William Gass, "In the Heart of the Heart of the Country"
1. "It's true there are moments," the narrator confesses early in this story, "when I'm all but gone, scattered I like to think like seed, for I'm the sort now in the fool's position of having love left over which I'd like to lose; what good is it now to me, candy ungiven after Halloween?" Describe the narrator's position in the town and the narrator's position in the story. What's at stake for the voice in this particular tale, and why is it so bound up in the town?
2. "I must concentrate," the narrator admits. "I must stop making up things. I must give myself to life; let it mold me: that's what they say in Wisdom's Monthly Digest every day." How is the narrator's lack of concentration evident? What things does he appear to be making up, and how do they add to his characterization?
3. Describe the progression of the subheads throughout the story. What gets repeated, and why? Note the tone of the voice within each section. Is there a pattern, and if so, what is it?