The Briefcase

In the story “Caviar”, both husband Nathaniel and wife Marie suffer a loss of innocence. It is Nathaniel, however, that goes through the greatest degree of loss. He may have caused his wife's loss of innocence by having an affair with their surrogate, Wendy, but he lost so much himself. Marie though having lost a husband, got the child she had so desperately wanted. Nathaniel was left with nothing as he lost his wife, his mistress, and his new born son.

Josh Pachter created the passage, “Invitation to a Murder,” constructed thoroughly by situational irony. As the story began, Mrs. Abott cordially invited twelve men with a background of the criminal work field; this invitation stated that the men would be attending a murder. Once all the men arrived, then seated in a horizontal line, they saw a table filled with weapons. These weapons consisted of a bottle of poison, which does not turn out to be poisonous, a knife, and more. Eleanor Abott discussed with the gentleman, her past, and how her and her husband got together. Unfortunately, she told them that he is now practically a vegestable, given a ski accident prior. Her husband, Gregory Abott, is paralyzed, plus can no longer think.

Years ago, a madman held thirteen people hostage in a hamburger restaurant for thirty-six hours. At the end, two men were dead and the rest walked away. One of the hostages, nine-year-old Freda Opperman, became the face of the event, the innocent victim, the brave survivor. Her mother keeps the legacy alive through the media and various good works done in Freda's name. But inside that restaurant, with the gunman, Freda knows she wasn't innocent or a victim or even particularly brave. It's all documented on a set of napkins written by the store's manager, one of the eventual dead men. She's never read them, but ever since being carried out of that restaurant, she's hidden them away like a treasure, or a secret.

At dawn, her father has fished through the girl’s pocket for the key to the secret cupboard. He took it and went to talk to the policeman... He explained the situation. He was trying to remain calm, the girl could tell, but he was at his breaking point. He had to go and get his four-year-old son, he told the man, He would return here, he promised… The father urged the man to come with him, to accompany him, he was just going to get the boy and come back, immediately. The policeman ordered him out of the way. (45)

In this fiction short story “Ines in the Kitchen”, Cristina Garcia discusses a women in the story Ines, who is a housewife and pregnant. Garcia talks mainly about the character Ines and her situation and emotions. Throughout the story Ines feels trapped and confused about life in the choices she made, she feels betrayed not in the since from someone but of herself and the expectation of being a women. The author Cristina Garcia creates themes through the use of the elements of conflict and Plot to show the main character’s situation.

“Breaking News! During the afternoon of April 23rd, Dr. Phil Johnson was found dead in his office. The murderer is unknown, but luckily for us former detective Stan Walter, a good friend of Phil’s has taken the case into his hands. If you have any thoughts to who the murderer is please report it to the police. Back to you Alex!” The tv turns black and I look over to see who the culprit was and it was my wife Rosalind. “Honey, I know it’s devastating about your loss, but your food is getting cold. Now come eat.” “Ok” I respond, annoyed. At dinner my wife and I talk about the decision of taking the job as the detective for Dr. Phil Johnson’s death since he is my friend. Eventually, she gave in and let me go to my office.

“I desire very little, but the things I do consume me.” - Beau Taplin. The Collector by John Fowles is a psychological thriller that delves deep into societies social classes and into the twisted minds of serial killers and abductors. In most stories, abduction occurs with the intent of some kind of sexual desire or to cause harm to the person being confined. In The Collector the audience is given both viewpoints between the victim and the captor to highlight what each believes is going on within the abduction. The antagonists desire to “collect” heavily outweighs any malicious inclination.

Tita, our main protagonist, surrenders her love for her the value of family in doing so, she begins to put a greater value into her cooking. For instance, in the novel, it states that “Soups can cure any illness, whether physical or mental. (7, 410)” This quote was embedded to show that the meal could help cure Tita even in her darkest hours. That the love used to make that hot liquid can cure her from the pain or hurt she is feeling. It is also revealed that the kitchen signifies a safety net in the story for Tita because, “ It wasn't easy for a person whose knowledge was based on the kitchen to comprehend the outside world. (1, 7)” It is expressed that tita can truly be herself and let out her emotions in her kitchen. That the kitchen is the one place she can be herself and do what she loves. Lastly, cooking symbolizes her values because when Tita was in a slump she made some soup and once she took a bite she say “John. Please don't leave.(7, 425)” This is important because the power of her cooking influenced her

After the baker takes all the rage thrown on him by Ann, he in return begs for forgiveness and gives the parents what they were lacking, that is food. The baker does all this even though he is alone and virtually makes contact with anybody.

This story is a tale of emptiness and loneliness and how different people deal with it. The younger waiter, who does not feel either, goes home to his wife. The older waiter feels both and looks

    In the novel, Invisible Man, the main character carries around a briefcase throughout the entire story. All of the possessions that he carries in that briefcase are mementos from learning experiences. Throughout the novel, the Invisible Man is searching for his identity and later discovers that his identity is in those items.

I thought what a wonderful way to tell a story” (Mujica 38). The reader is often present in the kitchen with Esquivel when she writes about her past experiences in the kitchen.

The film opens with a train traveling through the European countryside. It is 1938. Liesel Meminger sits on the train with her mother and younger brother, only to look over and find that her brother dies in her mothers arms. As they bury her brother, the gravedigger drops a book and Liesel picks it up and takes it with her. It is the only left that she has to remember her brother. She is then taken to her new foster parents, Rosa and Hans Hubermann. Upon her arrival, she meets Rudy Steiner who will be her best friend until the end; his end at least.

Jordan Belfort is the notorious 1990’s stockbroker who saw himself earning fifty million dollars a year operating a penny stock boiler room from his Stratton Oakmont, Inc. brokerage firm. Corrupted by drugs, money, and sex, he went from being an innocent twenty – two year old on the fringe of a new life to manipulating the system in his infamous “pump and dump” scheme. As a stock swindler, he would motivate his young brokers through insane presentations to rile them up as they defrauded investors with duplicitous stock sales. Toward the end of this debauchery tale he was convicted for securities fraud and money laundering for which he was sentenced to twenty – two months in prison as well as recompensing two – hundred million in

The love story between two different teenagers that come from completely different worlds is the most remarkable. The Notebook is about two young teenagers who fell head over heels with each other. They got separated by Allie’s upper-class parents who insist that Noah isn’t right for her. But that obstacle didn’t stop these two young lovers from being together even if it took years. This beautiful tale has a special meaning to an older gentleman who regularly reads the timeless love story to his aging wife to help her remember what they went through and that the story that he’s reading to her was their love story. The story he reads follows two young