"Communist" Critique

One of the things that struck me most about this story is the ambiguity it contains. There are a number of lines, particularly at the end, that I found confusing and inexplicable. For instance, when Glen offers Les the handgun and Les refuses to shoot him, Les states, “Only at that moment he looked scared to me, and I had never seen a grown man scared before—though I have seen one since—and I felt sorry for him, as though he was already a dead man.” I have been wondering constantly at the phrase “though I have seen one since.” The detail is obviously important, as it is set off by dashes, yet I cannot identify whom it refers too. Glen is the only grown man in the story, which makes me think that he and Les meet up again sometime later, yet there is no indication that this happens. If this man is not Glen, then who is he and why does it matter?

            Additionally, the last scene between Les and his mother, Aileen, carries a dark, uncertain air. Both at the beginning and end of the scene, Les reflects back on the events of the day from the standpoint of a forty-one-year-old. This brings a sense of removal from the events as though he is unwilling to completely immerse himself in the memories, suggesting that something bad may have happened. His narration also seeks to justify his mother. “My mother had tried to see the good side of things, tried to be hopeful in the situation she was handed, tried to look out for us both, and it hadn’t worked.” These words introduce a dark tone that surrounds Aileen, which is emphasized again when she says, “I don’t feel part of things tonight” and begins wishing to go to the Straits of Juan de Fuca, the border between the US and Canada. This gives a sense of disconnect, showing that Aileen is out-of-balance. It is clear that she is going through a mid-life crisis when she asks Les, “Do you think I’m still very feminine?” Les finds this a difficult question to answer, though he eventually says “yes.” At first nothing seems odd about the exchange, but then Les mentions that he “thinks about that time without regret.” However, the mention of regret suggests that he had something to regret, yet it is unclear what this is. His final words are “I have not heard her voice now in a long, long time,” which shows that a separation occurs between them. The story ends before this separation is explained, and the reader is left to wonder if Les simply leaves the home, as he states, “In a year I was gone to hard-rock mining and no-paycheck jobs and not to college.” Another interpretation could be that Aileen withdraws from the world, hinted at by the lines, “the cold that would be on us the next day,” and the story’s final words. However, I do not feel that the story has much of and ending, nor does it adequately suggest what happens to the characters after the story’s events.