"Fruit and Words" by Aimee Bender ended kind of abruptly, with the narrator driving away from the fruit stand and the mangoes that she bought shriveling up as she got further away. To me the fruit drying up is negative, symbolizing her hope drying up from her relationship with Steve. She wanted the mangoes in her life similar to how she wanted Steve. The fruit drying up as she drove is her hope with Steve being left at the fruit stand to replace the hope that she broke.
But the fruit could also be looked at in a positive light. The narrator had the craving for mangoes and on her search found the quaint "Fruit and Words" store. The fruits had satisfied her craving but also she learns that she is going to be alright without Steve. When the fruits dry up and she gets out of Las Vegas, she has moved on from Steve and no longer needs the mangoes.
Jake Halloran, 1
Jake! Welcome to the blog! (Now make sure to keep it up).
ReplyDeleteGood observations about how the end of the story could be read in two very different ways. Could it be that, in true fairy tale style, the narrator no longer needs the mangoes as they have served their purpose, so the begin to magically disappear? If so, then what was their purpose? To give the narrator a new perspective and a fresh start to her life?