A. “Jealous Husband Returns in the Form of a Parrot” - I enjoyed this story; it is filled with great bird imagery that means more than what the words say. The husband/bird says, “She knows that to pet a bird you don’t smooth his feathers down, you ruffle them. But of course she did that in my human life as well” (104). In his human life, she didn’t literally muss his feathers up, obviously. She treated him roughly, and he seems to like that and hate it at the same time. The unreal element is that this parrot has bird desires and a bird body alongside the memories of his human desires and his human body. It’s fun to think about, and I enjoyed immersion in bird life from a human perspective all the way to the end. Another favorite: “I was an egg hatched beneath her crouching body, I entered as a chick into her wet sky of a body” (106). If that unreal/magical aspect of the story were not there, it would just be a story about a guy who kills himself once chasing after his love, and kills himself a second time because he wants to be free of her. That story wouldn’t be nearly as good or thought-provoking as the story about the parrot is. “A Real Doll” - This story is the …show more content…
The repetitive nature of the main character’s attempts to win his girlfriend back really remind me of the cycle of events that is characteristic of fairy tales. He tries to get Kim back, “I can win her back...I know what to do...I will use my patience...my complex problem-solving skills… I will cook with gas,” he says as he cleans the apartment, but he is met with indifference, “I can’t believe you cleaned,” Kim says right before she goes out to hook up with the caveman (p 541). “I do my best to act all patient and evolutionarily superior,” but Kim only “takes it all for granted...wandering away from the house without explanation” (p 542). Shortly after, it all falls apart, like we know it