CRWR 106

I really like this story and how the characters’ amount of life experience (and lack thereof) is demonstrated in the way they interact with one another. Jack, who is older, has a more realistic outlook on the future than the narrator, understanding that certain things, especially love, don’t last forever and don’t always turn out the way you want: “In two years you’ll write, ‘I wonder what that old guy’s name was, the one with the curly hair and the filthy dirty pickup truck and time on his hands.'” The narrator, on the other hand, is a young girl in love, and so has a much more idealistic plan for the future: “In two years I’ll write, ‘Jack should be home by now. Little Jack is hungry for his supper. He said his first word today besides “Mama” and “Papa.”‘” While they may both hope for their fairy tale happily ever after, at least one of them is being realistic about the fact that it may not ever happen. They are both at completely different stages in life and so see and understand the world in completely different ways. It may even help the reader to come to a similar understanding about “idealism vs. realism” or “love vs. infatuation” as well, having been shown more than one perspective on the topic.