The Return Short Story

A significant event in one's life forces a person to reevaluate their current situation and decide how they will adapt to a new situation, or cause them to look back on the steps they took to get into that situation. In life as well as in the literature Crosswalk In The Rain, and THE TENT DELIVERY WOMAN’S RIDE, people have to adapt to what is happening in their lives, despite conditions they may have been through in the past. In life at some point there will be crossroads that a person must cross, they can either look back at what they have done to end up in that position or they can look forward and see what they must do to continue moving forward.

The Past, an ever growing pool of time, is always biting at the heels of a person. It reminds him of what they have done wrong, done right, or when he did nothing. For most people, recalling the past leads to loose ends and blanks where memories should be. No matter how much a person may want to return to the past, it is not possible. It is lost forever. These forgotten moment lead to uncertainties and confusion in the present, and chaos in the future. Forgetting the past leads to spirals, spinning downwards as people look to what they have lost. They retrace their steps hoping to find a sliver of who they are and what may become of them. In the poem, Itinerary, Eamon Grennan shows how an individual searches through his past, but can never return to it. Through the poem and with a personal experience I will explain how individuals deal with uncertainties in their pasts.

Change will stimulate growth among individuals. The motif of time in, ‘first of the season’, demonstrates change will gradually occur with time. Clearly, the family’s lives have been transformed through their transient lifestyle when moving houses. The morbid tone, ‘she won’t even ask why they’re leaving this time’, shows the family has conformed and transformed from change. Indeed, progression from an excited to a miserable tone stresses an individual’s perceptions on change will alter throughout life experiences. Further, the kinaesthetic imagery, ‘the loaded ute bumps down the drive’, emphasises the family’s transformation throughout change. Here, the metaphorical ‘bumps’ is symbolic of the barriers individuals experience with change, in order to grow.

Transformation plays a role in stories meant to scare us by playing with our imagination safety and mood of a story. Imagination appears in both Edgar Allan Poe’s, gothic fiction story “The Fall of the House of Usher,” by Usher’s isolated environment and in Joyce Carol Oates gothic literature story “Where is Here?,” by foreseeing who people are. Transformation also plays a role by it assists knowing our own selves are safe in a scary situation. This is shown in, “ Why do Some Brains Enjoy Fear?,” by Allegra Ringo and in “ House Taken Over,” by Julio Cortazar. Transformation plays with our imagination and our safety it also plays a role in the mood and setting. This appears in , “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and “The Dream Collector,”

The Things They Carried is an autobiographical novel written by Tim O’Brien that details his time as a soldier in the Vietnam War. Considered to be “the best work of fiction ever written about Vietnam, some even think it is the best about war,” (Greenya 1). The stories that are contained within the novel talk about themes such as loss, burdens, and the horrifying truths of the Vietnam War, the first war to take place during a more ‘modern’ era, as the tragedies of the war could be broadcasted through television. Much like many soldiers that fought in the war, Tim O’Brien was forced to face through many tragedies. Due to this, the book is used to preserve those who have died in Tim O’Brien’s life. The two chapters within The Things They Carried develop the importance of O’Brien’s coping mechanism. In The Little Brown Reader, ‘Snapshot: Lost Lives of Women’ by Amy Tan contains a similar structure to the two chapters of O’Brien’s novel. I believe that Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is similar to Amy Tan’s ‘Snapshot: Lost Lives of Women in the structure detailing the past and the idea of keeping people’s lives preserved through the art of storytelling, O’Brien’s last two chapters are essential in showing this similarity.

Change can be seen as a form of transformation or conversion. A form of change can be seen in “Victory Lap” by George Saunders, a short story written in such a way that the events that are enrolling throughout the story are being processed and told through the minds of three main characters. Having the perspective of each character allows us, the readers to get a much greater understanding about them and to make a better character analysis. Having said that, this story is simply about a girl, Alison getting kidnapped by an unnamed kidnapper. What were really captivating were the changes spotted on characters as the conflict progresses. One character in particular is very intriguing and his name is Kyle. One of our main character, Alison

There are many types of change, change in perspective, emotional change, physically change and world change. In Looking for Alibrandi, the author, Melina Marchetta demonstrates, the concept of change not only through the main character, Josephine, but also some other minor characters such as Michael Andretti and John Barton though the majority is shown through Josephine. The poem, “The Door” by Miroslav Holub is very similar to Looking for Alibrandi as it also shows the concept of change but it tells us that change can mean that anything could happen even if that anything is nothing. Change can be good, it can be bad, change can be anything and it can even start relationships.

Change is something you are probably familiar with. In “Beneath the Smooth Skin of America,” Scott R. Sanders talks about many changes in his life. The author starts the story looking throw the eyes of himself as a child. As a child he remembers that all that was in his sight was all he could see. The author’s best example of this is he says, ”Neighbors often appeared…where they came from I could not imagine” (27). As the author begins to see more by leaving the area he was around so often he starts to see more and more things. He started moving around to different places and started seeing the things that he had not see before. The author points out many things that he began to see like the stores

These texts all share simular audiences of ambitious individuals striving for a better future. "Drifters" and " A Good Friday was held by all" both use the techniques of imagery, Diction, Metaphors, Juxtaposition, Repititition, Alliteration and Biblical Allusion to represent the concept change.

One may say transformation is inescapable, that everyone is bound to change. Change will happen when one is exposed to a different environments and after a series of events. Jews in the Holocaust were prime examples of change occurring. They were put through harsh environments and received beatings daily forcing them to change and adapt to their new environment. Elie Wiesel, the author of Night, was a Jew taken from his home and thrown into a concentration camp never to see his own mother or sisters again. Change has left Eliezer distant from his childhood-self. Eliezer has become distant from God, cold-hearted, and fearful from his optimistic and reassuring childhood.

Change is inevitable and can be as quick as a blink of an eye. Although the outcomes may be in one’s favor, it is not certain. In the fictional short story, “A Sound of Thunder,” Ray Bradbury describes how change is significant to life. In the story, Eckels, the protagonist, travels back in time and drastically changes the future by altering the past. Bradbury uses several literary devices such as foreshadowing, imagery, and symbolism to illustrate that frivolous decisions will also affect the course of others’ lives.

The Return is story about Kamau, a man returning home after spending many years away in prison. Kamau has both survived the Mau Mau and being put in prison. The Mau Mau had cost many Black Nationalist’s lives, and had seen many more put away in jails. The story begins as Kamau is released from jail.

Society today continues to grow towards the glorification of unique objects, that become very important to a person. These objects obtain strong power, that can become very influential in a person's life, whether it be good or bad. J.D Salinger in The Catcher in the Rye, uses Allie and the ducks from the pond in Central Park, to portray the theme that change is a very difficult transition for many people.

After Transformation and Atonement, the hero faces the final stage of his journey: The Return to everyday life. Upon the return, the hero discovers his gifts – One becomes richer and stronger – perhaps a great leader - and spiritually enlightened. The hero shares the gift/treasure of experience, knowledge, and wisdom - gained through the journey – with the broader community.

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning but anyone can start today and make a new ending”. Maria Robinson’s quote can be applied to the concept of change as anyone can alter the way they are in their lives and become something new. Change is a state of transformation which results in a fundamental shift in the way we perceive and interact with the world. It is the process of being made different, altered in appearance, turned into something or someone new. The concept of change is very important in our lives as it gives us new experiences whether it be positive or negative. Change can be explored in the poem “Remember me?” by Ray Mather, “My father began as a god” by Ian Mudie, “Originally” by Carol Ann Duffy and in the pros fiction