First Analytical Essay on Short Fiction
Running head: First Analytical Essay on Short Fiction
First Analytical Essay on Short Fiction
Leialoha De La Cruz
South University
First Analytical Essay on Short Fiction
The Wife’s Story, a short fiction, by Ursula Le Guin, is a story that puts a new spin on the classic werewolf tales we love so much. I must admit that I had to reread the story just to make sure I was reading it correctly. Le Guin uses a first person narrative so that the reader could understand the story through the wife’s perspective. The speaker changes her voice throughout the story. As I read the beginning of the story, my first thought was the story was going to a love story that turned tragic. She begins to talk about her husband, what he was like before the tragic event that took him away from her. “He was a good husband, a good father.” (Le Guin, 1979, p. 30)Then she tries to make sense of what has happened. “I don’t understand it. I don’t believe it. I don’t believe that it happened.” (Le Guin, 197, p.30)
As she goes on her thoughts cross over to her sister and how the sister decided to leave their home once the speaker became more involved with her husband. Reading more of the story the speaker begins to reveal hints to me that make me think the story is about a man who was a werewolf. Some of the phrases the speaker uses help me to make that connection. “It’s the moon’s fault, and the blood.” “It’s something runs in the blood, they say, and it may never come out, but if it does, it’s the change of the moon that does it. Always it happens in the dark of the moon. When everybody’s home asleep. Something comes over the one that’s got the curse in his blood, they say, and he gets up because he can’t sleep, and goes out into the glaring sun, and goes off all alone—drawn to find those like him.” (Le Guin, 1979, p.30)
Then as the story went on I started to question my understanding of the story. The moon, the husband’s changing, and other tidbit’s I received did suggest to me
First Analytical Essay on Short Fiction
Leialoha De La Cruz
South University
First Analytical Essay on Short Fiction
The Wife’s Story, a short fiction, by Ursula Le Guin, is a story that puts a new spin on the classic werewolf tales we love so much. I must admit that I had to reread the story just to make sure I was reading it correctly. Le Guin uses a first person narrative so that the reader could understand the story through the wife’s perspective. The speaker changes her voice throughout the story. As I read the beginning of the story, my first thought was the story was going to a love story that turned tragic. She begins to talk about her husband, what he was like before the tragic event that took him away from her. “He was a good husband, a good father.” (Le Guin, 1979, p. 30)Then she tries to make sense of what has happened. “I don’t understand it. I don’t believe it. I don’t believe that it happened.” (Le Guin, 197, p.30)
As she goes on her thoughts cross over to her sister and how the sister decided to leave their home once the speaker became more involved with her husband. Reading more of the story the speaker begins to reveal hints to me that make me think the story is about a man who was a werewolf. Some of the phrases the speaker uses help me to make that connection. “It’s the moon’s fault, and the blood.” “It’s something runs in the blood, they say, and it may never come out, but if it does, it’s the change of the moon that does it. Always it happens in the dark of the moon. When everybody’s home asleep. Something comes over the one that’s got the curse in his blood, they say, and he gets up because he can’t sleep, and goes out into the glaring sun, and goes off all alone—drawn to find those like him.” (Le Guin, 1979, p.30)
Then as the story went on I started to question my understanding of the story. The moon, the husband’s changing, and other tidbit’s I received did suggest to me
References: Pike, D. (year of publication). Title of book: Literature: A world of writing stories, poems, plays, and essays [Vital source digital version]. City, State: Publisher.