Ron Carlson’s short story “Happiness” is, in my opinion, the most worthless reading we’ve examined over the past semester in Modern World Fiction. This short story contributed nothing to the class’s greater understanding of modern fiction and was seemingly devoid of any significant morals. The story itself describes an elderly man’s weekend cabin retreat with his brother and two sons. Throughout the course of this retreat the main character experiences a number of reminiscent flashbacks intertwined with activities he is experiencing as the story is narrated. Carlson’s supporters argue that his formulaic story formation develops relatable characters and a meaningful moral; “Happiness”, though, is marked by its deviation from this conventional
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The story lacks any significant conflict, any relatable characters, and any clear morals: all characteristics which are often used to identify compelling literature. The assertion that the main character is struggling with his mortality is questionable at best and lacks strong textual support. In fact, no instances of conflict are every explicitly mentioned throughout the entirety of the text. Thus without making a considerable assumption this story seems to be devoid of conflict at all; rather it seems to be full of pleasant memories and new instances of familial bonding. In the absence of any concrete conflict, Carlson’s characters are difficult to relate to. Though each person must eventually address the impending nature of human mortality, the issue itself is most likely not resting in forefront of the reader’s stream of consciousness. Because this issue is not immediate, many younger readers may dismiss it all together. Finally, without this conflict and connection the reader is left without any real moral. Instead of a compelling piece of fiction the story is a mundane account of a camping trip: an account which contributes nothing to the reader’s greater understanding of the world and thus it acts an altogether meaningless waste of
The story lacks any significant conflict, any relatable characters, and any clear morals: all characteristics which are often used to identify compelling literature. The assertion that the main character is struggling with his mortality is questionable at best and lacks strong textual support. In fact, no instances of conflict are every explicitly mentioned throughout the entirety of the text. Thus without making a considerable assumption this story seems to be devoid of conflict at all; rather it seems to be full of pleasant memories and new instances of familial bonding. In the absence of any concrete conflict, Carlson’s characters are difficult to relate to. Though each person must eventually address the impending nature of human mortality, the issue itself is most likely not resting in forefront of the reader’s stream of consciousness. Because this issue is not immediate, many younger readers may dismiss it all together. Finally, without this conflict and connection the reader is left without any real moral. Instead of a compelling piece of fiction the story is a mundane account of a camping trip: an account which contributes nothing to the reader’s greater understanding of the world and thus it acts an altogether meaningless waste of