The Heart of the Artichoke (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Herbert Gold
- First Published: 1951
- Type of Plot: Domestic realism
- Time of Work: Probably the mid-1930's
- Setting: Unspecified, but apparently the Northeastern United States
- Principal Characters: Daniel Berman, Jake (Jack), Rose, Pattie Donahue
- Genres: Short fiction, Domestic realism
- Subjects: Memory, Parents and children, Adolescence, Class consciousness, 1930’s, Fathers, Fantasy, Food, Work or workers, Grocery trade
- Locales: Northeast (U.S.)
The Story
Now an adult, the narrator remembers conflicts he had with his parents, mainly his father, when he was twelve years old. The story begins with three quick vignettes of his father: striking a kitchen match with one hand to light his cigar; talking about his first job in America, selling water to men building skyscrapers; and peeling an artichoke “with both hands simultaneously . . . until with a groan that was the trumpet of all satisfaction he attained the heart.” Interspersed with general anecdotes about his family, most of which involve food, the narrator...
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