reflections on yearning and life

so. from the stories that we've read so far, i think the best ones are driven (as professor cross has said) by yearning. and i'm just thinking about why (since i had time to do that all day, since i was home sick. D:).

the reason why these stories are so good is because we're able to relate to the characters. in "gazpacho," monica yearns for a sense of identity--at first, she wants to leave behind her spanish self and claim an american identity. she comes to realize, though, that she can never really do that, and the story kinda finishes with her "achieving" her yearning. kinda the same thing in "mirrors abound." the narrator really yearns for a place in people's lives, a lengthy obit (relating the yearning back to what he does) and so on. in "elapse," the narrator yearns for a sense of community which is achieved but then tragically destroyed. in "orbital," lethe yearns for perfection, shown especially by her rejection of the "nightmare" reality. the depth of the yearning, however, is what really makes the story to me. i really enjoyed "gazpacho," "mirrors abound," and "elapse" because the narrator was able to make clear the yearning and help us as readers to sympathize with them. i wasn't too much of a fan of "orbital" because the narrator put me off with her snobbish voice and as a result, i wasn't able to really discern her yearning until after i had read through the entire story. (maybe this is why i like crime dramedies--because i like to piece these things together.)

in other words, i am le sick but i am feeling slightly le better.