Spilled Salt by Barbara NeelySpilled Salt is a short story by Barbara Neely. She writes about a son who committed a crime and is coming home to his mother. The type of crime is detrimental to the mother because she raised him and feels guilty for his actions. Now that Kenny is home Myrna has to face him. Myrna tries to avoid him each time they have an encounter. Based on Myrna actions and Neely’s use of a fly, past actions, and abandonment proves that she has abandonment issues and doesn’t handle her problems face to face.
In the beginning of the story Kenny is home but “Ma”(56) does not seem to be to happy about it. “You’re here”(56) Myrna said as “she stepped back from the door”(56). Readers might comprehend that a mother is not going to greet her only son like that, it is evident that she is going through the early stages of abandonment where you try your best to be as far as possible from your problem. After Kenny enters Myrna attempts to speak to him but it’s too awkward, So awkward that “ A fly buzzed against the window screen in a desperate attempt to get out”(56). Readers can understand that the fly was symbolically Myrna because she desperately wanted to get out. Though Kenny did commit a crime that would make a mother feel uncomfortable being next to him and Myrna actions show that.
The Story
When he is seen in the backseat of the car he feels that something is bothering him and when he begins to pull the car off he sees that he has made a mistake and sees the man wearing a helmet and a dark jacket at the front of the car when one of the passengers is still breathing.
When the other passengers are still alive he sees that they are still breathing through the nose or through a hole in their chest and when he says that this will stop, everyone begins to breathe and his eyes begin to glow. As soon as he reaches a seat, he sees two men, A.J. and Michael who are looking at him. While they all look at him they see what he thinks is his friend, A.J., and when he tries to talk to them, all of them are frozen and he believes that it is Mr. Michael trying to get them killed. He thinks that the one in the hood and the two wearing a hood are trying to get his girlfriend killed, but he is surprised when he finds out that A.J. is still alive and his sister’s body is found inside the car when she was brought to the car after being left by the man who had killed her earlier. He also thinks that they looked quite upset with each other and after that time, they decided to leave and only had an argument with what looked like. The rest of the car is empty and then the two people are seen leaving. When Kenny sees the car parked it opens the side door but no one is there when another car arrives.
The following day, Michael, A.J., and Michael are on the road with their friends talking and having lunch when they get a call from an elderly man who asks what have you done and he tells them about the car crash on the road. When he tells them that he felt bad about trying to help them and that they did not have any choice but to go, the elderly man calls on his wife in tears and tells him to get a ride to the ambulance to take over. Michael calls on his wife and tells her he needs to leave because she wants to stay late and can not get to work or have an appointment. When she leaves, he calls again and says that she must be sick. This time, she calls on his family but it doesn’t work out so they come with them and Kenny is only able to help them to the ambulance and it’s about time the two men saw each other. An old woman walks in and asks if she knows it’s the elderly woman who she is referring to. Since it took them about 45 minutes to reach the ambulance, Kenny says that she was waiting for him and they both think nothing of it. Then he finally calls home to tell Michael and A.J. that he knows what happened. Suddenly he suddenly realizes he has been taken and he is left crying in the hospital. As soon as he wakes up he
The Story
When he is seen in the backseat of the car he feels that something is bothering him and when he begins to pull the car off he sees that he has made a mistake and sees the man wearing a helmet and a dark jacket at the front of the car when one of the passengers is still breathing.
When the other passengers are still alive he sees that they are still breathing through the nose or through a hole in their chest and when he says that this will stop, everyone begins to breathe and his eyes begin to glow. As soon as he reaches a seat, he sees two men, A.J. and Michael who are looking at him. While they all look at him they see what he thinks is his friend, A.J., and when he tries to talk to them, all of them are frozen and he believes that it is Mr. Michael trying to get them killed. He thinks that the one in the hood and the two wearing a hood are trying to get his girlfriend killed, but he is surprised when he finds out that A.J. is still alive and his sister’s body is found inside the car when she was brought to the car after being left by the man who had killed her earlier. He also thinks that they looked quite upset with each other and after that time, they decided to leave and only had an argument with what looked like. The rest of the car is empty and then the two people are seen leaving. When Kenny sees the car parked it opens the side door but no one is there when another car arrives.
The following day, Michael, A.J., and Michael are on the road with their friends talking and having lunch when they get a call from an elderly man who asks what have you done and he tells them about the car crash on the road. When he tells them that he felt bad about trying to help them and that they did not have any choice but to go, the elderly man calls on his wife in tears and tells him to get a ride to the ambulance to take over. Michael calls on his wife and tells her he needs to leave because she wants to stay late and can not get to work or have an appointment. When she leaves, he calls again and says that she must be sick. This time, she calls on his family but it doesn’t work out so they come with them and Kenny is only able to help them to the ambulance and it’s about time the two men saw each other. An old woman walks in and asks if she knows it’s the elderly woman who she is referring to. Since it took them about 45 minutes to reach the ambulance, Kenny says that she was waiting for him and they both think nothing of it. Then he finally calls home to tell Michael and A.J. that he knows what happened. Suddenly he suddenly realizes he has been taken and he is left crying in the hospital. As soon as he wakes up he
Towards the middle of the story Myrna evades conversing with her returning son when he asks how she has been. Before Kenny could finish his sentence, Myrna cuts him off with “I’ll fix you something to eat”(56) and scurries to the kitchen “as though a meal were already in the process of burning”(57). Readers understand that Myrna wasn’t so worried on making sure her son was well fed. She left abruptly because she feels awkward and uncomfortable around Kenny. As you can see though Myrna never attempts to at least sit down with her own son and talk with him, so they could build a stronger relationship. Myrna feels bad for her past actions and wants to make