the story itself felt.
ReplyDeleteIn Guadalupe Valdes’ story, “Recuerdo,” the reader is exposed to very descriptive characters as well as a lot of dialogue. I really enjoyed the story in the sense that it was very easy to read and contained a lot of factors I was really able to appreciate such as setting, characters, conflicts, and the dialogue. The advantage of having a character so fully developed is that I was able to picture the character and in a way to sympathize for her and accompany her throughout her personal dilemma. The same goes for dialogue. It really helped to distinguish the personality of the characters in relation to the others. The story contains a typically conflicted person, Rosa in this case and the unlikable man, Don Lorenzo. The reader is able to see that Rosa is of humble origins but is in turmoil with herself. The story ends with a cliffhanger in where the reader is left to wonder whether Rosa will sell/persuade her daughter to marry the ugly Don Lorenzo for the benefit of her daughter or benefit of herself.
- Mayra Lopez
While reading the story, “Wolf’s Head Lake” in the beginning it seemed to be something that was supposed to be happy and was an opening for something that was supposed to happen on the lake. However, it took a dark turn and expressed what could happen to someone when they are alone. The author, Joyce Carol Oates, expressed the setting with a lightness and also how much the reader can actually picture what is going on with the characters and setting but it soon turns dark. She took that lightness and turned into something that was scary and foreboding. To me, Oates was able to express to readers how something that could be innocent can turn into something that is horrible and scary. She is giving the reader information that looks can be deceiving that that readers should be aware of their own surroundings. Just from the change of themes, the readers knows that what Oates was expressing is something that is dark and it also does take a talent in order to do this. Oates was able to take something may have been something so wonderful and full of fun and sunlight, it can be something horrible and terrifying.
ReplyDeleteIn the second reading, “Recuerdo” by Guadalupe Valdez, is another story that expressed something horrible and scary. Just from the expression of the setting in the first through third paragraphs showed the readers that something terrible was either going to happen or was happening. “It was dusty. And the sun, blinding in its brightness, shone unmercifully on the narrow dirty street…And to Rose, walking slowly past the bars and the shops…it seemed as if they all were peering out at her, curiously watching…she walked on…toward the river, toward the narrow, muddy strip of land that was the dry Rio Grande.” The setting is something that gives the readers an aura of something horrible and from that aura, the readers may feel a sense of dread for the protagonist involved. As the reader continues to read on, the sense of dread is not coming for the protagonist, but of someone she loves and cares for. As the story continues and we find out the protagonist’s daughter is being sexually harassed by her boss, it is horrible, but the thought that her mother isn’t listening and believes that this is good for her daughter, is horrible. The aura that Valdez provided was able to give more to the story and be able to feel for the daughter because of what is going on.
The setting does help the story because it helps give the aura of what is going and also has the readers can see what may happen to the characters involved in the story. But when someone changes the setting to something horrible, the reader suddenly feels like that good feeling suddenly turn dreadful for themselves.
- Andrea Serrano
The first story, “Wolfhead’s Lake “by Joyce Carol Oates took me well into the story with all the imagery and allowed me to use my senses to really indulge into the story. This story definitely was dark and scary. Right away as you read, the story starts off with the depiction of dark clouds and a storm which reels you in to what the rest of the story will be like. The narrator is also in a sense creepy because he’s just cruising and roaming around town giving a back story about the lake. He then starts to tell about his uncle who was killed in the war and about about “guys” who disappeared. Just basically creepy story about the creepiest things that happen around there. I got the feeling that the narrator was like a teenager, kind of immature in the way that he tells about his surroundings and that maybe he’s like some kind of killer or something. I got that vibe from him because he was just creepy and knew so much about the place he lived.
ReplyDeleteThe second story, “Recuerdos”, by Guadalupe Valdes really hit my heart because the mother in the story was named Rosa and that is my mom’s name so I felt like if I was her daughter. I quickly snapped out of it though. It was an enjoyable read to me because I could picture all the story in my head and could visualize the scenes as they played out. I liked that the setting is somewhere that was familiar to me and the people and things that Rosa saw seemed so familiar to me from the times that I was on the other side of the border. When we are introduced to Don Lorenzo, I am quickly disgusted by the way that Valdes depicts his manners and behaviors. When Don Lorenzo starts talking about wanting to marry Rosa’s daughter I could feel all this disgust and I dread her daughter going back to that place let alone marrying him! That was so awful. It was even more sad when Rosa gets home and has to cond=sider the fact that maybe her daughter’s life wouldn’t be as awful as if she stayed home.
- Cassandra Martinez
In “Wolf’s Head Lake” I love that Oates was very descriptive with the scenery and “heat lightning, quick spasms of nerves, forking in the sky then gone before you can exactly see” (Starkey pg. 164). For some reason while reading I felt like this was talking about Crystal Lake from the Friday the 13th movies, I love Jason as a character, but throughout the films my anxiety goes off the charts. The author did an awesome job overall in this story, this was refreshing to read because it feels as if Oates took her time with this story. There is so much detail in this story that it makes me see what she wants me to see. “I see the slow passage, he’s patient, circling the cottages, looking for the way in.” (Starkey pg. 165) such a creepy way to end it, feels like it ends with a cliffhanger, I want to read more. I personally enjoy this kind of story, because it isn’t just a story that you read, it is one that you can connect with.
ReplyDeleteIn Valdes’ Recuerdo, I think it was another easy read, I liked that this one had actual dialogue and was also detailed from the very beginning. Really thought it was interesting why the author would put ““Divorces…Lorenzo Perez Sauza…Attorney at Law” in that format, maybe the “…” were used to put more emphasis on the words. This one also seems very well thought out and feels like the author put their time in there. From this story you can see how rude many people can be, with the remarks that Rosa said about Petra being at the house. With that you can tell that she does care for the daughter’s future and wellbeing.
Overall these two stories were easy reads, and I would like to read more like these. Of course I did enjoy the dialogue in the second story but on the contrary I also did enjoy the lack of dialogue in the first one. Both stories were describe and told very well, I feel like there was a deeper meaning to the stories, but it isn’t the hardest thing to understand.
-Roberto Rodriguez
Both stories in our readings had different takes in describing a character's thoughts or memories of a time in their lives. “Wolf’s Head Lake”, by Joyce Carol Oates was slightly forgettable for me. I found it hard to read and understand what was going on. The beginning of the story used a lot of descriptive words to set the scene of how the atmosphere the narrator was experiencing, but after that I feel it kind of trailed off to me. I wasn’t able to keep the focus of all the words that seemed to just keep on flowing. I couldn’t find an image. “Recuerdo”, by Guadalupe Valdes on the other hand went in a different direction. I found “Recuerdo”, to be a very sad tale, but also one with a lot of hope. While I I’ve never met someone who has lived in such poverty that they felt the only escape was to marry a person they did not love for money, I can definitely understand their want to. I was able to connect to this story on a very deep level. Although I only have one child, I know the struggle of having to raise a child practically alone. Even more so because I have also had to deal with having a drunk for a father around solely so that the child would have a father. So this story really struck a chord with me. I could feel the desperation in Rosa’s mind wanting more for her daughter, but also the dilemma of having her becoming a young woman and making sure she didn’t fall into the same traps that she did as a young girl. The path or her young daughter’s life fell into her hands, but I wonder did her daughter face a sad life either way? This is something I will bring up in our discussion. I feel as if she knew her daughter would not be happy with life but at least she could provide her with less of a struggle if she married her off to a man with money. I myself don’t know what I would have done in that situation. The saddest part is that I know this is still a struggle many people face in the world.
ReplyDelete-Diana Zepeda
I feel like the story by Joyce Carol Oates, “Wolf’s Head Lake” was a bit confusing for me. I think she started off with revealing the tone using the words “early dusk”, “dark clouds that marble the sky” and she even included the word “storm” in the introduction (164) which made me think of a dark idea. I also felt like her description of the setting had somewhat dragged on, I understood where it was, “Its an early dusk at the lake because the sky’s marbled with clouds and some of them are dark” (164), I immediately thought that it was going to be a dark and mysterious story, because I learned that with a story that has a “lake” or even a forest demonstrated into it will reveal a dark or even surreptitious tone through out the story. Another thing that I can add to that is how it was not very clear, I feel like she jumped from different things, first a character demonstrating its surroundings then it goes to a male who did not have a name and “wears dark glasses at night” that was being demonstrated and his actions to a female that he had been with. It also connected and added, ““hefty, big-breasted woman” with bleached hair and a “quick wide smile like a knife cutting through something soft” (165). I thought that it was just negative tension and information through out this piece. I don’t think I knew that there was something good coming out at the end of the story. One thing that I did enjoy from the whole piece was how she explained, “southern edge of the lake that’s said to be shaped like a giant wolf’s head”, (164) I was able to illustrate that this story was going to be evil in some type of way, since it was located in the lake and even the lake was meant to be seen a certain way and was named as a carnivorous animal. I just thought that the location was creepy. I really enjoyed “Recuerdo”, by Guadalupe Valdes because I was able to connect myself to her characters. I feel like the language she added into her piece was very good. Since I am a Hispanic myself I can relate to her story because the way she demonstrated the dialogue. But the whole piece I feel like the protagonist of the story had some type of negative energy and envy to Maruca. I feel like most of the issues in this piece are the same issues that happen today in my culture, the confusion in marriages, the sexual harassment from older men, the dozen amount of children women can have, and the envious attitudes woman have for relatives.
ReplyDelete-Aliza Longoria
Wolf’s head Lake wasn’t an interesting story; I did not like how the story was structured. I enjoyed the imagery, but I felt like it was a bunch of descriptions scrabbled all together. Maybe Oates wrote the story in the structure to show how people tell a story. There are no paragraphs in this passage, which made it a drag to read. I felt like reading this was like being told a story that does not interest you or have a point. I know not all stories should have an obvious conclusion or lesson, but I want to gain emotion from the reading as well. I was confused in this reading, powerful ending, but there was no suspense being built up to it. The title does relate to the story at least, I just wanted more emotion out of this piece.
ReplyDeleteThe title Recuerdo is a perfect choice for this short story. I enjoyed how Valdes takes us into the mind of Rosa. This was an interesting way to write this story while still including dialog. This peace was structured smoothly and kept me engaged with the story. The description of what clothes they were wearing brought in the culture to the character. I was able to understand the Spanish transitions, which is good to think about with readers that are not fluent in the language. Valdes shows us the way the characters are living, by describing the dependence these woman have for this man. I enjoy this story because of the dialog because it made me feel involved with the conversation. I’m not sure if Rosa was jealous of the attraction the man has for Maruca. It seemed like she was disgusted with him, but at the same time was informing the reader how much of a hard worker she is. She knew that Maruca deserved better than the ugly sweaty slob, but seemed to want to be taken care of. Ending with Rosas thoughts was what confused me on her view on Maruca and the man’s marriage, but its best to keep the reader guessing then to end the story with a direct answer.
Bianca Salinas
It appears that we’re completing our study of the short-short story this time because we were assigned the last two stories in the short-short story chapter: Wolf’s Head Lake, and Recuerdo. The first is by Joyce Carol Oates, an American author now in her 70’s who has had over forty of her novels published. The second is by Guadalupe Valdés, a professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Stanford University who has paid special focus on border issues and the education of Latino immigrants to the United States.
ReplyDeleteOates’ story seems to have been written quickly almost in a stream-of-conscious way as there are no paragraphs. It is written in the first person but often uses the second, assumedly to speak of a hypothetical third person the way we often do in describing things. She begins the narrative with a beautiful description of the lake and the camp of cottages where the narrator is staying for a summer. It is a beautiful place where young adults are playing, cruising, and the author is at that middling age where she’s just out of adolescence yet not quite in adulthood. Oates then places the narrator in the strange predicament of being looked at by at least one person, maybe a couple, and this isn’t particularly clear but the story hints at the beginning of some kind of horror drama as she notes clothesline under the car seat and the fact that the couple have knives. Ambiguously the story ends with the description of a car circling the area.
Valdés’ piece is written in the more traditional style of paragraphs, quoted dialog, etc. The story itself flows well. The first thing to notice is the title: Recuerdo. Someone is reminiscing, but who? Is it the author? Probably not but it is most likely the lead character of the story, Rosa, whom we meet in the second paragraph. The reader quickly discovers that Rosa lives on the other side of the border, the Mexican border, of the United States. And though we never read the word “prostitute”, it is obvious that Rosa is either a prostitute or involved with prostitution, which makes a remarkable protagonist whose story is most likely rarely ever told. The author therefore aides us in understanding the plight of the Mexican prostitute who caters to American Johns. Her home, a “tin and cardboard shack”, places her in desperation and the unthinkable notion of selling her daughter off as a prostitute kind of makes sense. Thus we emphasize with Rosa but it is not a comfortable one: the plight of the prostitute is seldom told because it is unpleasant to hear.
Elizabeth Barham
In Oates' Wolf Head Lake, the author is trying to put you in the story by feeling the surroundings and hearing the climate. Its putting you in the environment by being very descriptive and over emphazising the location. This very well does that by taking you in and letting you explore his vision through the narrators eyes but it doesnt fully submerge you in. And that is because the story doesnt take a turn into a high point so its just a lot of details in order to put you in their shoes but nothing really takes a turn. The title you can distinguish that its going to take place in a lake and be some sort of lake day that the author is trying to take you on.
ReplyDeleteIn Recurdo by Guadalupe Valdez, there is an actual journey that we go with the narrator in order to feel the misfortune that she goes through. Not only in the journey its self but the contemplation that she goes through when she finds out the reason she was summoned. For being a dialogue between two spanish speaking people there is only one annotation of what a spanish phrase means. It doesnt do any good or bad by being more or less annotations. The tone of the story takes a few turns starting off with being relatable to the readers that are close to or that know of the Rio Grande you can really see what she is going through but at the same time she is going through confusion about her trip to Lorenzo. The tone starts to take a turn into awkward in the story and also on behalf of the reader because she starts to flashback about things that her daughter had said about him. The title of the story is the only other spanish word that is a very big impact on the story. Its the memory of remembering that takes the impact into contemplating whether what he wants is ethical in her eyes for her to allow. The realization of something being unethical comes into consideration when you want something bigger and better. The author leaves a lingering thought in order to really think about what things are important in life.
-Victor Vasquez
Wolf's Head Lake by Joyce Carol Oates is a short piece that reads in a very menacing manner. It is not a short story I should have read at night. It seems to be about a potential serial killer, although the reader would not have guessed it from the title. The title seems, at first glance, to be from the location of the story; but further reading seems to also imply that it draws its name from being the haunt of a predator, "patient, circling the cottages, looking for the way in." (165) There is no break in paragraphs, which means the reader isn't allowed a break in the building intensity.
ReplyDeleteRecuerdo by Guadalupe Valdes is an uncomfortable piece to read. It was something that struck a little close to home for me; my mother had been poor and when she was young, was in a position where she had to marry a man for financial security. Fortunately, her situation ended differently from Maruca's; she did not have to go to an old pervert, which is fortunate for me or else I would not have been born. Marrying for financial security is Maruca's mother's greatest concern. She knows she cannot guarantee a good life for her children and though it initially angers and disgusts her, she begins to rationalize Lorenzo's proposition in terms of what an advantage it would be for Maruca. In some way, it is a decision made from an almost vicarious point of view - Rosa compares her daughter's situation to an opportunity she herself never had. From Rosa's perspective, Lorenzo is wealthy. She categorizes him as one of those "old men with money," (169) but from the descriptions of his physical body and of the place of his work, the reader knows that Lorenzo is not wealthy. It's just that his financial situation must be significantly better than Rosa's family for it to appear so to her. Furthermore, Lorenzo does not actually say he wants to marry Maruca; he just asks if she has any other man at the time. He says he would "take care"(167) of her, but never that he would marry her. It sounds more like he might keep her as a mistress.
Doris Tolar
Joyce Carol Oates creates a beautiful depiction with her vivid use of imagery and suburb use of word choice. The beauty behind this story is that the main character never leaves her spot. All of the action is occurring in her head, she’s imagining and fleshing out the man she sees driving as a wolf hunting for prey. Again, her word choice is amazing. She takes the reader from visualizing flesh bursting in the sky to thunder that resembles nerves, then to repeatedly mentioning knives to foreshadow or imply danger. “Wolf’s Head Lake” seemed difficult to comprehend on the first try but once I read it a second time out loud did I appreciate the style in which a paradox arises from the violent use of word choice that conveys a delicate instance of forthcoming danger. Guadalupe Valdes paints a powerful portrait of a single Latina mother trying desperately not to drown, yet at the same time struggling to ignore her despair in the desperate situation she lives in trying to feed her many children. Recuerdo is a powerful story because although Rosa has Maruca’s future in her hands, she has no options to survive on her own without the help of a man. I think it would be easy to say that the characters in this story have no choice of their own because of their dire conditions, but I don’t think that’s the most significant thing we should be taking from the story. Rosa is a woman in despair, not a unique situation, especially not in a Latino community where most of us where raised my single mothers. What’s truly interesting about this story is that Rosa admits to be overcome with a need to escape, it’s brave for the author to portray an honest picture of what one suffers instead of presenting her as invincible. The author makes Rosa convincing, she’s all of us. I think it’s brutal that she’s probably going to give Maruca away to Lorenzo, especially considering it is insinuated she and Lorenzo were involved, even if it was just “business”. The story sounds like a distant nightmare, something we no longer have to worry about but it still happens. Why did she choose the title?
ReplyDelete-Maria Fajardo
Wolf's Head Lake
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I loved about this piece, is the style that it is written in. The imagery is so strong throughout the story that I could taste the rain, and the rust. I could feel the dampness in the air and a sense of eerie foreboding. This style of writing really puts me there in the middle of the lake grounds. The narrator is standing in the doorway, watching everything play out, yet in reality she is not actually seeing anything. And even though as a reader we know this, we get a chance to glimpse into her thoughts. The comparison between the man and the name of the lake really ties everything together and sets the tone for the piece.
Recuerdo
There is something so tragically sad about this story. The way that it was written was really clever though. At first when I read about Rosa walking to the office, I could feel the dread. I thought that she was going to be the target of his sexual advances, but when I read that it was her daughter it made me even more angry. However, it surprised me that Rosa wasn't angry and was still being kind to this man. The order of the information that the author gives us is in my opinion what really makes this piece. There was mixed emotions for me while reading it because I was putting my own mother in Rosa's shoes. But at the end when you realize the weight that the mother was carrying by having to care for children that she could not provide for, it made the story all the more tragic. This story was amazingly written and I really enjoyed reading it.
Erin Valdez
Joyce Carol Oates’ work titled “Wolf’s Head Lake,” is unique in its descriptive narrative. Oates elaborates the setting with such imagery as to personify dark clouds with rumbling noises near the Chautauqua Mountains. There are “quick spasms of nerves” over the “laughing-rippling sound” of thunder surrounding the main character, and the reader is able to take a look at cottage #11. Oates is clever as she uses a present tense narration to create an impressive effect inviting the reader to travel alongside the narrator’s journey. Moreover, Oates preference over simple sentences and fragments adds to her personal style as if she was narrating a story to a friend. The development of the narratives’ characters is quick but detailed, as Oates mentions the male figure and his female companion in Port Oriskany. Instantly, the reader is given clues that these characters are very sketchy, adding more emphasis on the darkness of the story. The knives mentioned in “Wolf’s Head Lake,” are a symbol of potential death and danger. What is interesting is that Oates decides to describe the female’s smile as a knife “cutting through something soft.” And thus, the reader is enticed into a mystery.
ReplyDeleteIn Guadalupe Valdes’ short story titled “Recuerdo,” the reader is taken briefly into a dramatic narrative.It is interesting how Valdes begins painting a melancholic setting on a “narrow dirty street… empty.” There is a longing for life in the dry Rio Grande, and the reader is able to catch an allegorical message. Valdes contrasts the darkness in the atmosphere by describing what there wasn’t in the “muddy strip of land.” Valdes builds a suspenseful narrative as he shortens his sentences and choosing carefully his words. The character described in this narrative, Rosa, is given an unclear identity as she sees herself no longer like a girl but as a 35 year old “mirroring the pain and the disappointment.” The narrow door and the ascension of steps make this story just as mysterious as the “Wolf’s Head Lake.” The other character in the narrative is given a negative identity as he wears a “sweat-stained shirt” and “wrinkled trousers” while mocking Rosa. Through the use of dialogue the characterization of the characters is strengthened and the reader is assured that there is an immediate conflict. What is staggering to me is the culture that is described as the narrator exposes Rosa’s train of thought exemplified in the line, “Old men with money did not often come into their world, and never to stay.” Just like the muddiness of the Rio Grande described in the beginning, Rosa’s mind is unclear and troubled through the uneasiness of Maruca’s future.
- Julio Manzano
The first few opening sentences are beautifully describing the setting and scenery. Every sentence in this short story is packed with crucial details. The story itself is pretty scary and creepy. As I read along it got darker and darker referring to criminals who pass by and stay in the hotel. Afterwards it goes into what seems like a kidnapping. Mrs. Oates describes the clothesline being so strong, the trickles of blood, and the mosquitos drawn to the narrator in the dark. Overall the story brings about terrifying images but the kind that are scary not just because the words bring about a picture but also conjure up the imagination behind them. That is the scary part, to be drawn to darkness without knowing where it goes.
ReplyDelete“Recuerdo” means memory. What kind of memory is Guadalupe Vales referring to? The read was heart wrenching and almost tragic. As I read the story I was taken up and down on a roller coaster of conflicting feelings towards the character of Rosa. On one hand I understand how unfortunate and downtrodden her situation is. She is poor and embodies meekness and a humble being. At the same time I cannot help but feel anger towards her lack of hope out of her situation and current condition. It seems that Rosa gave up hope a long time ago and is now conflicted with what it is she feels is right and how to go about it. In an environment such as the one she is in it is understandable where she might see a better life for her daughter Maruca. Things like this happen every day, this is the reality of the world. Not everyone gets the person love to bear their children or build their future. In many parts of the world marriages are still arranged for economic and social standing or progress. The concept of love has changed through time and is difficult to understand with Rosa.
-Abran Garcia
Wolf head lake is a confusing reading. Perhaps, it is at a very fast pace. At some point, I seems a story of the people vacationing around the lake, and then it seems, it is about the person who is passing along the beach, but then it is a narrative of the environment, the lake. It seems like a late afternoon and their a storm passing by, it does not seem harmful. And there is some lighting. I pictured someone like my daughther as standing there at the door with the rusted screen to her face, just watching the beach, looking at the boats from the interior of the house. Then there is the car passing by, it really does not have anything to say but be part of the scenery.
ReplyDelete-Francisco J. Aboytes