Dear Mr. Carver,
I am a high school student, from the school Loyola Academy, and my Theology class has recently read your short story, "A Small Good Thing". After reading this story and discussing it in class, I have a few questions for you about the story. To start off:
1. Is the character that hit Scotty with the car and called the residence repeatedly with the ominous phone calls the baker?
A: Yes, Pat, that is the same character, the baker. When he hit Scotty, he was on his way to the bakery for another dredfully long shift. When he saw that Scotty seemed allright and was able to stand up, he did not want to deal with lawsuits and the efforts that would follow. He was under stress fromhis job and simply did not have the time or money to handle the situation properly. When the baker starts to call the house, he does so out of remorse and guilt. After all, he did commit and 'hit and run'. When he address Howard and Ann, the parents, he sounds like he is talking to them about Scotty's condition in the hospital, but really, he is talking about the cake that was never picked up.
2. When Ann walks in on the African American family, one of the younger girls, the one smoking the cigarette, continually stares at Ann. Nothing is said between them. What is the purpose of this interaction?
A: Well, this girl is there waiting for Franklin to be returned to the family, after having been attacked at a party. The entire time Ann interacts with the familky, the girl is watching her. I put the girl in the story because she is supposed to represent a version of Ann that has yet to have chldren. While Ann might not have acted that way when she was younger, it was just a representation of her. When Ann communicates with the image of the girl and tells her not to have children, I used the image of the girl to represent an Ann that has yet to have children, so that Ann could seemingly have some kind of mental relief from all of the anxiety of her son's situation.
3. What was the purpose of having Scotty die? Did you think that Howard and Ann would not have learned anything if he did.
A: No, no you mkisunderstnad, I did not have Scotty die so that Ann and Howard would learn from the sitaution. They would have learned from the situation regardless of the outcome. I had Scotty die because his death would inter-relate the baker with the parents. Because Scotty was in the hospital, when the baker called the parents and asked them questions the way he did, it made the parents feel under pressure. By having Scotty die, the parents went to the baker seeking revenge and ended up eating his food and listening to his stories. I had Scotty die so that true forgiveness could be learned and the circle of the evemnts to happern could be completed.
4. Why does the baker, at the end of the story say "Eating is a small good thing at a time like this"?
A: Well, the baker says that because in times of huge stress and pressure, it is often a smaller act or gesture that seems to calm the stressed out preson down. It is funny, but the smallest little thing can have the biggest effect on someone, especially when the small little thing is the most someone has to offer. The baker, for instance has to work a 16 hr shift to make ends-meet, so he could not offer them much from a financial stand point. By offering them the little he had, the prizes from his craft, he is offering them an apology in the most he can give them.
Well, Mr. Carver thanks very much for the interview!
You are most welcome Pat, you dynamite kid, you!
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