The things they carried-Tim O'Brien

     Some remarkable themes of the story “The things they carried” by Tim O’Brien is to show how the character changes from being a “small kid” not in his appearance but in his interior developing some maturity. The other main theme that we can notice in this short story that O’Brien highlights it’s to show how tuff can war is and how can these change a person because of the difficult situations that are lived on it.
     At the beginning of the story O’Brien presents Cross like a little boy who daydreams the entire day about unrealistic stuff and by this loses his focus on his main task. The author often repeats the mentioning of Martha; Martha is a women that symbolizes destruction, distraction, freedom and causes desire, she is also the thought in cross’s mind that keeps him distracted of his duty, leading to Lavender’s death. His death is also a factor that is often repeated by O’Brien and as Martha it symbolizes something for Cross Lavender’s death also does. This time it’s not freedom or desire but it’s a ghost for him that represents all the death soldiers in his battalion and his irresponsibility for not taking care of them because of his insides thoughts. However Lavender’s death also symbolizes something good for Cross. This is because thanks to him Lieutenant Jimmy Cross gives a radical change making a huge step from a “small irresponsible boy” to a responsible leader that is focus on task the whole day. With lavender’s death Cross’s illusions for Martha also dyes because all the guilt he feels leads him to face his true reality and no matter how much he desires to be in a different situation he faces the harsh moments he is going true and assumes it with responsibility.

     By this we can notice how war changed Lieutenant Jimmy Cross taking a huge step and how can the different hard situations lived mark a person’s life. 

Gryphon- Charles Baxter

    -In Gryphon, describe three ways Baxter intertwines the conventional and unconventional and for what purpose this interplay is used.-

In the short story gryphon Baxter intertwines the unconventional and unconventional with the two teachers; Mr. Hibler is the conventional teacher that teaches an ordinary consecutive lesson day after day, always following the plan and the rules. “Mr. Hibler always starts the day with the Pledge of Allegiance” He never shares experiences or “bends” the plan. While Mrs. Ferenczi is an unconventional teacher, always trying to get the students outside of the box.

When the students are studying arithmetic and a student says that six times eleven is sixty-eight Mrs. Frenczi doesn’t correct him and when another student says it’s wrong she just says that when she is in the room six times eleven is sixty-eight. “Why is it sixty-eight, when you’re in the room?” “Because it’s more interesting that way” she can not support what she is teaching so she just says that it is more interesting this is very unusual for a teacher. But with this she tries to make her students open minded.

I think that Baxter purpose was to show the reader how the changes on the people mind can be difficult but at the end it will always help.  For example at first when Mrs. Frenczi applies her way of teaching the students oppose to her but at the end they accepted and with it their minds became creative. 

Hopeful story

I think that in the short story "Interpreter of maladies" Jhumpa Lahiri constructs a "positive" hopeful end.
During the story we can notice the bad relationship between Raj and Mrs. Das  and the way in which Mr. and Mrs. Das treat their kids.. However at the end after Mrs. Das talks to Mr. Kapasi we can see her change in her attitude. It’s a positive fact that Mrs. Das is trying to solve the problem, when she talks to Mr. Kapasi she is trying to make everything better and when Mr. Kapasi identifies the problem "Is it really pain you feel, Mrs. Das, or is it guilt?”  Mrs. Das makes a radical turn. At first she didn’t act as a mother toward her kids but now when Bobby was being attacked by the monkeys she tries to save him; also when she goes outside she doesn’t put her sun glasses on as she had done during the whole story. The dark sunglasses covered her eyes and by this it created a barrier with the family covering her expressions towards them. Also when Mr. Kapasi’s card flies away it shows as that he would be forget her and this is good for both of them. And the last clear symbol that let us know that the story has a positive ending is the fact that the monkeys are finally calm. As we can see during the story they were always restless and bouncy such as the relationship between them and when they are calm Mrs. Das gas already changed and she is trying to make things work.

With all this symbols it’s hard to say that it’s not a positive ending.