A Character in Your Novel

"I am enjoying the book so far. I just finished the CORINTHIANS Chapter and I had to email you to tell you how excellent that part is. As a religious man myself, I completely get it--the title of the chapter and all.

I noticed that the gamblers in your book seem to represent many levels and many types of addiction; however, the gambler you named 'U' stands out from the rest as being not so depraved. What if anything does 'U' represent or symbolize? I did not miss the fact that his name is 'U'."

Thanks for sending me the email. The CORINTHIANS chapter is special for me, too. In some ways gambling becomes a gambler's religion: the devotion, the belief system, the hope, the sacrifice. But gambling offers the gambler a false covenant and transforms him in ways that are the exact opposite of that postulated by Paul about love (charity) in that famous section in the Corinthians.

As concerns U . . . U is the successful gambling celebrity. He does everything right. He makes it seem easy, but he works hard at it. Harder than you. He too is quietly suffering from the effects of his addiction, and you choose not to notice the suffering because you want to be U. But you can never be U. You are in too deep.

Wow that was deep. What did I just say? It sounded kinda good. I have no idea what I just said. I hope it makes sense to you or to any future literary scholars interested in deconstructing the novel for their students. If a student of mine had written what I just said, I would have given him a B, okay a B+. It is a good answer. But not the only answer.

In truth, I am uncomfortable with literary questions like this. I'm just a writer. I just tell the story; you the reader have to decide for yourself what it all means. And when it comes down to who is right, me the writer or you the reader, well, of course the reader is always right.

A writer, because of her implied, but false authority, ruins the story if she establishes set explanations for things.

The story exists in your head. It is now your story. So what, it differs from mine just a little bit.

I will gladly discuss the symbolism in someone else's book, but not my own. I am the writer. I don't want to ruin what it means for you.

On the other hand, I am very interested in listening to others discuss the book, or sharing with me their opinions of things in the book. In fact, I am honored by it.

(Joyce Carol Oates once responded in like kind to a question about her famous story "WHERE ARE YOU GOING WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN." If anyone can find her well articulated response to a student who was asking her to analyze her own story and to comment on his analysis of it, please email it to me prestonthewriterallen@gmail.com so that I can link it to the blog.)

Thanks,

Preston