#798 The Contestant- Daniel Alarcon

#798 The Contestant- Daniel Alarcon

Reality TV gone wild, sensationalism run amok. Ruth Thalia Sayas Sanchez was the first contestant of a hit Peruvian TV show called Moment of Truth. On it, contestants are hooked up to a lie detector test and asked increasingly personal and revealing questions. Of course the show is looking for dirt to come out. To make more drama, on the stage with Ruth is her parents and her boyfriend. She told the truth, including her stint as an exotic dancer and her two instances of taking money for sex. She won the money but shamed herself and her family.

Months after the show aired, she is knows as the prostitute from the game show. She goes missing, and turns into a national scandal. Reality TV meets tabloid journalism, add the ever present desire for money and fame, and we see the worst of humanity.

Notable Passage: “The truth is always illuminating…It will do no harm, even though it hurts.”

Rating: 7-8-7-7 Total= 29

#426 What the Ax Forgets the Tree Remembers- Edith Pearlman

#426 What the Ax Forgets the Tree Remembers- Edith Pearlman

The title of this one alone blows me away. Too often we hear the opinions of those giving offense or those doing damage explaining how that offense or damage isn’t that bad.

“For a half century Gabrielle had avoided good causes as if they might defile her. Efficiency and orderliness were what she cared about, and her own lively good looks.”

Now inspired to do good things, she is taken to work for The Society Against Female Mutilation. However, like many people who suddenly “wake up” and want to help the world, they still cling to their vanity and the viewpoints of their privileged experience. Just because you are not the AX, doesn’t mean you can understand what a tree goes through.

When Gabrielle’s normal speaker gets ill, she employs a stand in for a fundraising event. The stand in gives strong opinions that seem to be against their work. But truth is truth and hearing it may change the way you think, if you are open to it of course.

There is a nice thread through this piece about intimacy and acceptance. I’m not sure I agree with how the group dealt with the two divergent testimonies. With such a short story, I’m not sure there was enough space to give adequate discussing.

Rating: 8-7-7-7 Total= 29

#185 Gimpel The Fool- Isaac Bashevis Singer

#185 Gimpel The Fool- Isaac Bashevis Singer

“I am Gimpel the fool. I don’t think myself a fool. On the contrary. But that’s what folks call me. They gave me the name while I was still in school. I had seven names in all: imbecile, donkey, flax-head, dope, glump, ninny, and fool. The last name stuck.”

Gimpel, the willing fool. What does a man do that knows he’s being ridiculed but has no allies? He seems to have no anger about it, no malice, and even if a dubious one, has gained an identity by playing the fool.

“I believed them, and I hope at least that did them some good.”

He is a creature of God, a pure form testing the will and characters of those around him. Nearly all fail, including the Rabbi’s own daughter. Only his children—though not actually his own—are spared the need desire to mock Gimpel. He carries his lot with grace.

“But I’m the type that bears it and says nothing. What’s one to do? Shoulders are from God, and burdens too.”

This is a nice piece, a parable of sorts. It’s well crafted and characters well defined.

Notable Passage: “It is written better to be a fool all your days than for one hour to be evil.”

Rating: 7-8-8-8 Total= 31