First-Person Fiction

    The author of this short story steps us into the shoes of the main character, Lester Snow, through the use of dialogue and by providing descriptive insights from secondary characters. Whereas in other writers’ works, the main character often describes themselves through their thoughts or actions, Richard Ford utilizes the situations and circumstances his characters are placed in to offer readers and insight into who they are as a person. In “Winterkill,” this is no exception. One detail in particular that stood out to me was that Leslie’s character and moral compass are more prominently defined in the first few pages of this story, and then later on his appearance is commented on by Nola Foster. At the beginning, Leslie mentions that “Trouble comes cheap and leaves expensive, is a way of thinking about that” (pg. 160) in regard to Nola and her appearance. This line in particular leads readers to believe that Leslie is the kind of person who cares more about himself than others, and has a very narrow perspective on the way the world works. This is supported by the fact that he was recently put out of work and has been living through harsh times lately as well. This story in general has a theme of loss and disconnection, whether in family, friendships, or relationships. The author uses this theme throughout the story, and it is evident that the lack of connection has left the main character ill-equipped to relate to his family members and even his friends. The detached manner of Leslie’s narration gives readers a much better understanding of the kind of person he is, without any of the physically descriptive factors that are provided later on in the story. I think the authors’ style of writing and the type of characters he chooses as narrators for each story are very relatable and easy to understand, regardless of whether we have personally experienced a situation similar to theirs.

    The details about Leslie Snow we learn throughout the story tend not to be mentioned directly by the narrator himself but by the other characters in his presence. This technique employed by the author allows us to gain a better understand of what Leslie is like by living through his character and getting feedback from the secondary characters as the story unfolds. Too often main characters are forced to tell their own backstory or monologues are used to excess, so Richard Ford employs this strategy in a way that gives us a better picture of who Leslie is without detracting from his narration, and the result is a well-flowing narrative with few pauses and all the details we would want to know about the story’s narrator. One line that was repeated a couple times in this story states, “It was a peculiar look she gave me, a look that seemed to ask something of me, but I did not know what it was and couldn’t answer” (pg. 169). Leslie describes the looks that Nola gives him, but cannot comprehend what any of them mean and does not understand how to interpret them. This depicts the detachment that he has from society and the loss of connection with others that Leslie is experiencing, and this draws us into a fuller picture of his character as a result. All of us have experienced something similar to this in our lifetime, and this makes Leslie Snow into a narrator that we can understand even better. Overall, Richard Fords’ depiction of connections and the lack thereof between characters in this story and many of the other stories we have read provides a unique insight into why having relationships with others is important, and how we as human beings need community to survive in the world.