Mines is on
“Mines”
Susan Straight’s “Mines” made me a little weary of a really
dark and depressing ending; unfortunately it fell very short of such an ominous
finish. The ending however did bring
about a hint of irony in that when the narrator gets her hair pulled out by the
kid on the floor, it refers back to the beginning when she calls all of the
inmates some shade of a bald-headed fool.
I thought it was quite clever to bring the story back all the way to the
start and in a way call the narrator a fool herself. My opinion is that because she was always in
fear of fights breaking out at the prison, getting TB, and other dangers at the
prison she worked at that she was a fool for not attempting to overcome her
fears or maybe looking for new work. I
also interpreted the ending as an acceptance of the work she does. This is highlighted by her sitting back at
her desk after the riot and continuing to look at the advertisement in the
paper as if nothing happened at all.
This also could’ve meant that she was not going to let anything get in
the way of getting things for her children, including money because her
children are the most important things in the world to her.
Questions/Comments: What did the anti-climactic ending mean to
you? Can you relate to any of the
characters in the story or the author?
Do you know anyone who has been to jail or is currently doing time?
