In Know the Mother by Desiree Cooper, one of the stories that I found so intriguing was “Night Coming.” This is because the main characters Jason and Nikki have so much to them,I find they aren’t your regular married couple. In the beginning of the story, we see that Nikki might struggle with her anxiety and self-confidence. The opening scene is when Nikki is trying to unlock the door of her house, she is pretty frustrated and scared. She obviously doesn’t like the idea of being outside by herself in her Chicago neighborhood. Even when she finally gets in the house, she is still paranoid that someone could break in. Jason doesn’t help in this situation because he is late for work and hasn’t called Nikki to tell her so. Jason should have known
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is that he wants us to play against expectations with a sense of mystery or with a devastating twist. Cooper really seems to nail this in “Night Coming.” I never would have expected him to turn and say that he didn’t want a baby. The following move from Jason really tugged at my heart, “He was about to put the keys in the lock, but instead he turned and said, ‘I don't want a baby.’”(Cooper, page 54) That’s a devastating twist. When the door very sketchily opens by itself at the end and was apparently unlocked, even though Nikki couldn’t get it open for the life of her in the beginning of the story, that is a very mysterious way to end a story.
In addition, the Sanders article also talked about an important part of stories is that they help us see through other people’s eyes. Cooper creates such vision and feeling in “Night Coming” that Nikki’s pregnancy nausea and faintness after hearing Jason with another woman becomes your own when you read that she, “Fought to tamp down the bile gathering at her throat.” (Cooper, page 52) I can imagine it so easy, even though I’ve never been in a similar situation. Cooper really lets you into Nikki’s life and troubles, that she’s the character we find ourselves rooting for to live happily ever
is that he wants us to play against expectations with a sense of mystery or with a devastating twist. Cooper really seems to nail this in “Night Coming.” I never would have expected him to turn and say that he didn’t want a baby. The following move from Jason really tugged at my heart, “He was about to put the keys in the lock, but instead he turned and said, ‘I don't want a baby.’”(Cooper, page 54) That’s a devastating twist. When the door very sketchily opens by itself at the end and was apparently unlocked, even though Nikki couldn’t get it open for the life of her in the beginning of the story, that is a very mysterious way to end a story.
In addition, the Sanders article also talked about an important part of stories is that they help us see through other people’s eyes. Cooper creates such vision and feeling in “Night Coming” that Nikki’s pregnancy nausea and faintness after hearing Jason with another woman becomes your own when you read that she, “Fought to tamp down the bile gathering at her throat.” (Cooper, page 52) I can imagine it so easy, even though I’ve never been in a similar situation. Cooper really lets you into Nikki’s life and troubles, that she’s the character we find ourselves rooting for to live happily ever