In Dr. Don, by Peter Hessler, a small town pharmacist's life story comes alive. He experiences hardship and conflict, ensuring investment from readers. From his everyday experience with small town neighbors, to his emotional insecurities in visiting his brother there is something for everyone to relate to. This all takes place in the small town Nucla, Colorado. The perception may be that small towns are unchanging, but this is far from the truth. Nucla is a dynamic town, a small society with its own emotions and personality. Overall, the profile comes alive because of the feelings the description of Nucla and Don't stir up and the relatable sub stories of the piece.
While introducing Don, the author recounts specific memories of his story; such as Don’s Easter tradition of dying eggs and then shooting …show more content…
Hessler begins familiarizing us with the town by giving its history, describing its foundation as “the center of Socialistic government” (pg 1). This is contrasted later with poor, population declining town (pg 5). Although it seems like life is being sucked out of the town, we still see a glimmer of hope in Don who keeps it alive. This description gives life to the profile because it conveys change and movement, making Nucla more than a place on a map. The town is also alive through the feeling of intimacy readers get. When reading about the openness between town members, it feels like you are peeking into a private moment in the town. Almost like the town is sharing little pieces of itself. The town has feeling of hope when it is started, and then later you get the feeling of stagnation later when Don has a conversation with the only bartender in town (pg 5). This in itself is a conflict. The once flourishing town doesn’t quite feel like it’s dying, just that it's stuck and being dragged along. Even though these don’t ignite happy feelings, they still ignite pity for the
While introducing Don, the author recounts specific memories of his story; such as Don’s Easter tradition of dying eggs and then shooting …show more content…
Hessler begins familiarizing us with the town by giving its history, describing its foundation as “the center of Socialistic government” (pg 1). This is contrasted later with poor, population declining town (pg 5). Although it seems like life is being sucked out of the town, we still see a glimmer of hope in Don who keeps it alive. This description gives life to the profile because it conveys change and movement, making Nucla more than a place on a map. The town is also alive through the feeling of intimacy readers get. When reading about the openness between town members, it feels like you are peeking into a private moment in the town. Almost like the town is sharing little pieces of itself. The town has feeling of hope when it is started, and then later you get the feeling of stagnation later when Don has a conversation with the only bartender in town (pg 5). This in itself is a conflict. The once flourishing town doesn’t quite feel like it’s dying, just that it's stuck and being dragged along. Even though these don’t ignite happy feelings, they still ignite pity for the