My Son the Murderer

My Son the Murderer is  a short story by Bernard Malamud. The story takes place in New York, as one of the characters often takes the trolleybus to Coney Island. The characters in the story are the father, Leo, the mother, the daughter (who is older and raising children of her own), and the son, Harry. Harry has just graduated college and is 22. He is quiet and keeps to himself, and yells at his parents most of the time. His mother is gone most of the day, as she is helping her pregnant daughter with her kids. The father, Leo, has taken time off of work because he is worried about his son. His son stays at home during the day and doesn't work, keeps to himself, is clearly unhappy, and often takes walks by himself. The theme of the story is failed communication between the family. The brother and sister never talk to each other, as the sister says he doesn't respect her as a sister, but as another mother. There is also very little communication between the mom and dad. Like The Girl with the Pimply Face, this story also didn't use quotation marks, which made it hard to follow. Though it was hard to understand at first, I liked how the story would switch rolls between the father and son. However, I don't think think this would be a good story to choose, because it is so short.

The Girl with a Pimply Face

As we discussed in class, you need to write a well-developed paragraph about each of the 7-10 short stories you read.  You may post them all at once or as separate posts.  Each paragraph should address the following: a) the story's author and title, b) what the story is about (plot based), c) what the story is about (thematically), d) what you liked (elements of fiction, etc.) e) what you didn't like, f) why the story is/is not a contender for you to ultimately write your essay on.  Please remember that these are talking points NOT a formula for paragraph organization that you must follow.  Your paragraph should be reflective, well-developed, and demonstrate real thought about the story read.  This said, it may be less formal than an essay as this is your blog and contains your active thoughts.


The Girl with a Pimply Face is a short story written by William Carlos Williams. The story takes place in New York and is told by the doctor who is doing a house call on a very sick baby. The characters in the story are the doctor, the sick baby, the mother (who can't speak English well), the father, and the 15-year-old daughter. The doctor comes to the house expecting the parents of the sick baby, however the 15-year-old girl opens the door. She brings him to the baby, but tells him to come back around 5, when her father will be home. She also asks him what she can do for her pimples. He says that she has acne, and writes a prescription for her. Later on when he comes back to the house, he discovers that the baby has a severe cognitional heart problem.  The mother begs him to save her baby, and that she will pay him however much to save her baby. In one of the doctor's later visits to the house, he realizes that the mother is an alcoholic. I liked that this story was sort of mysterious, and you wanted to know  more. However, this story was extremely painful to read because the author did not use quotation marks when people were speaking. This made it hard to understand what was happening during the entire story. I think this story could be good to use in the future, because of the doctors motives behind helping the family that he never received a penny from. I think that the theme of this story was to try and help anyone the best you can, even if you aren't getting anything in return.

The Kind of Light That Shines in Texas

 what you liked (elements of fiction, etc.) e) what you didn't like, 


One of the stories I read was in the book "Coming of Age in America". It was called "The Kind of Light That Shines in Texas" by Reginald McKnight. The story is told by Clint, an African-American boy living in Waco, Texas. There are only three black kids in Clint's school; a girl, a boy, Marvin, whom Clint hates because he brings nothing to the classroom, and Clint. The story focuses on Clint's struggle in the school because of his skin color. I liked this story because it was well detailed, easy to understand and read, and wasn't boring. The theme of the story is to stand up for what you believe in, no matter what the consequences may be. I think that this might be a good story to write the essay on, because it is a long story that is interesting, but is not too long. I liked this story because it was interesting and you wanted to keep reading it. The only thing that I didn't like was the ending of the story, because it just ended abruptly and left you wanting to know what happened. Besides the ending, I think that "The Kind of Light That Shines in Texas" was one of my favorite stories I read of the seven.

Think about the title of the story you will be reading soon: “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Then think about conversations you’ve had with your parents that have sounded very similar to the title. Recount a story or two of when you and your parents have had a conversation, either a good or bad, where they have been very involved, either appropriately so or overly so, according to your view. How did the conversation go? What made the conversation good and/or bad? What was the tone like? What language (think diction) was used? When did the conversation take place? In short, constructively evaluate your parents’ parenting as it relates to the title of this short story. I recommend that you blog before you read the story. This should be 3+ well-developed paragraphs or the equivalent of at least one page double-spaced. (DUE: Y: 9/17 B,G,R,P: 9/20)

My parents and I get in fights a lot about where I am going, and the next day, where I have been. Usually, I tell the truth about where I am, and where I have been, but we do get in fights a lot about it. I think because of recent times, I've learned to know to tell the truth on where I went and where I have been. Especially since my parents are going to find out the truth one day or another.

After I became ungrounded this summer, my parents let me drive to Grace's house. They asked where I was going, and I told them Grace's. They over reacted by writing down the mileage on my car. The conversation went fine, after I told them that when I got to Grace's, I would give her parents my keys. The tone was me talking shyly and trying to leave, and my parents talking sternly. The conversation took place a few weeks ago, outside on the patio. I think my parents probably said the exact words to the title of this story. Even though my parents figured out by Grace’s mom that I had stopped somewhere first on my way to Grace’s, my family trusted me enough to not go outside and look at my mileage. I’m rebuilding the trust with my parents that I lost over the summer, and I think I’ve learned my lesson now.

Now that it has been a month or so since last getting in trouble, I don't think I will be lying about where I am anytime soon. I've learned that I should just go to the right place, and don't lie about it. If something comes up, and I have to stay somewhere I wasn't told to stay, I should call my parents and tell the truth.

Unfinished Blog

1.What were your initial reactions to the story? What emotions do you think the author is trying to evoke from the reader AND why? Use at least two direct quotes as textual support for your opinions.

My initial reaction to this story was that this woman would be talking about her daughter who must be out of control. I thought this because on the first page someone says, "She's a youngster who needs help and whom I'm deeply interested in  helping." But as you read on, the narrater goes back talking to how beautiful her daughter was as a child. "She was a beautiful baby." -page 172. Because she repeats this exact same line right now the page, I thought she might be another crazy like The Yellow Wallpaper. However, that turned out not to be the case. The author is trying to evoke sadness and grief for the narrator and her family. "She was a miracle to me, but when she was eight months old I had to leave her daytimes with the woman downstairs to whom she was no miracle at all, for I worked or looked for work and for Emily's fathers, who "could no longer endure" (he wrote in his good-bye note) "sharing want with us." This sentence makes you feel sorrow towards the family, as the daughter is left with a nanny at such a young age because her father's left and her mother is trying to find work.

2.What message is our narrator trying to communicate through the last line of the story? Explain your interpretation in as much detail as possible.

The narrator is trying to communicate that this is the end of the story. What happened to Emily, her rough childhood, happened and there is no more that can be done. The last line is trying to say that Emily has overcome the obstacles in her life, and she is not hopeless. She has the ability to go out and change and lead a better life.