Wish you were here comprehension questions – Victor Yu
Through most of the story, it is told from the perspective of Dorothy. The author demonstrates this by following Dorothy throughout the story. The point at which this change is the night Dorothy is going to die, this is so the reader cannot know who has done it. Being able to have 2 different perspectives gives the reader a sense of mystery because the thoughts of other characters in the story aren’t shown.
There are many different clues that are given throughout the story that predicts the gnomes death, but they are mainly from the postcards. One of which read, “Dorothy, Doc says operation my only hope.Pray for me. Feel so bad.” This quote shows how the gnome is in a critical condition and that this surgery is what decides if he lives or dies. Furthermore, after that letter, the gnomes send another postcard saying, “So i’ll, miss you.” This quote reveals that the operation wasn’t a success because he is still ill, this foreshadows his untimely demise at the end of the short story.
The author makes it seem as though Norman was this nice and innocent person. The author reveals this through the many times that Norman aids Dorothy. To Elaborate, one instance is when Norman suggests that he will hand the gnome letters in person so they don’t give her a scare: “This is what I’ll do. I’ll keep an eye open and if any more cards come like that, I’ll knock and give it to you so you don’t get a scare, like. I mean finding it in the box.” The way the author presents him gives off a friendly and innocent vibe. For example, near the beginning, Dorothy says to herself how, “Norman was only in his mid-twenties, but he took an almost fatherly interest in the older people on his route.” This quote shows the positive vibe that Norman gives off and reveals the good relationship between him and other elderly women in the neighborhood.
In my opinion, I think Norman was not intending the gnomes messages to be an innocent joke. We see at the end of the story, after the realization, “She got up and went to the front window. Norman, his bag slung over his shoulder, was walking down the street. She could hear him whistling. After such a tragic event, Norman’s ability to brush it off so easily makes it very suspicious and leads the reader to presume that it was his intent to kill her all along.
The fact that the story is being told in a first-person perspective means that the reader knows only as much as the protagonist knows. This element of curiosity captivates the reader into knowing more which will aid in keeping the reader’s interest.
Would I want to see this become a movie? No, because nobody wants to watch an elderly woman get scared over some postcards for an hour, especially because the reason they are scary is that they say messages along the lines of, “Dear Dorothy, Having a great time. Saw a rodeo yesterday. Wild! Love, Mr. Gnome.”
One time, when my view of someone changed was when my old friend Stephanie(not real name) was about to date one of my good friends. She always gave off a positive vibe and in a sense, we all trusted her. On Valentine’s day, my friend got her a load of presents totaling at $170, and she said that she loved him and all that warm lovey dovey garbage. The day after, she said that they were only friends. The amount of betrayal my friend felt, really unveiled Stephanie’s true colors… she’s a snake.
