Captivating Thoughts

George Saunders’ collection of short stories in Tenth of December not only enchants readers but also allows them to experience something new and exciting. He is able to captivate readers by letting us venture into the minds of different characters and share experiences from their point of view. In “Victory Lap”, Saunders shares the thoughts of three different characters, and in turn, lets us see the same situation from three different minds. Because we are able to follow the characters’ stream of consciousness, we are able to have a deeper and more personal understanding of who they are.

For example, we discover that fourteen year-old Alison is quite naïve (but in many ways sympathetic) with phrases such as, “Don’t you understand, all people deserve respect? Each of us is a rainbow.” (Saunders, 9). The reader also gets to see into the mind of Kyle, a boy who is under the strict rule of his parents. We have the privilege of being able to understand not only how Kyle feels about his parent’s rules, but also his thoughts about breaking them. “He was already at the TV. And had left an incriminating trail of microclods…could the microclods be hand-plucked? Although, problem: if he went back to hand-pluck the microclods, he’d leave an incriminating new trail of microclods. He took off his shoes and stood mentally rehearsing a little show he liked to call WHAT IF…RIGHT NOW? WHAT IF they came home RIGHT NOW?” (Saunders, 11).

This style of fragmented and question-filled writing allows us to have a greater insight as to who Alison and Kyle really are. For this reason, Saunders is able to create a form of enchantment that would be difficult to reach had he just described the situation that the characters were placed in.