half blog

So far, I’ve read 3 short stories: “Allegiance,” by Aryn Kyle; “So Much for Artemis,” by Patrick Ryan; and “Elder Jinks,” by Edith Pearlman. I enjoyed “Elder Jinks” the most. Basically, the lesson I took from this story is this: there are always second chances in life, but it’s up to you to take the initiative to find or perhaps, form, those chances, just as Grace and Gustave attempt to mend their relationship at the end of the story. Their relationship almost seems broken from the beginning with the subtle disagreements between something as seemingly trivial as the way the lawn chairs are placed. Toward the middle of the story, when Gustave unexpectedly returns home to find an interesting group of people in his living room, the relationship is already “over.” When Hal Karsh pulls Grace out of the house, the relationship seems to be completely terminated. They weren’t on the same page, especially shown when Gustave thought the sweater was for him, whereas Grace actually made the sweater for her granddaughter. The ending of the story was quite surprising to me; given the circumstances of the characters, I thought the relationship was doomed from the start. But, nonetheless, Pearlman gives us a “happy” ending; however, I’m not sure how long the happiness will last between Grace and Gustave. But, nevertheless, I enjoyed the lesson because Pearlman does address the dangers of this second chance for both of them. Consequently, she shows that the dangers of giving yourself and somebody else second chances might be worth the risk if the reward is great enough.

I am curious about the title of the story, though. So far, this is what I’ve thought about the title: the two main characters are “elderly,” hence the first word of the title. Jinks can be defined as “a sudden, quick change of direction” according to the Oxford dictionary, which reminds me of the nature of Grace and Gustave’s relationship. I saw it like this: at any time, something can alter their relationship. (337)