Student Question
What is the theme in Diane Cook's short story "Bounty"?
Quick answer:
There are two prevalent themes in the short story "Bounty" by Diane Cook. One is the end of the world, as depicted by a world that has become a flooded wasteland. The other is control, which the narrator attempts to maintain over every aspect of her life.
I would argue that there are two themes in this great short story. One is the end of the world, and the second is control.
The world is described as a flooded wasteland in which only those with houses on high ground still have shelter. Those with these homes are being bombarded by pleas for help and people forcibly taking refuge in these homes. It is clear from the way our protagonist speaks that the end of the world is nigh and that she is simply planning to use her food stores and the sanctity of her home to see her through to the inevitable end.
Our nameless protagonist is the owner of one such home, and she has managed to keep everybody out. She is openly disdainful of those less fortunate than herself, and she looks with pity and scorn upon her neighbor, who has made his home a...
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refuge for many, at the cost of his own privacy and the hygiene of his home. She has kept control of her home and kept the desperate out—until Gary arrives.
She decides to allow Gary to live in her home, on the proviso that he signs a contract, which continues the theme of the quest for control. However, she becomes emotionally dependent on Gary, and his sudden departure to the neighbors leaves her feeling totally out of control.
What are five possible themes in "Bounty" by Diane Cook?
Diane Cook's 2014 short story can be viewed through different literary lenses to determine its themes.
The post-apocalyptic setting can suggest the naturalistic view that nature will always exert dominance over humankind. The epic flood that has killed countless people and continues to manufacture misery for survivors demonstrates humanity's vulnerability in the face of nature's indifference.
A Marxist reading of the text would focus on the socioeconomic class struggle that has become a matter of life and death after the deluge. The story's well-to-do narrator does not offer noblesse oblige to the masses who come to his door. He only admits Gary because he sees a similarity to himself in him; he does not present himself as needy, only in need of a drink, which amuses the narrator.
A psychological reading of "Bounty" could more deeply explore the similarities between Gary and the narrator. Both seem to be men of an upper class. Gary could be read as a projection of the the narrator's imagination that arises from his loneliness and isolation. He conjures an amusing companion for himself that is comfortable and familiar with his own way of living.
A gender studies/queer theory reading of the story might focus on the fact that the narrator reaches across the bed and finds Gary gone one morning near the story's end. Gary has met with the man next door; this neighbor has not turned away the needy, and Gary moves in as well, perhaps finding in him something more attractive than the narrator.
Because the story was written nearly a decade after Hurricane Katrina, the new historicism lens might offer a useful tool of analysis to help determine theme. Because of the varying responses to this American tragedy, Cook could be seen to criticize a government that is conspicuously absent in the wake of the flooding while observing that everyday people's responses to the needs of victims was very telling about the makeup of contemporary society.
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