George Saunder’s short story “Sea Oak” threw me for quite the loop, to say the least. Upon finishing the story, I was hit with sadness. I began thinking about all of my older family members that had died and inserting them into this story. How did this very strange, morbid story do this very strange, morbid thing to me?
There are quite a few things that Saunders does well in this story that make it so jarring. First, he perfected all these characters in such a limited amount of space. Min and Jade are selfish, crude, and all kinds of other words, but most importantly they are ignorant. Saunders shows us that it isn’t their educational ignorance that makes them so awful, but their emotional and situational ignorance. Then there’s our narrator, who seems caught in this cycle with his family that he has clearly tried to escape from, but has ultimately failed to free himself from. And, last but not least, Bernie-the loving aunt who comes back from the dead to bring some much needed havoc in this family’s life. It’s interesting to think of how we come to see her as this maternal figure for the smallest moment before we get dead Bernie, who leaves the strongest impression upon us as readers. The characters built in “Sea Oak” strengthen the sense of hopelessness that this story brings because, ultimately, they're all pretty hopeless.
Another successful element of this story is the tension. Saunders gives us this bleak setting of Sea Oak, Wherever, where the residents and workers seem to be doing about as well as the place looks. The tension is heightened further by the plot that unfolds rapidly, giving us little time to comprehend what is going on. Part of what drives the plot forward so quickly is our limited view from the perspective of the narrator. As readers, we’re as surprised and flustered as he is because his view is all we know of this situation. Between these things, the bickering sisters, and the disturbing image of dead Bernie (not to mention the things she says) are unsettling, to say the least.
I feel as though this story deserves a stronger analysis, considering how complex it is. However, this is just me making sense of some immediate thoughts after finishing “Sea Oak.” And I'm still lost.
Now that I have read your take on the characters, I understand. I ultimately didn't feel for the characters, much less like them, but you're description of them makes them more realistic and necessary for the story!
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