Short Story Response- Sticks by George Saunders
(https://www.unm.edu/~gmartin/535/Sticks.htm)Link to Short Story
What does the “pipe”symbolize? There is not just one answer to this – write as many things as you can. The first hint that it is not just any old pipe is that the narrator describes it as “a kind of crucifix.” Crucifixes are already symbolic of a lot of things. This one means all of those things, as well as its place in the life of this family.
Describe Dad. You can’t describe what he looks like from the text, but do you see him anyway?What do you think he looks like? What are a few of his main personality characteristics?
Explain what the narrator means by this: “We left home, married,had children of our own,found the seeds of meanness blooming also within us.”
Why does Dad leave off only celebrating ordinary cultural holidays after his kids move out of the house and start their lives? What does he dramatize with his pipe after they go?
The new owners of the house throw all of Dad’s artistry into the gutter. What does that mean? Is it a bad thing? What does it mean about art, writing, expression, human life,etc?
What else does this little story bring to mind for you?
Extra Credit: 20 points possible
What other helpful questions can you think of to ask about the text?
