The Disappeared Man by E.S Strout

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Megawatts
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Re: The Disappeared Man by E.S Strout

Post by Megawatts »

Reminded me of an old story from the Twilight Zone.<br><br>It could happen<br>
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Robert_Moriyama
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Re: The Disappeared Man by E.S Strout

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

The medical details gave it an air of authenticity, which is always better than bluffing your way through a subject you don't really know.
Excuse my ignorance, but is Medicare an exisiting organisation in America, like the NHS in the UK?  I wasn't quite sure, so although I agree with the above comments I lost some of the suspense due to my own uncertainty.

Gareth
<br><br>Being Canajan, eh? means I'm foggy on the details. However, my impression is that U.S. Medicare provides some limited coverage mainly for senior citizens of limited means. (Or am I thinking of Medicaid?) It isn't as comprehensive as the NHS (or the Canadian health care system) in terms of whom it serves, but it is a government-administered service.<br><br>Amurricans, kindly enlighten us heathen furriners!<br><br>Robert M.
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Robert_Moriyama
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Re: The Disappeared Man by E.S Strout

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

...The only reservations I had were when the viewpoint switched away from the main character. I felt it broke the involvement I had in the story, and in the protagonist's plight.

Specifically: how would he have known what was in the syringes?

And, at the end, perhaps he could have heard - or imagined - the dialgue between the project director and the doctor as he slipped away, to save breaking character. And then he begins to wonder if this is going on all over the country...

Sticking with the main character's POV would make this a much stronger story IMHO. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it, as I said, and I look forward to reading another story by ES Strout.

GLP
<br><br>Alas, it ain't easy to provide information (needed to bring home the truth of what happened to the protagonist or his friend) when the main POV character would have no way of knowing the info to be revealed. In Gino's defense, I guess we should allow a viewpoint change once the protagonist is dead, or as good as!<br><br>(I didn't have that excuse in the Al Majius story where I showed Morgenstern in his lair (or whatever a would-be gods calls his bachelor pad), vowing vengeance on Our Hero ...)<br><br>Robert M.
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Robert_Moriyama
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Re: The Disappeared Man by E.S Strout

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

My wife says the title isn't good English. I referred her to Joseph Heller's novel "Catch-22" in which Yossarian's friend Dunbar was "disappeared" and was never seen again. Yossarian commented "They disappeared him? That's not even good English."

Thanks again to all who commented on the story.

Gino
<br><br>I don't recall reading that line, although I think I did read 'Catch-22' many years ago.<br><br>The term 'the disappeared ones' was commonly used for people whom the government in a South or Central American country removed (probably permanently) for having the wrong opinions (in Spanish, 'los desparecidos', I think).  <br><br>Can anyone tell me which country or countries that was?  Anyone?  Bueller?  Bueller?*<br><br>Robert M.<br><br>(*Looks like Guatemala and Argentina in particular have 'disappeared' people, but the term is being applied to African and other locales as well.)
Last edited by Robert_Moriyama on May 26, 2006, 03:12:26 PM, edited 1 time in total.
You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.

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