A Worn Path

Phoenix is an aged woman with a strong determination. Her grandson is ill and unable to fend for himself, so Phoenix takes it upon herself to care for him. The question that bothers me is as to where her grandson's parents are. The only inclination given is that they are not there. But it makes one wonder what happened to them. Another question would be as to what occurred in Phoenix's past for her to memorize that path so perfectly. Her memories merge into her everyday actions, but they don't point out what happened in her past.

On the way to get her grandson's medication, Phoenix encounters a hunter. He points a gun at her after helping her up, two very different actions. The time period and the action with the gun sadly makes sense. But him helping her up and speaking in a polite/semi-polite manner made me wonder if the hunter and Phoenix have history together at some point. Another thing was her situation with the pharmacy. As soon as she stepped in, she became a completely different person. She was timid, quiet, and withdrawn, nearly silent for the first part of her visit. That situation made me wonder what caused that behavior, which goes with the overall question: what happend in Phoenix's past?

The Rockpile

The Rockpile is a story that leaves readers with an ending open for interpretation. Readers don't recieve clear background about Elizabeth, but the fact that she gave birth out of wedlock is clear. I believe that Elizabeth changed her ways because she knew she was a mother. Despite her change of way, it's obvious to readers that she does not regret having John as her son. Her love for John seems to be stronger than her love for Roy. Maybe it is due to the fact that she has to protect him from Gabriel. It is also likely that she loves John more because he is her first born son.

With Gabriel, things are much more muddled. The reason he does not like John are, though unfair, logical. But in the story, Gabriel seems to hold some strong hostility for Elizabeth, his own wife. If he holds hatred for her, why did he marry her? If he is so religious, that birth out of wedlock is a sin, why did he marry Elizabeth? The ending to the story also held such high levels of tension that I was instantly on high alert. When John bent down near Gabriel's shoe, the arrangement of the words and John's position made it seem as if John would get kicked or maybe even killed by Gabriel. The story ends before an answer is discovered, leaving readers only with guesses as to what happened next.