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Essay on Analysis of Alice Walker's short story, Nineteen Fifty-five

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Analysis of Alice Walker's short fictional story, "Nineteen Fifty-five" Alice Walker's short fictional story, "Nineteen Fifty-five", revolves around the encounters among Gracie Mae Still, the narrator, and Traynor, the "Emperor of Rock and Roll." Traynor as a young prospective singer purchases a song from Mrs. Still, which becomes his "first hit record" and makes him rich and famous. Yet, he does not "even understand" the song and spends his entire life trying to figure out "what the song means." The song he sings seems as fictional as certain events in this story, but as historical as Traynor's based character, Elvis Presley. On one hand, the narrator chronologically describes historic events, which occurred during Elvis's …show more content…

Eight years later, in 1968 when Traynor visits Mrs. Still, she describes him appearing drunk, "waddling up the walk." Around this time Elvis became abusive with drugs and alcohol seeming depressed, needing "some encouraging", just as Traynor did. Also, like Traynor, Elvis appeared "plump" and always wearing about "ten necklaces, two sets of bracelets and at least a ring on every finger" with "some kind of shining buckles on his shoes." Then, in 1977, the same year that Elvis died coincidently, Traynor does as well. Also, their death caused the public to go on a "crying rampage", and had questionable causes of death, "some said fat, some said heart, some said alcohol, some said drugs." On the other hand, the narrator adds fictional events revolving around her and Elvis's life. Beginning in 1955, when she sold Traynor, the historic based character of Elvis, one of her songs. One year later she sees Traynor or Elvis singing "her song" on television. A year after that she mentions that Traynor and his manager had "bought up all her records" and on his record he "had put, written by Gracie Mae Still." Then, receives a "gold grill, white Cadillac" from Elvis, as a gift. Furthermore, she says that when Traynor got drafted, he kept

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