My Response to David Sedaris

David Sedaris actually managed to make me laugh out loud. Was there a George Bush reference? You be the judge. "Maybe the athletes will bring peace to the nation, or the class moron will go on to become the president of the United States-though that's more likely to happen at Harvard or Yale, schools that pretty much let in anybody"( p. 29). Whether that comment was aimed at Bush or not is not really central to Sedaris' story, but what is in fact crucial to the formation of this short story is the way in which Sedaris utilizes magical realism to amplify his various themes. For example, he describes Princeton as though it were a medieval institution with alchemy, astrology, knight armor, and so forth. In a sense, I think Sedaris feels as though he has attended Princeton ages ago. He also constantly says "back then" to further solidify this feeling. In addition, I also found that Sedaris is referring to mandatory prayer when he says, "payer was compulsory back then, you couldn't just fake it by moving your lips.." (p. 26). I do believe Princeton along with other Ivy league schools were at one point solely religious institutions that discriminated against other faiths as well as non-whites.

In essence, I think this short story serves to expose familial and educational values through extreme and absurd situations. Sedaris' story can easily be related to; we have all been exposed to the anxiety and pressure that educational institutions exert on us, we have all disappointed our parents by taking different routes in life than those that were sanctioned to us, we have all payed for our mistakes, gained from our risks and grown in the process. Although it is difficult to read this story without at least fighting back a grin, it is also important to note that Sedaris' message, minus the comical twist, is not one to be taken lightly, he is very sincere indeed. Life is full of opportunities, traps, mirages, and false alarms, it is how one adapts and grows from these circumstances that defines success, or in some unfortunate cases, failure.