“Dick”
Antonya Nelson
1—What is Ann Ponders’s conscious desire? That is, what is her apparent desire that drives the story?
What does she want?
2—On the flip-side, what is her unconscious desire? That is, what is her fear? What deep truth does she
resist (and, ultimately, face)? What evidence do you see of this unconscious desire—or, fear, or
unconscious awareness of this Truth? [Consider: the plot seems to wander, even randomly; perhaps
consider how these “random” plot elements reflect some aspect of her unconscious desire/fear/that looming
Truth…]
3—(A) What are potential clichés in this story? On a similar note, what aspects run the risk of being
sentimental in the word’s negative sense—that is, what aspects seem almost (intentionally?) sappy, or
seemingly contrived to elicit some (false?) emotion from the reader? (B) How does Nelson avoid cliché
after all, and avoid “sentimentality”? For example, what concrete, authentic details help to offset,
neutralize, or round out those aspects you see as otherwise cliché, or sentimental?