“The Perfect Lawn”
The title of this story is symbolic reference to the character of Madeline. The symbolism is profoundly ironic. The lawn of the home in which Madeline is, in the opinion of Kevin, a travesty. He should know; lawns are what his father does for a living. He should also know that his high opinion of Madeline, a high school cheerleader he worships, is undeserved because she is every bit as imperfect as the lawn, yet he can’t seem to see that.
Debra’s Perfect Breasts
The title character of “The Sudden Physical Development of Debra Dupuis” is exceptionally proud of her newly developed breasts. As well she might be since she is the first in her seventh-grade glass to be so quickly and perfectly endowed. Her obsession with her own breasts mirrors that of Kevin’s obsession with Madeline and the series off incidents both real and imagined serve to situate those breasts as symbols of American obsession with that particular female body part in nearly all its context and scope.
Jekyll and Hyde
“Gorilla Girl” is a first-person account of genderfluidity that has nothing to do with genderbending. The narrator is a woman through and through, but she constantly makes reference to an awareness of duality. She is aggressive yet beautiful, feminine yet dominating. One night she happens across an airing of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and find an instant kinship something inside her that still yet remains a mystery unsolved.
The Tiger and the Lady
Big Joanie is the last person inside the big circus tent to realize that a tiger is not where it should be, but is instead right behind her, capable of pouncing upon her and tearing her to shreds before she knows what happened. The tamer, his assistant and the assistant’s assistant are all one voice telling her not to move, telling her not to turn and look, telling her what to do. It is a recreation in symbol of a flashback to when she was gang raped by a group of men whose identity she could never know. She turns and looks into the eyes of that which would be the last creature to use her.
The Most Beautiful Woman in the Bar
The title character of “The Smallest Man in the World” is quite obviously a freak of nature. In the sense that being the superlative example of anything is freakish. The point of the story is this; superlative accomplishments—even if they are not really accomplishments, but just genetics doing their job—are all freakish. The most beautiful woman in the bar is a freak as well simply by virtue of being the most. She is a symbol of all the freaks who are never considered freaks, but perhaps realize it themselves. (Perhaps even Debra already fits into this group.)
