"One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich" (2nd Thoughts).

There was one particular part of the book that really spoke to me and that was the part where Alyosha tells Shukhov that he is happy that he is in prison because it helped propel his faith and caused him to gain a deeper and stronger faith.  I do not know if I would be able to think that way, even though I am a Christian.  As Americans I think that we are so spoiled with the blessings of freedom that we often forget the hardship that some of our Christian brothers and sisters are forced to endure on a daily basis.  As of now I know that my faith is minuscule compared to Alyosha's but one day I hope I can look at difficult circumstances the way he does instead of the way I have been.  Personally, I think this portion of the story was meant to give encouragement to the reader that the characters can prevail, even though they are forced to endure their present circumstances.

"One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich" (1st Thoughts).

I cannot imagine having to live in a "work camp" in Soviet Russia.  The men that were forced to endure such tormented lives must have been some very hard men.  What I found interesting was the life lessons that are learned in such conditions.  For instance, Shukhov's inclination to hide and stash his food struck me as a natural instinct that people experience in tough situations.  Shukhov showed many signs that he was going to be able to serve out his term and make it through, however.  For example, he always seemed to assess each situation differently and devise a plan to enable him to extract as much benefit out of it as possible.  Due to this attitude, Shukhov was able to endure and live on.

"A Good Man Is Hard To Find"

The ending to this story really threw me off.  In fact, it is safe to say that I had no idea the ending was going to unfold as it did.  When the car accident happened I know that the story was going to shift dramatically, but I had no idea that it was going to end as it did.  I found the character of the Grandmother quite exasperating and quite frankly annoying, but after the reading the entirety of story, I realized that her role in the story was pivotal and important.  I think the overall meaning of this story was that the author was trying to get across the idea that because of Man's broken condition it can be easy for humans to start going down the wrong road, and once an individual starts down that road it is very hard to turn back.

"The Things They Carried," By Tim O'Brien (Second Thoughts)

After reading this story and giving my mind time to digest the material, I came to the conclusion that Tim O'Brien is doing his best to create a story that portrays the true aspects of war.  I think he does this particularly well when he writes, "He wished he could find some great, sadness or even anger, but the emotion wasn't there and he couldn't make it happen."  Here Tim O'Brien is showing the true emotions of an individual in combat.  Kiowa doesn't know what to feel at this point and it seems that his emotions are confused between feeling happy that he is still alive and sad that his friend was just killed.  Unable to figure out which way to feel, Tim O'Brien is able to capture conflict of emotion that is so often experienced in combat.  Although my time in Iraq was not nearly as combat intensive as what most veterans experienced in Vietnam, I do know the emotions that come to the surface when faced with tough and nerve-racking situations.  I would guess that it would be very hard to capture the emotions that appear in a combat situation, but in my opinion Tim O'Brien completes this task very well.

"The Things They Carried," By Tim O'Brien (First Thoughts)

The conundrum that Tim O'Brien creates with Lt. Cross' love for Martha adds a much needed context to this story.  It seems that his love for Martha is what keeps him going in Vietnam.  He seems to look forward to the times when he can just sit and contemplate the time he has and wants to spend with Martha. In my opinion, this aspect of the story is attempting to bring a sense of humanity into a world where humanity is hard to find, beings that they are in the thick of fighting in the Vietnam war.

"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson

I found "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson quite confusing.  The story begins by talking about how the boys were building a pile of rocks and then goes on to relate the importance of the Lottery.  Much of the story talks about the different people from the town selecting pieces of paper out of the box that is used every year for the lottery.  In the end it appears that Tessie Hutchinson draws the piece of paper that everyone wants to avoid and as a consequence is forced to stand in the center of the circle consisting of villagers who began to pelt her with rocks.  What I am having a hard time understanding is what is Shirley Jackson trying to elude to?  I mean is the "stoning" suppose to be like a "hunger games" type ritual where they select one person form the village every year to be killed for some reason that the story does not reveal?  I'm not even sure what the point of the story is suppose to be.  I guess the only conclusion I came to was that maybe Shirley Jackson was trying to portray that LIFE in general is risky and sometimes there is nothing we can do to avoid our destiny other than be resigned to it.  If anyone has any answers to my questions I would love to hear others input.

"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry

"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry was an interesting read.  The characters of Della and Jim were especially intriguing.  I like how the story seems to focus primarily around Della and her quest to find an exquisite gift for her husband.  Della's determination to do whatever it takes, or in this case sell whatever it takes, to obtain the means by which she can purchase the gift she wants for her husband is reflected in her decision to have her hair cut off for money.  The fact that her hair is regarded as her prized possession helps portray the depth of her love for her husband and the value she places on his happiness.  Throughout the story the reader can't help but wonder if Jim feels the same way about his wife and in keeping with his reputation O. Henry does not disappoint.  O. Henry ends his story with an ending that most readers do not see coming.  The story ends with the husband, Jim, revealing that he had done the same for his wife during his quest to make her happy.  Jim had sold his most prized possession, his watch, to be able buy her the set of hair bushes that she had coveted for so long.  To me this story displays the love that Jesus often talks about in the Bible, a type of love that is completely unselfish and unrestrained.

"A Pair of Tickets" by Amy Tan

During the entire story Jing Mei seems to be haunted with anxiety because she is unsure of how her half-sisters will respond to her arrival.  What I found most interesting about this story was that although Jing Mei was extremely concerned how her estranged siblings would feel about her she never lost interest in learning about her family that still resided in China, which in turn, helped her to realize that family bonds run deeper than superficial emotions.  Everyone can take something away from the ending of "A Pair of Tickets" because it seeks to establish the importance of familial relationships and ethnic bonds.

"Cathedral" by Raymond Carver

The ending to "Cathedral" was not what I was expecting but was subconsciously what I was hoping for.  I particularly liked the fact that the main character, who had a poor attitude, was the main focus of the story and ended up being the one who changed for the better.  His transformation from a cynical man to an enlighten believer shows the beauty in the human experience that we take so for granted everyday.