"Consequence" Workshop

The story deals with metaphysical themes in regards to God, the construction of the universe, and time and place. Additionally, two separate stories about the main character, Alexandra, seem to be told at once. One story introduces Theodore, a rather disturbed man who is on a quest to kill God. This mission, for unclear reasons, leads him to break into Alexandra’s house and strap himself in a harness attached to the ceiling. He convinces her of the worthiness of his goal, and it seems as though she makes him help her rake her yard. They find a nest of bugs and have a conversation about killing it. The other story seems to take place after Alexandra has succeeded in slipping through the cracks of reality to find God. Here, time and place cease to exist, and she comes to understand how one moment affects trillions of others to create the universe.

            I think the story is attempting to wrestle with large philosophical concepts, which is a bold choice for a short story. I also see how your overall structure of the story attempts to emulate the absence of linear time by interweaving the two different narratives together. While I like this idea, I found it made the story very difficult to read. Some of this difficulty might be cleaned up if the narrative with Theodore is given some order. For instance, I didn’t know that Theodore broke into her house until the bottom of page three. At first, I thought they were friends, as he’s helping her clean her yard when he’s introduced. I would also like to know some more about Theodore, such as his age and physical attributes. As for the second narrative, I am uncertain who the Observer is. It seems to be God, yet the line “The Observer did not know if there was a God—it had never encountered one, anyways—but it conceded the possibility” contradicts this reading, unless the Observer is actually a malignant deity playing a trick on Alexandra.

            Lastly, I feel as though the question of killing God is never addressed. At the end, Alexandra seems within reach of God, but killing him never enters her mind. Instead, the story ends with a vague description of the universe’s most intimate workings. Has she changed her mind about killing him? Has she forgotten hers and Theodore’s goal? I think answering this question would provide the change that isn’t quite reached at the end.