We meet the narrator, an aspiring writer working his way towards his master, a bit too old for a student. We discover he was apparently in the war which he romanticizes too much. He tells us the narrator and story tellerr is examining tragic flaws of human nature and asks in essence "What is your part? In how we treat each other, if we are willing to look at it at all. He speaks of larger than life characters; then introduces us to less than large self-indulgent women. "I was only 20" Carolina repeats over and over as she excuses her selfishness, that she let's everyone blame on her indulgent father. She is decidedly not larger than life. The narrator is just smitten. She is the step-daugther of Jeannie. Jennie, who wishes she was larger than life because being "Just a waitress" is not good enough for her! Both women are selfish and willing to put others at risk and even in physical danger. Although they "act" like they are the victims of tragic flaws. Poor Jennie professes tragic guilt for an affair that may have been the reason the father of her son, the local pyromaniac killed himself. While she talks of doing it again, it does not stop her from another affair with our young, writer. The males are the "victims" and the women the "firestarters" if you will; that burn increasingly hotter and more dangerous for others. They are tragically flawed and create tragedy due to the extreme lack of insight and selfishness with which they lives their lives. . The flames; of the pyro-son become higher, hotter and more dangerous as we move along the move, that feels much like a play as jennie "acts" out her life. Her intensity and utter self-absorption imposed upon us and her son. She is hypotonic to watch, but it does burn all she touches. Jennie is not trapped by her husband now anymore than the last one. Jennie play "acts" her life away. Terminally unhappy with her average husband, who says she is as beautiful as the day they met. His simple, loyal and shows true admiration and love for Jennie and she is totally uninterested and unappreciative. She almost resents his love because she is far too in love with herself to let anyone truly get close. In the end it becomes clear that this is Jennie's stage. She is the drama queen and there is no room for another one. She engulfs and burns everyone around her. She is the tragic flaw in the lives of the men, her son and the even the younger version of herself, Carolina not the other way around...Her husband tells her she is being a little crazy, a little but can't put his finger on it and it occurs to me that Jennie is a self-absorbed narcissist .. NICELY DONE!
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