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Wanting to be More than Your Destiny in Stickman by Robert Coover

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Just one vertical line, one horizontal, two little slashes and a circle; something simple in order to teach a child how to doodle a person. It’s not difficult and it’s nothing complex, just a few quick lines and a couple seconds later; a stickman. Not much dynamic and rather boring as viewed by others, but there are some things in life that are more than meets the eye. As Robert Coover takes us into the life of a stickman in his short story The Stickman, the symbolism behind this story shows the reader the true life possibilities of wanting to be more than what you are destined to be. A part of the human condition is a strong desire to fulfill the best things in life; popularity, wealth, power, success, etc. Usually most people are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve all of these “fancy” things that life has to offer. We want to put it all on the line, take risks, and never look back in order to live THAT lifestyle. While some rarely accomplish this, there are consequences for sacrificing what you have for something that isn’t good for you. Humans view their lives as dull and boring and we are constantly searching for something that is going to give us our next high; our next adrenaline rushing, palm sweating, heart racing feeling. We crave for something more because we don’t realize what we have right in front of us and sometimes it takes an epic downfall to have that epiphany. Our stickman is an ideal example of someone who executes his desires and pays the

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