Donkey Gets Greedy, Donkey Gets Punched by Steve Almond, 2009
The magic trick:
A conflict that plays out over a poker hand
I’ve gotten to know Steve Almond for his work highlighting craft. So it’s cool to learn that he’s not just good at telling other people what to do; he’s quite talented writer in his own right.
This story builds to quite a punch – to quote its title. And that’s fun. I am never grumpy about a story that has a plot and builds to, if not a twist ending, a conclusion that is specific. This story doesn’t just fade into the ether at the end.
It’s a story about poker. And oddly, given my previous sentence juxtaposing Almond’s ability as a writer and not us a teacher, it’s a story that uses poker to question someone’s ability to live out their wisdom and not just condescendingly disperse it. Interesting.
Anyway, poker lends itself to a lot of metaphors. It’s a brilliant device to build a story around because you instantly get competition, gambling, insecurity, overconfidence, and of course math. There’s a lot to draw on for plot and characterization.
And that’s quite a trick on Almond’s part.
The selection:
Oss didn’t say anything for a long time. He thought, oddly, of his own father, the way he fingered each coin from his palm onto the counter when making a purchase. Pop was a child of the Depression. He had tasted poverty. And still, Oss found his elaborate caution around money shameful.
“I can see why you might be angry at him,” Oss said.
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