Short Story #1: Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear

Overview:

     "I'm actually almost eighteen but look like thirteen. No boobs, and a bitty ass like two half-doughnuts. My skin so pale you can see weird little purple veins in my forehead" (Oates 190). This quote is physically describing the main character in Joyce Carol Oates's short story, "Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear."A name is never mentioned for this girl, but she has an I.Q. of 162, the average range is considered to be 90-110, so hers is way above average. Also, she does extremely well all throughout high school achieving the high honor roll, until her senior year when her grades aren't so hot. This is portrayed in the following line, "My grades are fucked but they won't keep a "school diploma" from me" (191). This girl isn't failing because she wants to, but rather because her mom is extremely sick and she has had to spend her time selflessly caring for her mom and looking after her.

     However, the real meat of the story does not center on this background information. The main focus of the story is on a man who drives past this girl's house who she recognizes as the handsome man in his thirties who helped her at Eckerd's. Once the girl recognizes that she knows him, she can't stop thinking about him. She thinks, "My premonition is, you will reappear on North Fork Road. Take me by surprise, I won't know when" (191). She sits on her steps waiting for him to drive by and recognize her to take her away from the miserable life she is currently leading. The story ends with the girl's final comment, "Why shouldn't I be happy, I am happy. I'm waiting" (191).

Analysis:

     First of all, I was very surprised that this story didn't contain violence; I was somewhat expecting somebody to get shot at the end. This story did, however, include the harsh reality of a brilliant girl having to put aside her talent to care for her mother. Oates has a way of bringing the reader into a life where the character is helpless to the circumstances they are in because that is the reality of life; sometimes there are circumstances that are beyond a person's control.    

     This short story reminded me of the short story that we discussed today in class, Ursula LeGuin's "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas." The recurring theme in LeGuin's short story is happiness and how the people in the city of Omelas are very outwardly happy; however, they are really not happy at all living every day knowing that a child is suffering in order to ensure that their lives remain perfect. In Oates's "Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear," the girl isn't really happy even though she says that she is in that last line, "Why shouldn't I be happy, I am happy, I'm Waiting" (191). Are you happy when you are waiting in the three-hour line for the Superman ride at Six Flags? Are you happy when you are in the doctor's office waiting for your name to be called? Are you happy when you apply for a job and are waiting for them to contact you? Nobody is ever happy when they are waiting.