Critque Essay
In the story “The Operation,” by Pensri Kiengsiri , a story that has a third persons’ point of view. The reader learns that Kamjorn, the father of the kid, don’t have much affection to Danu because Danu is a victim of polio which made Danu a crippled kid. Its conspiracy leads the reader into having a feeling of sympathy for the boy. And the story’s setting, contributes well to the growing sympathy of the readers to Danu, as Kiengsiri’s treatment of timing cause the readers to anticipate a shocking things that’s to unfold.
The time at which “The Operation” is set introduces an element of tension between the parents. Kamjorn informed the readers that when he taught about going to Bangkok he first wanted to see his best friend, rather to go to the hospital which is his main reason of going to Bangkok; it is “his mind strayed to other days in Bangkok, student days and to the old school mates, he would have a chance to look up. ” As the reader already knows that Kamjorn intends to catch up with his old friends, the very mention of “strayed to other days” evokes the sense of a plan that will certainly make sadness to the boy’s feelings.
The added suggestion of “chance to look up” introduces an atmosphere of uncertainty: that planted to the reader’s mind is the notion that all is not normal and right to the world. The sense of uncertainty to Kamjorn that he will not go to his son and doesn’t show to his son it is a big factor to his son operation. Just as the time in which “The Operation” is set infuses the story with an atmosphere of sadness, so do the physical surrounding in which the bulk of plot unfolds. “When Kamjorn reached Bangkok, he went to meet his friend and to actually catch up with them.
When his daughter haven’t seen any sign that either one of their parents arrived, she was worried and called to their house and somehow convinced her mother to travel. ” Both things added to the reader’s sense that there’s something is not right and that something imminent is about to occur. This atmosphere of imminence increases as their mother went to the train and hasn’t heard anything from her until the operation is almost finished “an accident on an express train…fatalities”
That’s the only words Kamjorn’s mind ever digested before he fainted. For it is only in the final conversation of the story. The imminence that happened to Kamjorn’s wife that caused him to faint. It has successfully concealed the true sense of Kamjorn tears last before he fainted. Hence, the manner Kiengsiri described the time and setting of “The Operation” serves to greatly enhance the effect of this tale upon the reader.
In accompanying the story’s characters into a world thet grows steadily more gruesome at every turn, the reader’s feeling of sadness and foreboding increases, the reader is doubly troubled the disturbing revelation made in the story’s final conversation. Kiengsiri’s use of setting and timing in this story mirrors the special effects employed in dramatic movies-effects that have the viewers wiping their tears, totally absorbed in plot and atmosphere. It is good that a 6 page short story can evoke with words the same response that movie makers use millions of dollars, efforts and truckloads of technology to create.
