"Identities

The story “Identities” is about a man who is strolling along the streets in a suburban area that is different from his usual, comfortable lifestyle. He is looking a little scruffier than his regular state, and he is also anxious about the rough location he is in. He decides that it would be a wise idea to call his wife and tell her he’d be on his way home. In search of a store or payphone, he watches apprehensively as gangs of young eyes gaze upon his Mercedes Benz. At the edge of a small store, three young men and a girl slouch in the darkness, he is nervous to walk by. Being cautious of his surroundings, he does not even notice an inexperienced police officer following him, until the officer orders him to a halt. The officer too, is nervous of the neighbourhood, and becomes suspicious seeing an unshaven man in blue jeans driving a Mercedes. The man, unaware of how his appearance may be perceived, felt relieved at the sight of a man of the law. Reaching in his pocket for his identity, the officer makes a rash assumption and anxiously triggers a pistol ending the harmless mans life.

It amazes me how much an appearance impacts the way people feel about one another. First impressions truly are important, for if the man would have looked more clean, it could have saved his life. People tend to have stereotypes towards certain styles, and believe that your personality should suit you exterior. The officer in the story, was ‘trained to see an unshaven man in blue jeans as a potential thief instead of probable owner,‘ and came to the impulsive conclusion that the man had stolen the car. When the officer approached him, it would have been more clever of the man to ask the officer to take out his ID before making the action. Though, I do suppose that the man was just so relaxed just to see the officer, that he didn’t consider a negative possibility.

The first time I read this story, I found most of it too be too descriptive and difficult to bring my attention to follow it. Although, I did understand the ending and just that made me like the entire story. Reading it the second time, I found it more interesting because I knew the ending. Knowing what was going to happen, I started to realize all the hints the author used throughout the story. ‘…it has been a reckless haphazard path. Retracting it is impossible.’ I think the author was trying to say that sometimes when people commit to a regrettable decision, they can’t always relapse and fix what they have done. Another clue I recognized, was; ‘so intent is he upon the future that he dangerously ignores the present’, meaning that he was so worried about not getting home on time, he wasn’t even being cautious of his surroundings, and that a police car was following him. Even though the ending is heartbreaking, I liked the message it sends to the readers; that things aren’t always what they seem.

"The Prospectors Trail"

“The Prospectors Trail” is a short story that takes place in a forest up in the Yukon. A man named Norman and his wife Jennifer moved up there so Norman could attempt to pursue his dream of opening an interpretive centre. They are camping out with an old prospector named Roy, and his wife Elsie. Jennifer is not enjoying the northern experience, so the next morning she goes into town to look for work, while Roy hesitantly takes Norman down his prospecting trail. Norman becomes discouraged with his dream and almost ends up quitting the whole idea. Roy then decides to truly help him and takes him to the dump, where they find objects that are of use to them. Norman is shocked to find out that going to the dump was what Roy meant by prospecting, but discovers it is a good idea and the two of them decide to go into business together. When Jennifer returns to camp, Norman tells her about the business potential the dump has. Jennifer, very disappointed, leaves Norman without a word the next day.

I found it interesting how Norman expected to be prospecting out in the woods, when all along Roy just prospected at the dump, finding objects that to some would just be ’garbage’ but to others could be so much more. It also mentions in the story that Norman suffers with insomnia, and it surprised me when at the end of the story, Normans wife had left him, took the van with her, yet that night he slept soundly for the first time in months. Meaning his insomnia was probably cause by stress from his wife. What I didn’t understand, was the relationship between Elsie and Roy. “We’re out of peanuts,“ Roy shouted, “So go get some more. And get some beer while your at it,“ was Elsie’s reply, and that was pretty much the only conversation they had during the whole story if you could call it that. Elsie seemed very lazy and rude, a person that didn’t suit Roy's northern lifestyle.

During the beginning of the story, Jennifer is very unhappy with the way they’re living and snaps, “Six weeks, unless I catch you wearing a red plain flannel shirt, in which case I’ll leave you on the spot,” to Norman. At the end of the story, when Jennifer arrives back at the camp, Norman is wearing a red plaid that he found at the dump. I liked how the author used the red plaid to symbolize Normans independence and determination towards his dream, he wasn’t going to let Jennifer control his life anymore. I sensed that the significance of this story, is to be in control of your own life, and you can decide how you want live it. Norman knew that his business with Roy would very likely end to his relationship with Jennifer, but he couldn’t let that stop him. You have to realize what is most important in your life, and follow your dreams even if it means leaving someone, or something else that stands in the way.