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?
I also expected a terribly depressing ending, and was relieved to find that my fears didn't materialize. The anti-climactic ending is a summation of how Clarette's life is going; it's very challenging, but when she gets past one hurdle, she just breathes for a minute and thinks, "Okay, that's over. Time to fold laundry." It shows that she will not be broken--she is resilient and made to survive, even while she's not enjoying life. I don't know anyone who has served or is serving time very well, but I relate to Clarette. She is significantly tougher than me, but I've gone through lots of periods where life was so hard I dreaded getting up in the morning, but I just put one foot in front of the other and numbly got through each day. Of course, I wasn't working with criminals, I was just working and going to school simultaneously.
ReplyDeleteTo me the ending meant that she wasn't going to give up, that even though she got hurt at her work and is emotionally hurting because of her struggles to raise her children alone. The ending shows that she is strong spirited and that she isn;t going to quit just because of some fight, she is going to keep working so she can get the really expensive piano for her children.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you connected the beginning to the ending like that, with being bald and whatnot. That was very insightful, I didn't even realize that haha. I think the anti-climatic ending was...okay. It ended with the ad with the piano, and I think it shows how she is able to put those bad experiences behind her and focus on what is really important, her children and their futures. I think I might kind of relate, my dad was an ex gang member, and throughout my life I would see all sorts of his strange friends come and go. I think when I was younger, I felt a little kind of like Clarette, wrinkling my nose at these supposedly "horrible" people.
ReplyDeleteTo me the way the story ended was perfect because it was like saying just another day in life. The main character was struggling with her life just like the kids inside the jail except she wasn't locked up by physical force. I know many people who have been to jail my father being one of them. He spent a lot of time in San Quentin. He always told me its a world of hurt in there and segregation is a must for survival. He said that you half to find a group that you can belong to and get along with otherwise your going to get into many fights.
ReplyDelete5.) I personally thought the ending symbolized the strength of the woman and that she got her “mines.” I couldn’t say I relate to the characters exactly, I can only imagine their struggles. But I can relate in terms of frustration and struggles of everyday life. I don’t have kids but I have three siblings I feel like I take care of all the time since my parents both work, but I also work and go to school as well. I feel like a mother but I’m not, I care for them a lot as a big sister. I know people who have been to jail because they are idiots but it wasn’t enough to really affect me. I do have a friend whose father is in jail and it saddens me to see that he misses his dad a lot. I think it’s great that you pointed out that parallel about the comment she made about bald heads and the ending that she gets her weaved pulled out. It had a deeper meaning, more than just being tough but handling it.
ReplyDelete