Birnam Wood Tc Boyle

“Birnam Wood” is a short story by T.C. Boyle taking a look into the lives of a distant young couple (Keith and Nora) through Keith’s point of view. While Nora, at the time, attending school Keith pleas that she comes back to the place he describes as a cottage. Not exactly what one would describe as a cottage, but as Keith confesses is more shack like, both Nora and Keith are ready to hit the road. Unfortunately, Keith being the breadwinner of the two, his job as a substitute teacher cannot afford the move. One day a friend of Keith’s named Artie believes he can help the two find a better living situation. Pushing each other’s buttons along the way, Nora and Keith arrive to a house referred by Artie. Although in the basement, the two are in disbelief and are grateful to stay in an extravagant home with an older couple (homeowners). When Nora decides to get a job at a bar Keith finds spends some of his time there too. When Keith meets …show more content…
In the beginning he comes across very needy, dishonest, selfish in whatever relationship he has with the female character Nora. Example, in the beginning of the story Keith lies to Nora, he states “wheedling letters begging her to come back to be, I’d described the places as a cottage. But it wasn’t. It was a shack…”(156) Keith also isn’t very bright because obviously if you’re living with someone you must like them to an extent and he was to prideful to admit he loved Nora. So at the end when Nora gives another guy a chance this is where Keith has his realization, making him a dynamic character. He views another couple through a window in a room and watches them engage in a conversation and states “I felt guilty. I felt sick.” (168) I think not because he was being a creep, but because he wishes he would’ve just done that with Nora before it was too late. Then maybe she wouldn’t be talking to Steve and talking to him