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Crossing: Narrator and Story

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Crossing Some fathers take their sons out on camping trips to create a closer bond. These trips are cozy and relaxing and are done under safe circumstances. Most fathers would never dream of taking their sons out on dangerous trips, which is not the case in Mark Slouka’s short story, Crossing, which was published in 2009. It’s a nerve racking story about a father who takes his little son on a survival trip in a forest, which turns out bad. It is an interesting story and this study will analyze and interpret the narrator, setting and structure and will finally conclude on the story as a whole.

The story is being told from a limited omniscient third person narrative. “He remembered …show more content…

“He’d been in at the house by dawn, as he’d promised. He as in the driveway for a while looking at the yard, the azaleas he’d planted, the grass in the yard beaten flat by the rain. For a long time he hadn’t wanted her back, hadn’t wanted much of anything, really. He went inside, wiping his shoes and ducking his head like a visitor (…)” We’re told that he and his wife split up and she got their old house, and lives there now with their son, through his thoughts and actions. A lot of dialog can often feel very confusing for the reader, so by letting the father’s thoughts tell the story, it becomes flowing and lighter to read and gives a greater understanding of the situation.

The story is taking place in a forest, in the wild, and is a dangerous place. “Of course they’d have a campfire – there was a fire ring right there and sometimes, if you were quiet, herds of elk would graze in the meadow at dusk” They are in the wild, with elks grazing near them, which are dangerous animal, should they feel threatened. This gives the reader a clear image of the location of the story.

There are two different locations, the one which most of the story takes place in, and the tour to the main location. “It was raining as they drove out of Tacoma that morning” “When they came out of the trees and onto the stony beach he felt a small shock, as if he were looking at a house he’d grown up in but now barely recognized.” The

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