Kadohatas The Story Devils: An Overview :: essays research papers

Kadohatas The Story Devils An OverviewThe Story Devils, by Cynthia Kadohata is a look into the life of a younggirl looking to protect her family in any way possible. The story is based on areal life experience of the creator and shows how we can, at times, let the devilin ourselves come out and play. The author, now living in Los Angeles, writesthis as almost a warning just the ratifier gets the feeling that she would do whatshe did again, in a second.The story takes place after World War II in the townspeople of Chesterville,Arkansas. It was a small town with small town problems, and had a Japanesecommunity living within it. The story was written in 1989 and reflect theuncertainties of the post World War II period. Within the small community therelived a woman that had been through a recent divorce, and was raising threechildren, Kate, the author, and her brother Sean. Because the mother is havinga problem making ends meet, she begins to go to church and meets the antagonist,Mr . Mason.The story is told by the author in the body and mind of an eight yearold. It is a first-person narration and she is playing the plane section of theprotagonist. The point of view remains constant throughout the story, whichgives you only the viewpoint of the author to get facts from. Although this maybe a possibly unreliable perspective, callable to selective memory, the story is toldin a straightforward manner suggesting truth and honesty.During the story the author realizes that Mr. Mason is a dotty man.This is learned through several(prenominal) instances, such as when he forced the motherinto a crying fit in her bedroom in the beginning of the story. He was alsoviolent when he threw a rock at a young boy that had wandered over to the yardto play. These incidents forced the author to do something that she did notrelish, but deemed demand in order to save her family from this man sinceshe new her mother was planning on marrying him. She lied to her mother andtold her t hat Mr. Mason had hit her. At first it wasnt believed, but when herquiet sister Kate backed up her story, the mother sought to separate herselffrom this man. The family moved to Chicago and the author never saw Mr. Masonagain.As was express before, the story was believable because of the authorsalmost relenting of a story that she had kept inside for a long time.