My hometown of Freeman is known for the famous German festival named Schmeckfest which has anything from German foods to a musical play. Sauerkraut is a main dish in the festival's huge dinner. The first time I tried it, I'll be honest: it was disgusting. Now, after eating it a couple more times, I learned to like. Funny reason, but that's why I chose to read Stuart Dybek's story "Sauerkraut Soup."
The story reminded me of so many other stories I read with common themes such as drinking, working, and so on. But I kind of liked this story mainly because it made me laugh. While the other stories I read in Ford's book touched on reality and just a 'here's-my-life-deal-with-it kind of attitude, this story in particular was humorous and different.
Harry is my favorite character and so happened to be a psychology major in the story. I didn't pay close attention to this until sort of the end when he appeared with Frank in Frank's apartment. Reading this section, I got the impression that Harry was 'mad.' Especially when he talked of hydrocephalics and his recognition of the smell of death. I'm not sure if Dybek was poking fun at psychology majors. I've often encountered people who have majored in psychology and are slightly strange. But this by no means offended me. Instead, I found it incredibly entertaining.
Not only was there a character who's major is psychology, but the main character Frank loves to read. He mentioned, "My tiny apartment was crammed with books I'd been wanting to read and wouldn't have a chance to read once school started. I'd been reading Russians all summer and wanted now to concentrate on Dostoevsky" (183). This is definitely what my room looks like. When I first read "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" I went overboard buying any book that was related to WWII and the Holocaust. That time period was fascinating to me although sadly tragic. However, the idea of this type of character enjoying to read was something unique and not often encountered.
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