“Game”

Mr. Dent

Donald Barthelme 1931-1989 Postmodernist who is regarded as one of the most versatile American stylists

Felt modern language no longer effectively communicated feelings

Made art out of language; played with words and fragments

Donald Barthelme cont’d.

Plots are unconventional—episodic, absurd, slapstick; characters are types rather than developed individuals

Born in Philadelphia; raised and educated in Texas

Reporter; museum director; editor; professor; teacher

Journal Entry

Discuss an extremely difficult decision that you have faced in your life. What was your behavior leading up to the decision? How did the stress feel? What did you decide? And, how did you feel once you went through with it?

Prior Knowledge The two-man rule is a

control mechanism designed to achieve a high level of security for especially critical material or operations. Under this rule all access and actions requires the presence of two authorized people at all times.

Prior Knowledge cont’d.Jacks is a playground game.

Oversight: an unintentional failure.Overture: a proposalStolid: showing little emotion

Narrator

first person point of viewanonymousrepeats phrasesreveals crazy thoughts and

motives

Characters

Narrator—he is going crazy; works in a nuclear weapon control center

Shotwell—coworker; doesn’t like to share

Multiple Choice QuestionWhich of the following is NOT

evidence that suggests that Shotwell and the narrator are crazy?– A. repetition of words and phrases– B. narrator’s obsession with jacks– C. both men’s paranoia about the

weapon– D. the narrator’s random outbursts

about Shotwell

Short Answer QuestionsWhat phrases are often repeated

by the narrator? How does this contribute to his characterization?

How does the title “Game” have both literal and figurative meanings?

EXPOSITION– Shotwell is playing jacks and the

narrator wants to play with him. COMPLICATION

– Two mean have been in the control center for 133 days without any relief

RISING ACTION– Shotwell has a .25 caliber Beretta gun

strapped to his leg and the narrator has a .38 gun concealed in his case. They could kill each other at any time.

Plot

Plot cont’d.

CLIMAX– Anti-climactic: Like many post-modern

stories, “Game” doesn’t have a climax. The tension continues to build but there is no turning point to show that Shotwell and the narrator could never be relieved.

RESOLUTION– In a twist, Shotwell and the narrator take

turns cradling and rocking each to sleep. The narrator is considering turning his key, which would launch a nuclear missile, just so he can play jacks with Shotwell.

Conflict

Man vs. Man– Shotwell won’t play jacks with the

narrator– Both men assume the other will kill him

if he takes his eye off him Man vs. Himself

– Both men are driving themselves insane– The narrator writes descriptions on the

wall with an engagement ring– The narrator is tempted to turn his key

that will launch a nuclear weapon

Themes

Too much isolation and pressure can cause a man to go crazy.

Something is wrong with society when two crazy men are responsible for the fate of the world = weapons are too powerful and can’t be trusted in the hands of people.

Symbols

Shotwell’s jacks – narrator’s desire to interact with Shotwell; man’s desire for companionship

Narrator’s descriptions – narrator writes extremely long descriptions of objects with a diamond, engagement ring; represent his attempt to stay sane and connected to the outside world

IronySITUATIONAL IRONY

– country can have control over any other country because of weapon but can’t control two men who turn the keys

– Men cuddle and rock each otherVERBAL IRONY

– “The bird flies” is actually launching a weapon of mass destruction; euphemism so as to not have to face the reality of this horrible weapon

Answers#1: D, the narrator never lashes

out at Shotwell. He keeps his frustration hidden.

#2: “Owing to an oversight”; “I am not well”; “Shotwell is not himself” / The narrator sounds like a madman. It shows he is slowly going crazy.

Answers cont’d.#3: Game refers to the game of

jacks that Shotwell plays. It could refer to the mind games that the men are playing with each other. Figuratively, it could be ironic that a nuclear holocaust could be started by two isolated, crazy men. Really, it’s not a game at all but the two men think it is.