PLEASE RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING POST OF ANOTHER CLASSMATE IN 50 WORDS OR MORE:
1. Alison displays both childlike innocence and growing maturity in “Victory Lap.” Throughout the story, she demonstrates her naivety and childlike mindset through quotes such as, “Don’t you understand, all people deserve respect? Each of us is a rainbow.” However, Alison’s internal conflicts and the challenges she faces reveal a deeper, more mature perspective. Her maturity can be seen in many statements, such as, “There was so much she didn’t know! Like how to change the oil.”, which illustrates her thinking about the challenges and difficulties she may face in the future. The author may be highlighting the way Alison has been raised by suggesting that while she holds these childlike ideals, she is slowly confronting the harsh realities of the adult world.
2. Kyle’s sections inform the readers about his psychology to reveal his conflicted and troubled characteristics. Throughout the story, he is illustrated as an introverted and socially awkward kid with a tendency to create dark thoughts. Kyles’s internal dialogue is another major part of his life, as he uses it to make decisions or think of imaginary circumstances. The author may have introduced these characteristics to reveal Kyle’s upbringing, which may have included a lack of proper emotional guidance or a challenging family environment.
3. The kidnapper was initially portrayed as an average Russian man who was just another meter reader. Kyle illustrates that the Rooskie was “wearing a jean jacket over a hoodie” which “was not unusual church wear for the Rooskies.” However, as the story progresses, Kyle understands that the Russian is not a meter reader when the man grabs Alison by her wrist and threatens her with death. The author continues to vividly describe the scene, where Alison is throwing herself to the ground while the man continues to drag her away. Due to the strong initial impact from the geode onto the man’s head, the reader is led to believe that the Rooskie is completely irredeemable, especially if Kyle throws the geode again.
4. The story could have ended in the Rooskie’s intended way, which was to kidnap Alison. The story would have continued with the man driving to a cornfield in Sackett, and lead to an unfortunate series of events for Alison. The author ending the story the way he did allowed readers to fill the gap he created with their imagination. The reader can decide whether they believe that Kyle killed the kidnapper, or stopped himself.
5. The significance of “Victory Lap” is to describe a victorious outcome to the situation in the story by using the runner’s language. Since the story ended with Alison being saved, and Kyle was in cross-country, the title, “Victory Lap” was well suited for the short story.
6. Do you believe Kyle stuck down the Rooskie again or chose to leave him in agony?