Writing exercise - page 41

As I started to read the first short story, Orientation, I noticed that the narration was a very strong element. The story is entirely monologue; every word printed is spoken by a single character, an employee at the office that is the focus of the story. The narrator describes the unusual and bizarre lives of the office workers to the new hire in a very offhanded manner, which is an exaggeration of typically casual inter-office gossip. The person being given the tour remains in an almost stunned silence through most of the story, speaking up only once or twice to clarify a mundane concept. The interjection is not included in the text, and the new hire keeps quiet during the odder moments, particularly when it is stated that the office is haunted by the ghost of an employee's late wife. I was reminded somewhat of Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho, in that it's left a bit ambiguous to the reader whether or not all the events that have occurred are true, or if they have just been imagined by a bored worker.

The second story, Girl, was also told nearly entirely as a speech from one person to another. This time, the speaker is a woman giving an almost uninterrupted stream of advice to a younger girl. Both stories seem to be given in an almost deadpan delivery, without any indication of tone of voice. The two stories share a theme of educating a character, but Girl is very instructional, whereas I would say Orientation is more informative.

The textbook asks that, if told in a different order, would each story still make sense, or have the same effect? The order in the first story is seemingly more important, as many of the seeming non sequiturs end up intertwined together. I believe that the second story's order is significant for a different reason; small rebukes and major advice are listed back to back to give them both equal weight.