A life lesson

 https://creativeprinceness.blogspot.com/2022/06/my-new-and-improved-passion-of-syran.htmlSARAH ELGOHARY

ENGLISH 204

AMERICAN Literature

Professor PRAMILA 

Essay 2

“ A Small Good Thing” by Raymond Caver shows the journey of two parents who learn what truly matters in life when they discover that they can find comfort in three people, that they would have never expected to find any comfort with the black man, Franklin and the baker. The parents did not even bother to acknowledge the sadness, loneliness and problems of these three people the black man and Franklin and the baker or get to know them in order to have any relationship with them until their son suddenly dies. Caver conveys a message of two parents coping with an unexpected tragedy of their son’s death through the comfort of the baker and the black man Franklin and the baker three people they least expected. 

The short story “A Small, Good Thing” by Raymond Carver tells of two American parents dealing with their son's hospitalization and death as the result of a hit-and-run car accident. The insensitive actions of their local baker add to their anger and confusion in the beginning of the story, yet by the end of the story, he leaves them with a sense of optimism and strength. The story “A Small, Good Thing” by Raymond Carver presents three situations that all had similar ordeals- Ann and Howard, the black man, Franklin, and the baker. As the story moved on, it can be seen that the three groups all sympathized with one another because they were all undergoing difficult times. People turn to one another for comfort and difficult times even strengthened our relationship as friends. It is beautiful when compassion brings out true human feelings and shields out any bad energy that inhibits our ability to reach out to other people.

This excerpt from the story, "Although they were tired and in anguish, they listened to what the baker had to say", would fit their situation well because it exemplifies how compassion brings people together. Sometimes in life, people have to go through trials. In essence, it is these trials that make us stronger and having the comfort of someone else makes bonds between people more fortified. This statement shows how compassion plays a big role in the story.

In the beginning the mother is very judgmental and alone in her pain, but throughout the story she opens up; first to her husband, and then to the baker. The reason the story is about forgiveness is that all the characters in the story must forgive to have the peace at the end. The mother and father must forgive the baker for his insensitive calls, and realize that he is a lonely man whose life revolves around the bakery. The baker must forgive the man and his wife for their anger and for not coming to pick up their cake. He has to let it go, and help the man and woman cope with the greatest loss of their lifetime.

He gives them forgiveness and compassion, and they come to peace together The baker phones the parents’ home in the dead of night (when he does his baking) because the cake has not been picked up, but they cannot figure out who he is or what he wants. At the same time the doctors and staff can’t and won’t answer their questions about why Scotty isn’t waking up. Dr. Francis comes to the hospital to check the child, looking tanned, meticulously dressed, as if he has just been out for the evening- he has a life outside of the hospital, but the parents have none. When they do run home, separately, to take a break, the baker torments them with his mysterious late-night calls. Their confusion and isolation deepen. The child dies-"a one-in-a-million circumstance."The mother finally realizes that it is the baker who has been calling and tracks him down, enraged. She unleashes all of the anger which she had been unable to express to the doctors. The baker is stunned to learn about the child’s death; he begs forgiveness and offers them warm delicious cinnamon rolls. "Eating is a small, good thing in a time like this" and they are comforted. 

Of course, nothing drives home the tenderness of attempted connection more strongly than their final scene with the baker. Obviously, the baker cannot know the depth of their pain, being childless. And yet he has such deep reserves of sadness that, when they arrive in such a vulnerable state, he is compelled to open up himself. And what's more, they listen and appreciate what they hear. He could have showed them the kindness of food and comfort without sharing his own pain, but they all sense that this occasion is sacred in that they can connect with one another through a shared understanding of pain and disappointment. The baker, who, at story's beginning, was so distant that Ann could feel unwarranted contempt for him, has revealed the depth of his suffering, and so can they for the first time begin to process the depth of their own suffering. These people are not the same and they can only approach each other so much, and yet because they try to connect, they are all profoundly affected.

Franklin story is a great comfort to Scotty’s mother ANN because she relate to an African-American family, same loss of an innocent son and grief. She is connected to African-American family and the black man because they both faced difficult times as the black man was waiting for his Franklin to have an operation. Past the nurse's station, in the waiting room, Ann comes across an African-American family. When a woman sees Ann, she asks "Is it about Franklin?" When Ann tells them she knows nothing, they ignore her. But without knowing why, Ann starts to tell them about Scotty. They reply with their own tale of woe – their son Franklin was a bystander to a knife fight in which he was cut badly, and they are waiting to hear whether the operation on him is successful. Ann feels very close to them, they find comfort in each other. She starts to acknowledge the problems of African-American family, but has nothing more to say, so she leaves. “A Small, Good Thing” by Raymond Caver also serves the theme of tragedy, and ultimately suggests that it is the acceptance of tragedy in our lives that has the potential to connect us. Throughout the story, Howard attempts to comfort Ann by rationally convincing himself and her that Scotty will be okay, but he cannot quell his fright, his underlying belief that tragedy is central to life. The observations of clothing also illustrate this point – life goes on even as the most terrible things happen to others, and there's nothing that can be done about that. The boy Franklin's death is certainly tragic, since he was not even involved in the fight that takes his life, and this is possibly what makes Ann feel close to them. And finally, the baker's acceptance of the unfairness and meaninglessness of time – "ovens endlessly full and endlessly empty" – is part of what connects him with the grieving parents in the final scene. Carver's suggestion is that we are all connected in our smallness, in our lack of control. And while it might be impossible for us to ever truly know one another, or ever take full control of our lives, our attempts to be kind and understand other people are "a small, good thing" that makes our lives worthwhile.\

“ A Small Good Thing” by Raymond Caver shows the journey of two parents who learn what truly matters in life when they discover that they can find comfort in three people, that they would have never expected to find any comfort with the black man, Franklin and the baker. The parents did not even bother to acknowledge the sadness, loneliness and problems of these three people the black man and Franklin and the baker or get to know them in order to have any relationship with them until their son suddenly dies. Everyday people deal with the realities of life, and these realities include everything from love to meaningless, senseless tragedy. It is important for people to realize that anything can happen to anybody. A Small, Good Thing is a story about senseless tragedy, and it does a good job on conveying the message that tragedy can happen to us all at anytime, unexpectedly.