- Why is this story called "William Wei"?
- What makes it fiction? How would you react differently to it if it were nonfiction/memoir?
- What role does dialogue play in the story? How about drugs?
- What is the significance of women's shoes? (See opening.)
- A woman wrote this story? Would you react differently to it if a man had written it?
- How would you describe it to someone who hadn't read the story?
What questions do you have about it?
If I was to describe this particular first chapter of the book that we had to read to someone who hasn't read the story, I would have to say it is very vulgar driven, and also contains explicit language that I personally wouldn't recommend a high school student nor junior high scholar to read. I would also describe the story as appalling and includes strong use of language and descriptions that aren't appropriate for a professional setting. It may make some people uncomfortable when reading the story out loud to themselves, simply because the author uses language that takes you off guard completely. However, I'm not exactly sure what point the author is trying to put on display, simply because the story starts off on a sexual note. The way the dialogue starts off makes me think that the story was written by a male, but is in fact written by a female. The stereotype of a story with vulgar language and descriptions such as the one titled "William Wei" is that you would expect a male to write this, and make the audience think that he is sharing his sexual experiences that he has had with women, including his insecurities. The author writes this story from a male perspective. She seems to put herself in the mindset of a naive male who is willing to go numb and unaware, possibly so that he could have his way with women. That's just how I have interpreted the story and book overall so far.
ReplyDeleteThis story is called "William Wei" because of a character that they created and go through different events. I think it makes it fiction because the routines that person was by doing was on a day to day basis. I won't have too much of a reaction because some people might do it in reality. The role of dialogue that can be played in the story is telling the characters apart and the drugs can show the inner conflicts of the characters. The shoes can represent somewhere later in the story. I would act differently if a man wrote it because he can most likely give a darker point of view. I would describe this book getting to know that person more deeply and emotional. It's a good read so far.
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ReplyDeleteI would describe this story to a adult by saying its very interesting and erotic the way the author starts off by giving detail of William's life where he live, the food he eats over and over. In addition the way his clothes be pile up.Then boom the author jump right into the erotic .Also, I would tell the adult who haven't reading this book it's about drugs, lies, lust and the make you wonders like what is going to happen next . For example like when they meet up you think they about to do erotic thing or perhaps you wonder what will he do to?
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting look into this fictional life. Any person of any gender could have written this and I still would have chuckled at some of the images. Like that of his upstairs neighbor. It feels like there is no time except for the present. The author mentions dogs a few times in this piece. They too live in the moment. I wonder if the author was trying to create some parallel to how Williams' life is always in the moment. Even when he talks about the past he is still in the present tense. Or, could the author be saying that men are dogs and that they will act like animals jumping from one urge to the next? Also, this guy says I love you pretty quick in my honest opinion . I do not know what to make of that. I would be weirded out if a guy said that to me that quickly. This story is pretty fast paced and would be best described as a blur. While there are points in Williams life that have to do with Koko, there is very little else. Was this affair really that important to him that it would change his life or is he being just as hollow as he was "consoling" Koko?
ReplyDeleteI think I do understand the confusion about what this story is about. The first-person point of view can be a bit uncomfortable to deal with at first – there is a confessional component that may feel too honest or crass as we are getting to know William, being privy to his thoughts and experiencing the world as he experiences it. We’re getting insight into a character whose existence seems like a series of strange, shallow encounters, overshadowed or driven perhaps by depression, addiction or dysfunction. The dialogue introduces the only other point of view, Koko’s, who interacts with and experiences William.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting element to this story of course is that it is written by a woman. I’m sure there is much to deconstruct here in terms of gender dynamics because of this fact (is the author using overt sexuality as a defining feature of maleness, or coy standoffishness a female characteristic?) but I am interested in who the author had in mind when writing from William’s point of view. What could she be exploring? One thought that comes to mind is the possibility that Koko is a crude representation of the author, while William’s character is representative of someone whose inner life she maybe wanted to understand better as a conceptual exercise.