Please join us for a discussion of contemporary western stories!

Close Range

I have finished CR. I would have to say that the stories reflect the lonely ranch life of the western US very well. I liked the 'manly', crazy aspects of the characters' personalities.

I did not like the made up names of the characters. I found it hard to shift from one story to the next without mixing up their personalities. I felt like I needed more time to digest the tale before I went on to the next story. But then that would have taken me too long to finish the book! The story that I have already spent the most time thinking about is Brokeback Mountain. I have been thinking about that one since last winter!

Brokeback Mountain

.... I would say that the themes of most of these stories would be loneliness, abuse, not being understood by family and friends,no intimacy with other people who care, etc. I will talk about the details of Brokeback Mountain (the story is just like the movie) later....I loved the story. I guess I am into vulgar, earthy, real-life ?? I thought that a number of these stories would make good CSI or Law and Order investigations!

I think you have to imagine Edgar Allen Poe writing a modern 'TellTale Heart' with this story. Do we all know about the end of that short story and what hearing the heart pounding represented?? I think the half-skinned steer represents kinda the same.... not insanity, but death or everything in your life just going to hell.

In this story we have the 80 something year old fart driving all the way across the country to his brother's funeral (brother was killed by an emu on his dude ranch--split stem to stern like the half-skinned steer) "The Half-Skinned Steer" is a make-no-sense ghost story (told to us in flashbacks while the old fart is driving across the country) told by the girl friend of the old fart's daddy (who was a no good for nothing drunk and drove the mail truck while the sons had to run the ranch back in the 1930's.)

Anyhow,(as the cowboys would say) on the drive from Massachusetts (where the 80+ year old fart lives now and eats health food and exercises to keep in great shape) to Wyoming (where he grew up on the ranch) everything that can go wrong, does go wrong (you know all that part especially when he locks his keys in the car in the snow storm).

He ends up in a snow storm, locked out of his car, walking to find help, with the half-skinned steer and its red eye on the other side of the fence 'watching for him all this time.' Now what do you think the half-skinned steer symbolizes?

OK ..... I have moved most of my posts on Close Range. I have to leave now...see you later

Hey Zorro, I am copying my one post from Close Range here. I'll read the next story now & let you all know what I think.

Ramona

Zorro, Your summary of The Half-Skinned Steer made me laugh. He certainly seemed to be an old fart! LOL! I think the half-skinned steer drained of it's blood was symbolic of his life. He seemed to spend his life void of happiness--just getting in & out. He "got out" of the so-called ranch, got in the war & got out, got a job he appeared to be quite successful with, but I didn't hear anything about it being a fulfilling job other than financially. He retired, but he still "got out." He got into politics & "got out again" without scandal. He got in and got out of at least three marriages. He easily let go of his wrecked cadillac, didn't like the replacement so said he'd just get another one for the trip back home. His life seemed unfulfilled & incomplete. Although he goes home for his brother's funeral, I think the dreams & him finally seeing the half-skinned steer's red eye watching him all along was foreboding of his death back on the ranch--the place he originally tried to get out of.
(Originally posted on October 6, 2007)

Hi Zorro- Half Skinned Calf
My first thought was the half skinned calf was death waiting for the old man to give up. I also thought perhaps the half skinned calf represented people who's lives are only half lived. The characters in the story live lonely and unhappy lives. And perhaps that the old man's life was over and he refused to accept it just like the ghost of the half skinned calf.

quote:

Originally posted by Jilly Beans:
Hi Zorro- Half Skinned Calf
My first thought was the half skinned calf was death waiting for the old man to give up. I also thought perhaps the half skinned calf represented people who's lives are only half lived. The characters in the story live lonely and unhappy lives. And perhaps that the old man's life was over and he refused to accept it just like the ghost of the half skinned calf.

Hi Zorro

Almost finished with The Mud Below. Poor Shorty. Was he born with a chip on his shoulder or did his parents put it there?

Jill

Mud Below
Definitely his parents. That SOBad 'Daddy' of his, and his mama was not much better. What could the poor kid do with those two as his family. By the way, I think they lived across the street from me in Del Rio, not in Wyoming or Montana or wherever Annie Proulx says they lived.

quote:

Originally posted by Zorro:
Mud Below
Definitely his parents. That SOBad 'Daddy' of his, and his mama was not much better. What could the poor kid do with those two as his family. By the way, I think they lived across the street from me in Del Rio, not in Wyoming or Montana or wherever Annie Proulx says they lived.

Neighbors!

Ugh. Why do people like that have babies? He actually reminded me of one of the murderers in In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. Have your read that? What do you think?

Although I have not read In Cold Blood, I know about the murderers (having read a Capote biography). Yes, I see the resemblance.

quote:

Originally posted by Zorro:
Although I have not read In Cold Blood, I know about the murderers (having read a Capote biography). Yes, I see the resemblance.

In Cold Blood
BTW- I have it and am done with it, if you want I can send it to you.
Jill

The Mud Below

Do you think the old bull rider at the end in the men's room was Diamond's father? Or his fate? or both?

Jill

Job History

Leeland's life is told by his failures. No personal details or feelings, or dialogue. I felt he lived both a tragic, hard life and also seemed to always blame his failures on outside forces. Always someone else's fault or the weather, or the economy, or the new freeway. But on the other hand, Leeland's story is probably the true story of so many people just struggling to get by, paycheck to paycheck.

What did this story mean to you?

Jill

The Blood Bay

OK, so this is sick, but I thought this story was hilarious. A great campfire story also!!!!

Jill