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Sucking You In: The story of John Updike John Updike has been known for his short story and novel writing all throughout the last 30 years. He has something in his text that can just grab the reader and literally pull them into the story. Using his vivid imagination and his unique style of writing, he makes you feel like you are actually there. Weather it is in the middle of a sporting event, or on top of a snowy mountain preparing to start your voyage down on nothing but two thin pieces of metal. He has a way of relating to peoples real life problems. This is why John Updike is such an outstanding writer.
Born and raised in Shillington, Pennsylvania in 1932, he lived in a not so wealthy family. Luckily, he was accepted to Harvard College and graduated in 1954. This is what turned his life around. After school was done, he worked for a few years on the staff of The New Yorker. When his writing abilities were finally noticed, he got the idea to start writing poetry and short stories.
This was the best idea he ever had. His novels have won the Pulitzer Prize, The National Book Award, the American Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. (Lilies-Updike) John is currently living in Massachusetts with four children to care for. After reading many of John Updike's works, it is easy to see a distinctive style to his writing. He often focuses on events that may have seemed to have come from his very own life. He also likes to write about sporting events. In the story Deaths of Distant Friends a middle aged man, owner of his own hardware store, simply drops dead for do apparent reason.
He was in perfect health, and nobody could figure out how he could possibly have died. This man was the father to the narrator of the story. Throughout the rest of the short story, the narrator loses many people that are close to him, as well as people that he doesnt really know all that much. I believe that Updike writes about this because it happened to him personally. I dont know this for a fact, but by the way he describes it in the short story, makes it sound like he is talking from first hand experiences. In the end of the story, the narrator takes his own life out In the middle of his life, Updike was married and had four children.
At the same time of his life, he wrote the short story Gesturing. In this story, a couple has been married for quite some time, and each partner is having a secret affair. After thinking about the kids and how they would feel with the situation, they decide to call it quits. After the very mature break up, the two go out to dinner and talk about their sexual experiences with their mistresses over the last year or so. This story seems like it might also be related to a real life experience.
Maybe not Updike's life personally, but perhaps somebody that he knew very well. This short story was also used in an issue of Playboy about ten years back. Another story that I read that I believe very well could have been taken from Updike's life was Father and Daughter in the Cold. This story is about a man and his daughter, Becki, who love to ski.
His daughter is very good. Maybe even Olympic material. Her Father, Mike, is not half bad, but due to his asthma he can only handle so much of it. One cold day, the two decided to go out and ski. Upon arrival, Mike doesnt feel too well. He is having troubles breathing.
They decide to race down the slope. Half way down, Mike has to stop to use his inhaler and Becki wins. After their exciting trip, they go and sit in the lodge and sip on hot cocoa. I believe that this story portrays Updike's love for his children. It shows that because even though Mike is having trouble breathing and knows that he will have an asthma attack, he still goes skiing with his daughter. Can you feel the love?
When Updike talks about sporting events, he makes you feel not only like you are there, but also like you are sitting on the edge of your seat in awe. You can see the game happening, never able to predict what is going to happen next. In Ex-Basketball Player Flick Webb, a young man just out of high school, is working at a gas station just outside his home town. The narrator of this story tells the reader about many of Flicks basketball highlights. He tells how he once saw Flick score 40 points in one game.
The narrator, however, is very disappointed that Flick did not carry on his basketball career. He believed that Webb could have gone so much farther in his basketball career than just a high school athlete. The way that Updike describes the way Webb played mad you actually visualize the young man in your head. It is amazing. Another one of Updike's amazingly descriptive short stories that involve sports was a story called The Slump. This story was very realistic, much like Ex-Basketball Player It felt like you were really there at the games.
The story was about a ball player who started his career out great, but went into a slump after a few years. The reason for his slump is a series of blind spots that he has. He says it seems like he just cant see the ball as well anymore. The bulk of the story was the player looking back on the highlights of his career. I liked this story because I can relate to baseball. It is my favorite thing to do.
A story about art. Learn a Trade is a story about a young boy who is not very talented at anything in life. But there is one thing that he is good at. Making junk sculptures. And most importantly, he loves to do it. As he grows older, he never loses interest in the sculptures.
He still loves to make them. He is accepted to a major art school and goes there. While he is in attendance, he sees so many people with a gift similar to his. The only difference between them is that he enjoys what he is doing, and none of the others do. Throughout the rest of the story, the main character spends his time (by now he is in his mid 40 s) telling everyone he knows, including his own kids, to do what they want to do in life. If you dont like what you do, you will be miserable for the rest of your life.
I can relate to this story also. I love music, which is an art. I am also good at it and I plan...
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Research essay sample on Makes You Feel Story The Narrator
