Monday, April 2, 2012

Response to Whatever Gods May Be


This story is about a high school teacher and coach who decides to become a preacher. The new position meant that he would be paid less but he believed in his faith and decided the pious life would be a better choice for him. After a few weeks as a preacher he soon found that he was going to be a father. This new discovery caused him to utilize the bible as a parenting guide but what he found caused him to question his faith. After more searching he decided he could not believe in his religion any longer.
                I really enjoyed the narration of this story. It had a great balance of setting description and it shed enough light on the characters thoughts. It was written so well that parts that could have been very boring or dull ended up being easy to read and very coherent.
                The story was written in third person. I think it would have been interesting to see it in first person from the point of view of Thomas but the third person narration was done very well and I think it works just fine.
                The characters in the story were very well developed. I think the wife could have been a little more cultivated but even she was pretty well developed.
                The pacing of the story was at points pretty dull, at least in subject matter. The story itself is an interesting concept, a man who loses his faith. However, the events that took place and the speed in which they happened made it somewhat dull. The story was so well written though that it made up for its moments of dullness.
                The imagery in the story was well created and displayed. The description of people and setting really drew me into what was happening.
                The dialogue is organic, real and also not over used. It made the story have an almost detached feel but in a way that was fitting for the profound religious quandary the main character faced.
                The setting was small town America and it came across as intimate at first then isolating as the character began to question himself and that added a lot to the story.

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