Summary Of Bigfoot Stole My Wife

After someone has suffered a loss, it is common for that person to go into denial. They figure out coping mechanisms to help deal with the emotional pain of the event. These mechanisms are often created out of desperation and lead to the individual not taking responsibility or losing credibility. In the story “Bigfoot Stole My Wife” by Ron Carlson, Rick is an immature husband that spends too much time at the racetrack. When his wife disappears, he immediately resorts to blaming Bigfoot. Deep down, he knows that his story is too unbelievable so he tries to establish credibility through an adventure he had when he was younger. It is out of desperation, deception, and denial that Rick chooses to cope with the loss of his wife. Even from the beginning of the story, it becomes apparent that Rick is desperate to establish his credibility as a person. According to Kevin J. McCarthy, “[u]nderstanding the dynamic shifts in perception which accompany a sense of growing desperation may lead to the development of strategies which will promote identification and effective coping mechanisms for those involved in the remediation of critical situations” (McCarthy). Rick does develop strategies to help him cope with his loss. He

He claims this to be true because of the fact that he and his friend Nuggy Reinecker were in the trailer for the duration of the trip. “People are going to say, come on, thirty-one miles? Don't you mean thirty-one feet?” Rick acknowledges that it is unlikely for anyone to believe this story but he insists that it is the truth. The reader, in fact, has no way of knowing what actually happened since the story is only told in Rick's perspective. But, based on his claim that Bigfoot stole his wife, it is easy to assume that Rick is either lying or over exaggerating about what actually took