Lawn Party
Ann Beattie writes her short story “The Lawn Party” as a male narrator. Because men tend to be less emotional than women are, this makes the narrator’s point of view more believable. Although this is a story that moves from one agonizing situation to another, the lack of human emotion leaves one with a somewhat empty feeling. One could infer that the author removed all sensitivity from the narrator in an attempt to make him appear aloof, indifferent, and even somewhat callous. The narrator lost his arm in a car accident. When asked if he would like a plastic arm or claw, he rejected both. When asked what he would like, he calmly responded “air”. Later in the story, he complained that he has to sip beer because it would be annoying if he had to set the beer down to wipe his mouth. He also received a letter from the college where he worked, stating that they hoped all was well and that he would be back to work in the fall. His only thought was that it would be difficult
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Lawn Party, Ann Beattie, wifes sister, throughout story, male narrator, car accident, lawn party,
Approximate Word count = 665
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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