Earthmoving Malediction In Heather Mchugh's The Fountain Of Youth

The Fountain of Youth has been a symbol for humanity as long as history has been written and recorded. Cultures from around the world, separated by oceans of time, have independently developed their own version of this same legend. Each are linked together by the idea that a single pool of water, if drank or bathed in, could completely reverse any and all illness, age, and afflictions. In these stories, The Fountain seems to be hidden someplace safe, a place that only the worthy have access to.

So, what is so inherent to humanity, or what I will call the human condition, that unifies cultures across the globe, and across the gulf of time, that we can find in this one legend? I believe that it is the yearning not to simply be young, but for freedom. At
“Bulldoze the bed where we made love / bulldoze the goddamn room”, and “Bulldoze the coupled ploys away”, the piece seems to be one of external conflict, as the speaker talks about a love besmirched for reasons not made clear to the reader. Coupled with imagery that reflects the author’s tone “We dwell / on earth, where beds / are brown, where swoops / are fell”, the reader is taken with the speaker on their emotionally charged reaction to the ending of a relationship. In Accidents Happen by Chelsea Volpano, the ending of a relationship comes in a darker tone. We, the reader, are presented with a character who is so ridden with self loathing and shame that they are “forced” to take action. This prose piece illustrates a challenge in accurately categorizing types of conflict. While some conflicts are black and white, some take a more fluid shape. In Accidents Happen the conflict could be argued either way, both internal and external. The murder was the result of an accident, but the accident was the result of a life style or a particular choice brought on by forces… both internal and