The Writer As Explorer

The male gaze/voice

The main character Lolo in “On Little Terry Road” is a prime example of the conversations we’ve had in class around the male voice/gaze but also cliches/troupes. The story is written in 3rd person so we see how whoever is in proximity to Lolo sees his view of Ferriday in a lustful manner which is such a stark difference from what he does for her which feels like an act of love but ultimately it feels more like an obsession and this need to catch and possess her. This is a recurring theme in the damsel in destress troupe we see more often than not. And that is the plot this storyline follows where Lolo feels that only he can save Ferriday. The male voice in this places such an emphasis on the aspects of Ferriday that add to her sensuality as a character. This is so interesting if you think about how works about men who struggle with addiction are viewed in stories while not saying there aren’t any books out there that sexualize men but there definitely aren’t many that depict them as needing someone else to save them typically they’ll save themselves.

The Writing and Interesting choices

The writing itself is so well written in a way that you can truly keep up with the pacing, plot, storyline, and characterization. The writer’s choice to write in 3rd person fits so well with the story they’re trying to tell. The story’s level of realism felt like it had in-depth research. But it also intrigued me enough to do more research and it seems the Ferriday character was based around the writer’s wife which adds another level of depth and connection to the story. What I also found interesting was the writing choice on page 123 in the last paragraph where the writer puts some kind of critical knowledge in parentheses. I really want to know what that added to the story or why that specific choice.