Stolpestad by William Lychack

Stolpestad by William Lychack

The feeling of being stuck in a life, and be contained in stagnation is less than satisfactory. When one's ordinary days become uniform and when it just becomes something to get through, to wake up again to the same grey day as the previously days. Then there is no challenge and everything is built on monotony and routines, and suddenly your relationship feels unimportant. For that matter it can be hard to break free from these framed patterns as you involuntarily become carried away by.

This feeling of emptiness and lack of meaning is identifiable for the character in William Lychacks short story "Stolpestad" from 2008. The policeman Stolpestad is one day called for a job, like any other day, but this time his job is to put down a sick dog for a little boy. The same day, the very same boy and his father returns to Stolpestads private house, who tells him how the dog did not died, when he shot it. In the end of the story Stolpestad searches for peace in the wood to gather his thought.

The short story "Stolpestad" make use of a unique narrative technique style, which is rarely used in the literature. Stolpestad is written in a non-omniscient second narrator way, where Stolestad, is the main character and the narrator himself. He is telling about a special episode in his life through profound descriptions of the situation and surroundings with himself as the recipient. This is indicated by the way he is using "You" in the story, and furthermore it is indicated through the quote "This is your life, Stolpestad" (p. 1, l.5) and by that we get to know his thoughts and see him through his actions.