Mind that Matters

In George Saunders' short story "Victory Lap," he captivates readers by bringing them into the minds of his characters. Saunders does an excellent job of enchanting his readers and making them believe his world and characters in a way that drives the readers' thoughts through his story, uninhibited. Instead of using big words or absurdly lengthy descriptions of characters and events, however, Saunders implores more ambiguous strategies.

"Victory Lap" is written in a stream-of-consciousness style that is comprised of a majority of thoughts coming directly from the characters themselves. This little window not only gives voice to the character, but manages to describe events without explicit details. During one of Alison's mental tangents, she thinks about all of the things she has yet to learn, such as, "[H]ow to change the oil. Or even check the oil. How to open the hood. How to bake brownies. That was embarrassing, actually, being a girl and all. And what was a mortgage? Did it come with the house? When you breast-fed, did you have to like push the milk out?" (Saunders 7). Alison's internal dialogue is written with short sentences, questions, and random commentary that creates a snapshot of what occurs in her mind, giving her character depth and voice without ever truly explaining who she is.

In this manner Saunders gives the reader an intimate idea about who Alison is in a clever, palatable way. Her uncensored thoughts penetrate the mind of the reader in a way that superficial description cannot.

This also gives the reader a deeper connection to the character; having seen into his or her mind, the reader becomes more emotionally invested in how the character thinks and feels. The added emotional aspect fortifies ties between the reader and the text, giving Saunders' strategy that enchanting, page-turning quality.