Easy Pickings, Theological Response C.

Grace is not so much offered in this story as it is presented or forced. Grace comes out in the end of the story when Big Blade is arrested and comes to realize that he should never judge a book by its cover. As it is forced upon him, Grace shows Big Blade that he was wrong about his theory of this small, quiet town. He walked in thinking that it was going to be “Easy Pickings,” but was soon proved wrong. He was a wannabe thug, and was beaten by an elderly more than once. Big Blade doesn’t have the choice of accepting or rejecting the Grace that was presented to him, because he had no choice of being arrested or not. When Deputy Sid arrests him, it suggestively knocks sense into Big Blade and tells him to straighten up and fly right. Even though it was not a choice of his own, one could say that this conversion of Big Blade’s can be compared to Thomas Aquinas’s Cooperative Grace. This is the closest version that compares to this story, although cooperative does relate to one’s freedom and reason work with God, when in this story it is reasoning and the taking of freedom that work with God. This is a story that shows that God has everything happen for a reason and, in this case, he tries to give Marvin the necessary Grace he needs to get back on the right track—the track to forgiveness and salvation.

Analytical Response: b.

• What past events in Marvin's life might have caused him act so malevolently?

• Has Doris dealt with any intrusions or burglaries in the past?

• Why did Mrs. Breaux tell Marvin to come back and play cards with them when he gets out of jail?

• Why did Marvin feel like he had been robbing people for all of his life?

• Why was Doris so unafraid when she saw Marvin at her back steps with his "gleaming eyes", tattoos and knife?

• Why does Doris offer food to Marvin?

• Has Doris ever played pranks on her friends that might have led them to believe that her phone call was a joke?

• Would you consider Deputy Sid to be good at his job?

• Why did Marvin want his knife back after he had been given a gun?

• Did Doris and her friends actually turn out to be "easy pickings?"
  

Serrantos- Analytical Response d: Character Comparison

Gautreaux’s characters are very unique. He uses many different ones to illustrate what each story is about. A common theme that connects almost all of his main characters is their age. He likes to use older characters, which provides an interesting contrast with the other younger characters. This theme is very prevalent in Welding With Children and Easy Pickings. Easy Pickings, likely one of his funnier stories, is a good place to start. Marvin, or as he likes to call himself, Big Blade, is a young man who thinks that all of the old people he steals from are “easy pickings”, hence the title of the story. He soon finds out that they are not as weak as he had thought, as they bring about his downfall. At the end though, he learns his lesson as he realizes that they are smarter than him. This can be compared with the grandfather from Welding With Children. Just how the older people changed the young man in Easy Pickings, the young children change the old man in Welding with Children.

Another theme that is prevalent in Gautreaux’s work is the theme of appearance versus reality. This is apparent in Misuse of Light and in Easy Pickings. In Misuse of Light, Mel finds out that the girl’s grandfather saved his camera instead of his wife in the sinking of the ship. He thinks that this is the truth and tells the girl, shattering the view of her grandfather. After further, more careful research he finds out that his story was wrong. He takes the first thing he hears as the truth and does not question it further just like Marvin. He thinks that the old people will not be hard to steal from but he ends up being very mistaken. He, like Mel, took the first thing he saw as the truth, and found out the hard way that he was wrong.

Easy Pickings, Analytical Response c

"Easy Pickings" was a short story about a wannabe-tough guy who steals from innocent women. He calls himself Big Blade and is also covered in intimidating tattoos. However, contrary to his appearance, he is "small, petty, and dull." Big Blade finds an elderly neighborhood that that he thinks is "easy pickings" for his thievery. Yet what he thought would be "easy"instead becomes a goose chase in a cray neighborhood. The old lady he decides to rob ended up being extremely cunning and full of wit. She tricks him and stalls him until finally Deputy Sid, the slow and lazy but smart cop, comes to join in the scheme. By the end of the story Mrs. Landreneaux, Deputy Sid, and all the neighborhood catches Big Blade and sends him back to jail.

I like the hidden personalities of the characters of the neighborhood. Gautreaux does a great job of mixing the stereotypical attitude of the South with an innocent elderly neighborhood. All the characters were very relaxed and calm,  but still tough and crazy. This is contrasting with the "tough-guy" attitude of Big Blade. He was not that tough and strong but tried to be, whereas the neighbors had an internal strength and natural calm. Through this Gautreaux does a good job of contrasting the generations: old verse young. The younger and naive Big Blade is outsmarted by the older and wiser people of the neighborhood. Although they are not as strong physically, the neighbors prevail through their smart tactics and strong personalities. Gautreaux has used this theme of the old helping the young. It also is apparent in his story "Welding with Children." The grandfather in this story is desperate to help his grandchildren grow that he changes routines in his life. 

Easy Pickings

Letter to Main Character

Dear Marvin,
I hope that you can eventualy find peace in your life and be your true self. You have made a lot of bad decisions, and i hope that you regret every one of them. After getting caught you should learn to live a life of virtue and kindness and leave your criminal days behind. I know that the "Big Blade" mask you put on is not really you. Do not hide behind the tough guy you try to be, I know you want and deserve to be good. You must find a deeper meaning in your life. Stealing from innocent people is not going to get you anywhere. You need to straighten up your act and grow up. Face the reality of your life and deal with the consequences of al your poor actions. After your punishment for the crime involving Doris, ou should move away and start fresh. I know you don't want to be like this for the rest of your life, you have the potential to be good you just have to want to be. Look to God for help and you can do anything. I hope you feel sorry for your actions and know that God will forgive you and help you start new. May you lead a good prosperous life.
Sincerly,
Sammantha

Analytical Response, B.

"Misuse of Light"

1. What do you think was on the last, blank negative?
2. What would you feel after reading the article stating that your grandfather--who you had complete and total respect for--was called a coward?
3. If you were in Leland's (the grandfather's) shoes, would you save the camera first, regardless of what your wife says, or would you make sure she made it to safety before anything?
4. Is it wrong to look for more meaning in everyday things?
5. Is it better to "just look" at a picture, or is it better to break it down and try and understand the feelings felt by the people in the picture?
6. If you were in Mel's shoes, would you investigate the picture as well, or just take the pictures and leave them be?
7. If you had the option of buying antique cameras and found old film, would you hold onto it or throw it away?
8. If you had kept the old pictures, could you see that as nosy or even invasion of privacy?
9. Was the convincing of the girl that her grandfather really was a good man and loved his wife necessary for the ending of the story?
10. If someone told you to stay away from their daughter, would you disobey if your purpose was based on bringing good news like Mel did?

Creative Response, B.

During Welding With Children, many questions came up that one would like to ask the author about.

Q: Was this story purely fiction, or do you have four grandchildren of your own that you based their behaviors off of?
A: I do not have grandchildren of my own, but i took their characters off of all modern day children. Each of them are caught up in the latest technology and gossip about their favorite celebrities.

Q: Do you wish someone would teach children nowadays religion instead of allowing all the freedom that they have?
A: Without doubt. Children believe that they do not need religion because it is not the "popular" thing to do. Because all of their friend's parents allow them to stay out until midnight, that doesn't mean that they should all be allowed to. If all of these kids become delinquents, and we allow them, who are we going to have to run our society in the later years.

Q: Was Burton's "cleaning up his act" relate to anything in your personal life?
A: Well, I assume you could compare it to me. I have had some problems in my earlier life, and I needed to straighten out myself before i ruined what i had. It worked out for me as well as Burton, so I guess it does relate to my own life.

Q: Why was Burton embarrassed when he took his children to the department store? What would he care what others thought of him?
A: In that part of the story, Burton represented any older person that grew up with strict discipline, little to no technology, and lots of religion. Many older people would be embarrassed with the way the children were acting out and not being "perfect little angels" like grandparents like to see in their grandchildren. He cared what other people thought of him just like any other person would in his situation. No one wants to feel belittled by anyone, especially total strangers giving dirty looks due to children.

Misuse of Light, Creative Response b.

Hi Mr. Gautreaux, thanks for coming today! Can you please summarize "Misuse of Light" for me?

"Misuse of Light" is about a man working in a camera store. He takes an interest in old film rolls left in used cameras and develops them at home. Through these old pictures he finds unique uses of light, shadow, and takes a peak into history. However, through the pictures he also intrudes into others lives. Mel, the main character, ends up severely damaging an innocent girls view of her grandfather.

Do you think Mel was being nosy? Should he not be looking at the film?

I think Mel was only interested in the photos. I did not think Mel knew he was being nosy or creepy, but instead wanted to look at the art of the photos. He found life and beauty in the pictures.

"The photo had meaning, but it was closed. The figures in the paper would not talk." How does this quote relate to Mel?

Mel's interest in the pictures was to find out what they would say if they could talk. What was really going on at the time of the picture? A photo is only two dimensional but it is what is in the picture that has meaning. 

Why does Mel try to make amends with the girl and her grandfather?

I think he realizes that in this situation Mel did go too far beyond the picture itself. In indulging in his own interests, he hurt someone else. He simply wanted to help the girl. However, in order to help her, he shows the girl how to look at the picture, really look at it, in order to find the truth.

Theological Response: C.

Misuse of Light

I saw grace in Mel, and the girl who brought the camera into his shop. Mel is a vehicle of grace to the girl after she gets really depressed, finding out about her grandfather and how he didn’t save her grandmother. Mel shows her all these little details in the photographs, like that she was mouthing for her grandfather to save the camera, and these details gave her back her faith in her grandfather whom she loved very much. The girl brought grace to Mel because by bringing in the camera with the old film she gave him something to be interested in. After he found out all of the bad things said about the girl’s grandfather, he kept researching and found a way to make him good again to the girl. The girl was the reason Mel did all the extra research, she motivated him to help her in a sense.
The grace is accepted and in the end Mel and the girl both seems to be at peace with everything. There is a conversion in the story, and it occurs when the girls’ mother comes into the camera shop to talk to Mel. The girl was destroyed after reading the bad articles about her grandfather so her mother came in to scold Mel. She told him that he shouldn’t research into other people’s business like that, and dig up old news. I think Mel kind of realized that what he does with old negatives is kind of strange. The conversation with the girls’ mother moved him to find good in the pictures and prove the articles wrong. Grace was also delivered through the girls’ mother at this point; Mel needed it, to realize what he had to do.

Serrantos- Analytical responce c: Short Story review

Misuse of Light

Misuse of Light is a story about the power of images and the different ways that we can see the world. The main character is Mel, who works at a camera store. He buys and sells cameras of all kinds. One day a girl walks into the store and he buys a camera that was in very good condition with a roll of film inside. Mel is excited because he often develops the old film left in cameras for recreation. He likes to study amateur photography and usually finds pictures that have a special meaning to him. When he develops the film that was in the girl’s camera, he sees a picture of a beautiful woman. As he investigates who she is, he finds that her husband, the girl’s grandfather, did not save her as she died on a sinking boat. But he does not stop there. He keeps looking and in the end finds out that the girl’s grandfather, Leland Springer, did indeed love his wife Amanda and that Leland was not the photographer of the family; Amanda Springer was. And so he sets the record straight and rebuilds the girl’s view of her grandfather.

The story had its good parts and its bad parts. One of my favorite parts was when the girl’s mother goes to Mel’s store and gives him a piece of her mind. This could also be considered the moment of grace for Mel. After their confrontation, Mel decides to look further into the story of Amanda Springer’s death and it is only then that he finds out the truth. A part I did not like was when the deaf-mute told Mel what Amanda was saying in the picture. It had symbolism but I thought it was pretty weak.

I think the story’s message is that he can not take everything at face value. If we really want to understand something, we must look deeper than the tip of the iceberg and find out what it hiding underneath. This theme applies somewhat to Raymond Carver’s Cathedral. Even though Bub does not know the blind man, he already thinks that he knows what Robert is like. It is only until he looks deeper and sees who Robert really is that he can make a decision on what kind of person he is drawing with.

Analytical Response, a. - Story Map

1. HOUSE

"Tuesday was about typical."

The story begins at the grandparent's house, where the four grandchildren were dropped off because their mother's would not take care of them.

2.CAR

"Here comes Burton and his bastardmobile."

Burton takes the children to the store. He becomes embarrassed by what others think of him and his grandchildren.

3. READING

"It was time somebody taught them something about something."

Burton wants to help his grandchildren. He asks them if they knew anything about religion, and they had no clue what religion was. Burton decides to read them the Bible and teach them.

4. TREE

"Burton, everything worth doing hurts like hell."

Burton asks advice and realizes he needs to change himself in order to change his grandchildren. This is a moment of grace for Burton because he is told to clean his act up.

5. HOUSE

"Time for a change, I guess."

Burton cleans up his yard and house for the children. The grandchildren finally feel at home. The process of cleaning symbolizes the clean up and change Burton had to to internally first.

Analytical Response: C.

Overall the story "Welding with Children" was a good read. I liked how it related to society today, and that almost anyone could get something out of reading the story. The lead character Bruton was a grandfather of 4 children who are totally caught up in the media, and technology. It's sad to see how involved children these days are with watching television and celebrities. Bruton tries to sway them away from it by taking the children for Icees and reading them the bible, and other story books. I love how Mr. Fordlyson was harsh when they talked and really made Bruton realize that he HAD to take care of these kids and not let them turn out like their mothers did. I didn’t like how vague the story was about details of Brutons daughters’ lives, because I would have liked to know more about their family situations. I believe that message of the story is that you always have a second chance. Bruton gets a second chance with his grandkids, to raise them into good children, because he messed up with his own daughters. Compared to other stories I have read this year I would say this story was one of my top choices, I like Tim Gautreaux over the other authors we have read. The moments of grace in the story were when Mr. Fordlyson talked to Bruton and gave him some advice, and Bruton actually listened, then also when he cleaned up his yard and Nu-Nu and Freddie came over and he talked about getting a tire swing.

Serrantos - Theological Respose c: Analysis of Grace

Welding With Children: Grace

“Bruton, everything worth doing hurts like hell.” This is one of the main messages of the story Welding With Children and is also what Mr. Fordlyson tells Grandpa Bruton towards the end of the story. This is important because it finally shows Grandpa what he has to go through to accomplish the important things in life. But Grandpa’s saving grace does not begin to occur here, but shows itself early in the story.

In the beginning of the story Grandpa’s four daughters bring their children to his house. His four grandkids, Nu-Nu, Moonbeam, Tammynette, and Freddie, are not the children he remembered. Although the oldest, Freddie, is only seven years old, they act and sound like teenagers sometimes. Another thing that throws Grandpa off is how they react to religion. Grandpa is a very religious man and is disappointed that his grandchildren are not as well. He tries to read them Bible stories and all they care about is who dies and in who kills them. The way the kids act gets Grandpa thinking. He reflects on how the raised his on daughters and how they have turned out. None are married but they all have a child. He begins to think that it as his fault that his own kids turned out the way they did; “I guess a lot of what’s wrong with my girls is my fault, but I don’t know what I could’ve done different.” Grandpa’s grandchildren were the first vehicles of grace in his life. They got him thinking about how he can change for the better.

The moment that marks enlightenment however, is the scene where Grandpa is sitting with Mr. Fordlyson on the park bench. Fordlyson does not hold anything back in their conversation. He “tells it like it is” and gives Grandpa some much needed advice. Grandpa is worried about his grandkids and does not know what to do. Fordlyson tells him to join the Methodists, take the kids to church every Sunday, and the keep them with him as much as he can. He then goes on to say the most important lines of the story. He tells Grandpa to clean up his yard. Grandpa’s back yard was a mess. It had car engines, lawn mowers, a dirty and unkempt welding shop, and many thing that are dangerous for small children to be playing with. His half finished engines and forgotten welding projects reflect his lifestyle. All his life he never had the drive to finish what he started. When something got too hard he would quit and forget about it. For this reason, his daughters are the way they are. Armed with this newfound knowledge, Grandpa went back home and cleaned every bit of his yard. He even fixed up his house and painted the porch. He even promises Freddie that he would put up a tire swing for the kids to play on.

Grandpa’s moment of grace is more Thomistic than Augustinian. It is not a one-time blast of spiritual guidance. Instead, Grandpa slowly realizes his mistakes and through others around him he learns what he must do and why he must do it. Grandpa experiences Free Grace in its truest form and it saves him from the messy and disheveled life he had been following. And so, the story ends on a good note. Things seem to be on the right track for Grandpa and there may be hope for his four rascally grandkids yet.