Recently for class we were asked by Mullins to read The Most Dangerous Game and The Child by Tiger. He then asked us if we liked the two stories, most said yes they like TMDG, but few said they enjoyed TCG. I am one of the few that actually did like The Child by Tiger.
I found The Child by Tiger interesting, for lack of a better word. I thought the way the writer chose to write it was intriguing. As a reader, I was given a story, with lots and lots of details, yet still not all the details that I wanted. The author left out simple things that are usually given in a story like this, like explaining what was with Pansy and her leaving or why Dick did what he did. Even with these major details that seem like without them the story would not be finished, I felt it was. Somehow the author seemed to gain a sense of wholeness with the story, but not with the expected story.
To me at least, it seemed that the author was telling us the story that he wanted us to know, not the one that we wanted to know. As a reader I did originally want the questions as to why Dick shot every one or what was the deal with him anyways answered, however, I was able to find satisfaction in the events that I was given. I found this odd as usually stories that end like that leave me with a feeling of being disatisfied and like I was cheated out of something.
The Child by Tiger though was a story where the story itself seemed to lack importance, instead the idea that someone that you looked up to or respected could turn into a monster ranked superior. The thought that people may not be exactly what you think they are, especially when as an innocent child you see them in a larger light, held an intriguing quality about it.
Oddly enough, I enjoyed reading The Child by Tiger.
I actually didn't hate The Child by Tiger, either. I felt the same way you did about the unaswered questions. I, also, would normally hate that, but didn't this time. One thing I didn't like about the story was the amount of description the author used. I thought instead the author could have used a bit more dialoge. Overall, I agree with a lot of your main points.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you, I feel that there was a lot of description and I wish there would have been more of something else, dialogue or something. Interesting story to read none the less. :)
DeleteI like your point that Wolfe told us "the story he wanted us to know rather than the story we wanted." I think there's lots of discussion to be hashed out over the issue of our expectations/wants vs. what an author gives us.
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