Andre+Dubus

Here are some questions for "The Curse" and "A Father's Story." Other things that might be fun to think about are what story of Dubus's is your favorite? Why do you like his stories? Do you have a favorite moment/line of dialogue/passage from the four stories? Why that moment/line/passage? All are fair game for the discussion forum.

1. The first line of dialogue in “The Curse” involves one character telling another to do something that is impossible – why do people give that advice (376)? The rest of the story shows the futility of doing so.

2. Between the first full paragraph and the second one on 377, an unspecified amount of time passes without description. Do you think this decision the right one?

3. “He knew if he had fought all five of them and was lying in pieces in a hospital bed she would tell him he had done the right thing, as she was telling him now” (379). Usually it is probably not a good thing to have someone tell you something only to make you happy – here is an exception I think.

4. On 381, “Not one of them, even the women, looked at him as if he had not cared enough for the girl, or was a coward. Many of them even appeared sympathetic, making him feel for moments that he was a survivor of something horrible, and when that feeling left him he was ashamed.” Why do you think Mitchell feels that way?

5. What do you think of the closing moments of the story?

6. Why tell the story from Mitchell’s perspective? Why not from the girl’s? Isn’t her experience the most important?

7. How does the shift to first-person narrative strike you in “A Father’s Story”? Do you like it more or less than the narration of the other stories?

8. “… the Irish do seem happiest when they’re dealing with misfortune or guilt, either their own or somebody else’s, and if you think you’re not a victim of either one, you can count on certain Irish priests to try to change your mind” (456). Do you know people like that, people who seem to enjoy misfortune?

9. What did you make of Luke’s thoughts about the Church’s wealth on 456-7? I imagine it to be something you’ve thought of yourself, and likely have heard others talk about. I do love that he follows up he thoughts about the Church’s wealth with some rather astute ones about his own wealth on the only full paragraph on 457 – I like both passages.

10. Could you identify with his thoughts on prayer on 458? The Eucharist on 460-1?

11. “It is not hard to live through a day, if you can live through a moment. What creates despair is the imagination, which pretends there is a future, and insists on predicting millions of moments, thousands of days, and so drains you that you cannot live the moment at hand” (463). What percentage of your day do you find yourself worrying about things that never happen?

12. He speaks of ritual and acts on 463 – any experience in your own life of the power of those things? Is action the essence of love?

13. “And for that reason, to confess now would be unfair” (474). What do you think of Luke’s understanding of confession?

14. “I do not feel the people I once did: not with God, nor the earth, or anyone on it. I have begun to prefer this state, to remember with fondness the other one as a period of peace I neither earned nor deserved” (475). I think one might have been able to say the same of Matt in “Killings.”

15. What did you think of the ending dialogue? Do you agree?

As always, I highly recommend reading the stories before reading the questions – please do comment on at least one of the questions in the discussion forum if you get a chance, or just give your general impression of Dubus – do you like the first two stories? Like his stuff more/less than O’Connor’s? As always, feel free to add your own questions, particularly about “The Fat Girl.” I did not find many specific moments to come up with questions about, just more general ones – I encourage you to write about specific moments from that one that struck you if you would. Also, please be sure to read number 13 – I ask for some input from you if know of anything that would be helpful with that one.

1. What do you think of marriage as it is portrayed in “Killings”? Masculinity? Femininity?

2. In a way, it seems that Matt was living through Frank’s life? Do you see this happen with much frequency in the world around you?

3. On 53, Matt thinking about Mary Ann: “she had, very young, been through a sort of pain that his children, and he and Ruth, had been spared. In the moments of recognizing that pain, he wanted to tenderly touch her hair, wanted with some gesture to give her solace and hope. And he would glance at Frank, and hope they would love each other, hope Frank would soothe that pain in her heart, take it from her eyes.” Do you think it is possible to heal/help someone the way Matt imagines in this passage? Even if you answer yes to that question, what is the danger of trying to help someone in this way?

4. On 54, “Each day he felt the same and when he was able to forget how he felt, when he was able to force himself not to feel that way, the eyes of his clerks and customers defeated him. He wished those eyes were oblivious, even cold; he felt he was withering in their tenderness.” What is it about the people’s eyes that hurts Matt?

5. Did you want Matt to kill Strout? Why or why not?

6. What effect do you think the killing has/will have on Matt?

7. Two random side notes – one, feel free to check out In the Bedroom, a movie made a few years back based on the story. Second, I would recommend checking out James Joyce’s “The Dead” if you ever get the chance. It is a rather long short story, but the last paragraph (and the ending as a whole) is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read – the last paragraph of “Killings” (I love/think it crucial that the title is plural) reminds me of the last paragraph of “The Dead” a bit.

8. I think Dubus write female characters very well – do you agree? I just feel he is more compassionate towards them (and to his male characters as well I suppose) than most any author I have ever read. Do you agree that he writes female characters well (am particularly interested in what the girls have to say about this one)? I note, and find it rather unfortunate, that literature past and present has been dominated by men – I think Dubus does a better job than most male writers of making his female characters come alive.

9. What do you think of Louise’s mother? One of the first things we read her tell Louise is, “In five years you’ll be in high school and if you’re fat the boys won’t like you; they won’t ask you out.” Sigh.

10. From 236, “When she chose [the college she would attend], when she and her father and mother talked about it in the evenings, everyone so carefully avoided the word boys that sometimes the conversations seemed to be about nothing but boys.” No question here – I just liked the description of that moment. I feel like it pretty accurately captures how things happen.

11. On 237-8, Carrie falls in love and writes to Louise about it, but held back her joy, and later (possibly) details about her relationship once they’re back at school and this hurts Louise. Why do you think that is?

12. From 243, “she thought of the accumulated warmth and pelf [I don’t know what that word means, but I like it] of her marriage, and how by slimming her body she had bought into the pleasures of the nation. She felt cunning, and she smiled to herself, and took Richard’s hand. But these moments of triumph were sparse. On most days she went about her routing of leisure with a sense of certainty about herself that came merely from not thinking.” I particularly like that last sentence – what do you think it means/is talking about?

13. I think it might be interesting to discuss body image – it is a sensitive topic, and one that I would venture to guess that most men had not thought terribly much about (myself included). It is an interesting topic to discuss in class – whenever we talk about the pressure of people seeing what you eat in the cafeteria, generally the guys in my class just sort of start quizzically, but all the girls know what I am talking about – it is interesting. I would highly encourage people to link to/post any resources she/he find enlightening in this regard – think it relevant to our discussion of the story.

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