In answer to the Best American Short Stories Opinion Question:
My favorite short story was "Into Silence". There is a lot about this story that is left unclear: Janey's relationship with the man, why he came to their family, how Janey's mother died. I liked it though because of the historical-ness of it. There's a lot to do with society and how it looks down on people who are different. There was a lot of racism, and Janey's mother gets upset with her for visiting the black woman's home, saying that it "just doesn't look good". It also illuminates how set apart Janey is because of her deafness. There were very few people that she could actually hold a conversation with. Everyone looked at her like she was different. This story really made me want to go learn sign language. It was definitely my favorite. I didn't like many of the other stories. I don't feel like any of these sex and drug stories is really the "best" of american short stories. if they are, that's kind of sad.
Yes, this is a good story because it brings up many issues. It reminds me of Foster's chapter about blind characters. Janey is deaf, but listens more completely than other characters in the story. I'm sorry that you were disappointed in the stories.
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