Stolpestad by William Lychack Analysis
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Stolpestad
By William Lychack
“as if youve seen or imagined or been through all of this before, or will be through it all again, over and over” (
Therere a lot of different ways to interpret this short story. But I find the main theme as stagnation, not getting any further with your life, doing the same things every day over and over again. The weather and the sun symbolize this stagnation, which were told about in the very beginning: “sun never burning through the clouds, clouds never breaking into rain…” (Page 1, line 2-3).
The very road our main character is driving along everyday is a part of the neighbourhood he lived in during his childhood. This means that Stolpestad hasnt broken out of the well-known and secure surroundings that hes lived in his whole life. Of cause this doesnt has to be understood as a negative choice of life – but the main character describes the path his driving through with very little enthusiasm: “The coffee shops, the liquor stores, laundromats, police, fire, gas stations to pass – this is your life, Stolpestad” (
Just as this any given Saturday shift is about to end he is called to end the life of a young buys suffering dog. I believe helping the boy is an opportunity to make a difference to his life. This dog can symbolize the neighbourhood that Stolpestad is stuck in – and killing the dog will break the shackles that keeps him tied to this place. Although hes not delighted about the idea he shoots the dog and metaphorical becomes unstuck – or so he believes.
As he goes to the usual bar and tells his acquaintances about his accomplishments before he tells his wife might symbolize that hes not satisfied with his marriage and marriage itself could be interpret as being stuck or held down as