➔The writing of the piece is such that it intends to follow no rule of established literature formatting. For example, there is no use of inverted commas for direct speech, no indication where the scene ends & the next scene begins. This sometimes makes it difficult to understand at first glance whether it is the narrator speaking or the character.
➔The writing seems abrupt & impromptu subtly appealing in an informal tone (contemporary) to the readers.
➔The thoughts of characters have been given much weight. For example, Alison’s thought about the baby deer or Kyle’s imagination of his Dad’s comments as he returned home. In some cases, these thoughts are vague (Allice) whereas in certain cases (Kyle & Meter reader) it is the result of an abusive environment (Parenting).
➔The piece gets its title because of the lap taken by each of the characters. Kyle where he overcomes his dilemma & showed courage when required. Allice takes a lap from her teen thoughts to a harsh reality. Meter reader laps in a deluded path. It is up to the readers to decide which lap is a Victory Lap.
➔The author was successful in narrating the incident while keeping the readers engaged. The use of different examples & lazy writing contributes to it.
➔It is interesting to note how the light tone of the piece gradually becomes serious & readers can feel the gravity of the situation. (I was hooked!)
➔The best part of the entire piece is the originality by which it’s written, that is to say, an honest portrayal of the character’s thoughts without any fictitious coating. The piece felt like the narration of a real incident.
➔The story hits the reader psychologically. It leaves an impact on the reader’s mind. The characters undergo sharp changes that are striking to the readers. The background from which these characters come subtly exposes society.
Comments
Alison - One of the protagonists of the story. As the story starts with her, she feels no more than a cliché character. A young teen who feels like a Cinderella (the part when prince(s) should line up to make her the queen of some distant land) of her world. Why distant land? Because she detests the local boys. She is mostly occupied by her Queenly thought which is also evident with the deer example. She feels that the hunter would be instantly captivated by her beauty & will change for good. She also feels like a Queen who is a savior to her subjects, in this case, the deer.
“What she liked was being in charge of her. Her body, her mind. Her thoughts, her career, her future.” - This line is in total contrast with Allison’s character. This also presents the deluded thought young people have which is far away from how they are in reality. This is something the author hopes she was like!
The author seems to be taking a dig at Alison & the “special” women. He feels Alison doesn’t belong in the special category as she doesn’t know some obvious chores. Does the knowledge of such basic facts make a woman “special”?
The usage of ballet lines depicts that Allison moves about in her house doing ballet!
Later as the story progresses she is faced with a terrible incident. The nightmares are the result of the assault.
The incident challenges her believes. A local boy, Kyle, came to her rescue. Also, not everyone is a “rainbow” or even if they are but not with the brightest color of a typical rainbow.
In the nightmares she sees Kyle dissolving the guy’s head. But in reality, it didn’t happen. Even so most of the time she would be frightened about that happening. “Down came the rock Put down the rock” These two statements are almost the same (word wise & meaning wise) still portraying different pictures, credits to the author!
Ms. Callow - A lady who is loved by all & loves all. This fact has been established by echolalia of examples. But if that’s the case why would she “castigate”(Google says, it is castigated & not castRigated) Alison “again”?
Mrs. Dees - An ethics teacher, wife to an unethical man. Still carries on with her life because of her strong ethics & considers life to be fun. A truism character sketch.
Kyle Boot - Kid to a dictator (calls his son scout) father & a “beloved” mother. Someone who would diligently obey his parents’ rules & whatnot without reasoning. He feels he has no right to question or present his views. This results in his mental “swearing” something his parents would never know & of course would never expect from their child.
His parents (mostly his Dad) are like ghosts in his thoughts criticizing each step he takes. They are also poor decision-makers, this is justified by their views on the Bev Mirren incident. This makes it difficult for Kyle as well to make quick decisions, as he dwells with his thought at the time of action.
This also reflects how parenting is so crucial in shaping a person. (There are many more instances to support the above statement.)
But eventually, when he does take action, we can see an aggressive Kyle who is confident with his actions. He ignores the voices in his head & follows his “directive”.
Meter reader - A deluded person who has falsified his thoughts & presumes that whatever he’s doing is OK. He also feels that his act of assaulting somehow makes him more himself. He thinks & firmly believes that he is no less than a king, & his act is kingly (It’s justified twice, once when he gave the king’s example marrying anybody they put a finger upon & the next time when he searches for his knife to die a nobility death).
Now, this is interesting, the protagonist hoodwinks herself to be a queen & the antagonist to a king (Challenging the dogma!).
He is subject to abusive parenting (Fathering). It feels as if he did all this to prove to his parents (father i.e. Melvin) that he was no less.
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