Due by class time on Thursday, October 25
For this response, I'd like for you to EITHER choose one of the texts and respond specifically to it, making an argument about one specific meaning you find in the story, using illustrations from the text to support your argument, OR, I'd like for you to respond to the texts together, thinking about possible connections between them. If you choose the second option, make an argument about one specific idea that you see both texts dealing with, and do some comparing and contrasting, showing what you think each story says about that particular idea, where the meanings of each story overlap one another, and where they differ. Together, what do they seem to say about the idea you've chosen?
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The Little Things: There is Nothing Greater
The idea that is shared by both A Small, Good Thing, and Sweet Feed is that the little things in life really matter. Both stories are about people having to cope with the dreadful circumstance of sudden death and how a person who makes food for them has a remarkable impact on their lives. However, the two stories take different approaches to the issue.
The meaning behind the first selection is apparent in its title: A Small, Good Thing. The small, good thing refers to the act of eating as well as the actions by the baker, who prepares the food for Howard and Ann. The baker is obviously important to the story since the beginning takes place at the bakery where Ann is ordering Scotty’s birthday cake. The baker’s character is described before anyone else’s. Eating, or nourishment in general, is important theme throughout the story. The doctor urges the two to eat while their son lies in his hospital bed, saying: “Feel free to go out for a bite…it would do you good…go have yourselves something to eat”. Howard makes a fuss when he sees that Scotty has been hooked up to a glucose drip, because he needs nourishment. Howard and Ann are worried that no one will get back to the house to feed Slug, their dog. They even urge each other to eat, but neither can stomach any food while Scotty lies helplessly asleep. The fact that they eat at the end when they finally find a small amount of comfort with the baker is symbolic. When the couple finally eats, we get the sense that some of their tension has been relieved. The baker tells the two, “you have to eat and keep going”, as if eating may be the first, pivotal step in moving on without their son. The baker says that it is better to be a baker than a florist because it is better to be feeding people. He feels that he has an important role in the world because he feeds people, like Howard and Ann.
Sweet Feed makes a similar point with a much more whimsical approach. The theme of “the little things in life matter” is demonstrated less in the title of this story than it is in the quote that precedes the story from Pascal: “A little thing comforts us because a little thing afflicts us.” This quote relates strongly to the story about a passionate chef slaving tirelessly over the last meal of a convicted murderer. The humor in Sweet Feed is in the contrast between Grady Benson and the characters around him. Grady is a sensitive, ambitious perfectionist. The prison guards, inmate, and the other cook who works with Grady are all primitive brutes. Where others might get bogged down by the pointlessness of preparing a meal for dead man, Grady Benson sees this as an opportunity to shine
Both stories are delivering the same message: Small gestures can have great significance in the presence of tragedy. In A Small, Good Thing, Howard and Ann are extremely upset by the phone calls from the baker that, under normal circumstances, would just be annoying. However, they are equally affected by his honest apology and the small gift he offers them in the form of freshly-baked food. Likewise, A.B.C. Weller, Jr. seems moved in his own way by the care that Grady put into his last meal. He cares enough to spend some of his final moments writing a surprisingly-thoughtful note of gratitude to Grady. Both Grady and the baker find great meaning in their simple jobs. Both of these men see an opportunity to help someone out. Just by doing what they do best, these men are able to reach out to someone else in a tough situation and ease their suffering.
The destination that both stories arrive at is the same. The paths to get there are very different. A Small, Good Thing is extremely tragic and the tone is dreadful. Sweet Feed could have been just as grim as A Small, Good Thing with its setting at a prison execution, but is not dark at all. The reader is set up to believe that absolutely no one, including the man to be executed, will offer Grady the thanks that he deserves for all his hard work preparing the meal. However, we are delighted to find that A.B.C. Weller, Jr. is not as crude as Grady thought he was after all. His note is short and sweet, but confirms that Grady’s efforts were not in vain.
Third Response to “A small, Good thing”
The most specific meaning in the story to me is the lack and/or support of Community. Throughout the whole story, Ann and Howard feel the strain and agony of their surrounding community. After Scotty was involved with the hit and run incident, I feel that they were so frustrated with the lack of community in which they entrusted around them. A major part, that added to it was when Howard first went home and got the strange phone call, then Ann also encountered the same experience. This phone call, they felt was the indecent man who could have possibly enacted the hit and run of their son. This disturbed both Ann and Howard, because they thought this man was a psychopath and could potentially hurt them, or go to the hospital and make sure Scotty was dead.
The use of supportive community that was a huge part of the story, was Ann’s connection with the Negro family. It took so much of her to leave Scotty’s side, and go home to take care of herself; eating, taking and shower, and feeding their dog Slug. On her way out, she couldn’t find the elevator, but she happened to find the Negro family in the waiting room. She saw the look in their eyes, as they were starring at her, she was also starring back. The mother of Franklin, thought Ann was a nurse, and wanted answers on how her son was doing. When this happened, Ann began to share her experience and frustration. This sense of community, and togetherness was all Ann needed to release and vent for a moment. She wanted the family to open up to her. As soon as they opened up to her, she felt very comfortable, creating a wonderful sense of community. She felt a strong bond with them, and was at ease that others in the community go through the same things. When Ann came back from her home, she went back to that same waiting room, and the family was not there. She felt disheartened, and also felt curious enough to go ask the nurse what had happened to the family who was in there. The nurse asked her if she was a friend or family member; that shows a sense of supportive community because she was concerned for strangers. She also told her that their son Franklin, did not make it out of the surgery, and passed away. I feel that this was a big burden on Ann, because she has been so discouraged ever since her son entered the hospital. She wanted the community around her to be her rock, and help her through her own sons condition. Ann finding out that this happened to their son, made her feel even worse about her own son, so she rushes to Scotty’s room.
Another major meaning of supportive community in this story is when Ann and Howard barge into the Baker’s bakery. He himself, was not a happy man, but always loved the community around him. The community is what gets him through being middle aged with no wife and kids. Just seeing others, such as his customers come in and eat his celebration food, is enough for him. He comes off stubborn and grumpy because he is not happy within himself. However, at the end of the day, he is filled with joy when the community around him comes to him, and wants to eat his baked goods for the happy events present in peoples lives. As he says to Ann and Howard toward the end, “Eating is a small, good thing in a time like this.” Because of the huge sense of community throughout the story, the baker finally reaches out to a family that is also in need of a community sense, and all three of them discover that the help of the supportive community around them, truly can get you through a lot of hard times. Remember, at the beginning Ann thought the baker was a cold, heartless individual that could never be happy. Because of the strong bond as a community, as I have been talking about, he broke out of his shell, and wanted to sympathize with this family who just lost their son. This shows that a married couple should stay close with one another in a devastating situation like this, but also reach out to others in the community because you never know if someone is going through the same thing as you, or can comfort you in a way that your family cannot.
The Small Little Things in Life
In Raymond Carver’s “A Small, Good Thing” both the parents of young Scotty and the baker consider food as a means of survival. Food is first mentioned in the story when the mother goes to the bakery to order Scotty his favorite, a chocolate cake, for his birthday party. When the mother first meets the baker, she cannot seem to understand why the baker is in a bad mood. The mother wonders to herself, “if he’s done anything else with his life besides be a baker” (Carver 61). This shows that Mrs. Weiss, Scotty’s mother, judges the baker on a first impression basis and does not know the baker’s secret that she will ultimately connect to later in the novel.
When Scotty is the hospital, his parents learn how bad he is in need of nourishment, which can only be brought about by food. Scotty is fed bottles of glucose through a tube in his arm as a means of nourishment since he cannot eat whole food in his mouth. The parents have the idea that as long as Scotty has nourishment, his strength will progress, ultimately leading him to wake up. Even the parents and Doctor Francis think of food as a source of nourishment. Dr Francis tells Mr. and Mrs. Weiss, “Feel free to go out for a bite. It would do you some good. Go and have yourselves something to eat” (Carver 64). This shows the doctor thinks actual food will help the parents will better about their son’s situations. It is ironic how he says this and not encourages the parents to pray or read as a source of getting their minds off of things. This is probably why many adolescents in the United States are obese today. Society encourages food as a way of escaping one’s problems and making one feel better.
Not only does food play as a source of nourishment to Scotty, food also helps the baker to survive. As stated earlier, Mrs. Weiss couldn’t understand why the baker’s attitudes were negative and not friendly. What the mother fails to realize is that the baker is the way he is because of his complicated life. The baker was so bitter because he was forced to pay more attention to his work than his personal life. He was always in his own little word of baking and never got to really interact with people in society. Part of this was not his fault. The baker explains, “Lady, I work sixteen hours a day in this place to earn a living. I work night and day in here, trying to make ends meet” (Carver 94). But the baker found comfort in baking and this was how he made himself happy. He used his skills to make other people find happiness by making people birthday cakes or hot cinnamon roles. Once he finds out of the lost of Scotty, he offers Mr. and Mrs. Weiss some cinnamon roles as a means of both feeling better and accepting his apology.
It is ironic how people in the story not only think of food as a source of nourishment, but as a means of feeling better. Many people think food can make on happier or take their minds off the problems they face. But it is evident in “A Small, Good Thing” that food cannot always make ends meet. Even with food being fed to him through a tube in his arm, Scotty still dies. Even though the baker has food in front of him during all parts of the day, he still suffers unhappiness in not being able to have a child or someone to care about. The moral of the story is that food alone cannot enable survival. Everyone needs small little things, such as prayer and interaction with other people, to make it in life.
The Pride of a Cook
Every individual should be proud of something they can do well, whether it is something big or small. Though most people may not relate to Grady’s obsession with cooking, the pride he has in his finished product is what makes him content with himself. In “Sweet Feed” by Melissa Pritchard, Grady puts all of his effort into one goal – he uses his cooking expertise to make someone else happy. Grady will only be content if his meal is acceptable to the person he is serving.
Early in the story, Grady makes it a point to see Mr. Waller in prison to “get a better picture of his appetite” (71). Even though it is unnecessary for Grady to do so, he wants his meal to fit the type of person Mr. Waller is and what Mr. Waller appreciates in food. This initial visit shows the reader that even though the meal might not matter to some people since Mr. Waller will be put to death that very evening, Grady values Mr. Waller’s desires. He wants to do the best he can for Mr. Waller. It would not be enough for Grady to prepare an average meal for the prisoner. Grady’s happiness comes from using his gift of cooking to give people pleasure – in Mr. Waller’s case, his last pleasure.
After Grady leaves the prison, he heads out to get everything Mr. Waller requested. Grady is intent on doing exactly what was asked of him; he actually gets a wild rabbit from a rifle shop. Mr. Waller might not have noticed if Grady cooked a domestic rabbit, but Grady wanted to fulfill every detail. That meant doing precisely what Mr. Waller asked. Mr. Waller did not have a preference whether the biscuits or pie were homemade or store-bought, but Grady insisted they be made from scratch. When Grady returned from buying everything he needed, he prepared Mr. Waller’s meal with the utmost care and precision. Each step in the cooking process had to be perfect in Grady’s eyes. Grady shows the reader that using one’s skill to create something that makes another person’s life better can give great satisfaction.
Grady’s painstaking attention to detail was also visible in the way he presented his meal. He concentrated on how the plate was laid out for the condemned prisoner. Grady even explained to the guards how the meal should be served. He wanted to be sure that his meal was fully appreciated because he knew how much work he put into it for Mr. Waller’s enjoyment. Again, he was determined to create a meal that would please Mr. Waller in every respect. It is a relief to finish something knowing it could not have been done any better.
One last occurrence in this short story illustrates how much pride Grady takes in pleasing others through his cooking. In the very last paragraph, “Grady brought his forehead to the steel lip of the bowl, wanting comfort from his blind, little rise of bread” (73). Grady cannot receive comfort solely from the bread; he will wait until the next hungry individual comes along to whom he can offer his humble gift of cooking. The pride he has for his food and the pleasure he gives to others provides Grady with a sense of belonging and ease. Just as Grady has done, every person should find something they can offer other people – something they can be proud of. Doing for other people can provide sincere fulfillment in anyone’s life.
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