Small Avalanches (short story)

Last updated
"Small Avalanches"
Short story by Joyce Carol Oates
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Publication
Published in Cosmopolitan
Publication dateNovember 1972

"Small Avalanches" is a work of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates originally published in Cosmopolitan (November 1972) and first collected in The Goddess and Other Women (1974) by Vanguard Press . [1]

Contents

Plot

"Small Avalanches" is presented from a first-person point-of-view.

The story unfolds during a summer afternoon in a remote rural district in Colorado. An only child, the thirteen-year-old Nancy spends her idle summer days wandering around the neighborhood. She loiters at her uncle Winfield's gas station and garage, hoping to observe the candy and soda pop machine owner arrive and service them. The effervescence of her Pepsi-Cola absorbs her; she reflects on which candy bar brand is her favorite. The uncle complains that Nancy's older cousin, Georgia, has been tying up the telephone all night with personal calls. He warns: "Georgia is a goddam little liar and if I catch her fooling around…" [2] Nancy's interior monologue—which includes cursing—reveals the she and Georgia had recently hitched a ride with a stranger to a nearby town, a fact they both concealed from their parents.

An out-of-town stranger stops for gas. Friendly and talkative, the man reminds Nancy of her father. Bored, and disaffected by her uncle, Nancy walks towards home, discarding her empty soda pop bottle on the driveway. As she walks down the road, the vehicle slowly overtakes her. The man engages Nancy in conversation through the side window. He tells her that her uncle was displeased that she had left the bottle where it could cause a flat tire. Offering to give her a ride, Nancy instantly knows that his behavior deviates from local norms, and refuses. She finds him somewhat amusing. He begins to ask her personal questions, praising her good looks, but chiding her for not smiling more often.

Nancy turns down a footpath through mixed terrain and vegetation. The man declares that he needs some exercise, and exits the truck to join her. Nancy finds this absurd and laughs uncontrollably. The man follows. She stays a few paces ahead of her pursuer. He chides her for walking too fast. For a moment, Nancy feels she may be in danger. When she detects that the man is in physical distress from his exertions, she relaxes, and giggles. The man berates her as stumbles forward. Nancy kicks loose rocks that cascade down the hill, striking the man. He collapses, crawling on his hands and knees: "Don't leave me—I'm sick - I think I—" he whimpers. [3] Nancy taunts him and leaves him to walk home. Upon her return, her mother puts Nancy to work ironing clothes. Nancy's demeanor remains that of an unperturbed and self-absorbed teenager.

Theme

Two mythical goddesses dominate the themes in The Goddess and Other Women: Kali and Magna Mater, though only the former makes a corporeal appearance in the title story "The Goddess"—"The destruction powers of Kali are unleashed in Oates’s stories” by female protagonists who are often prepubescent. [4]

In "Small Avalanches", the twelve-year-old Nancy thwarts the advances of a child molester. Her aplomb provides for her defense and the near death of her pursuer, first reducing him to helplessness. Nancy maintains her composure in the aftermath of an encounter she views merely as a game, and without any signs of emotional trauma. [5]

According to biographer Joanne V. Creighton, the story presents a preteen "toying exploitatively and dangerously with a sexuality [she does] not really understand". [6] Creighton regards "Small Avalanches" less a cautionary tale on the dangers of girls talking to male strangers, but more so "that sex is an exciting and dangerous game where 'winning' is leading on the male and then frustrating him". [7]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Johnson, 1994 p. 218-222: Selected Bibliography, Primary Works
  2. ↑ Oates, 1974 p. 227-228
  3. ↑ Oates, 1974 p. 238
  4. ↑ Johnson, 1994 p. 57: See here for Kali and Magna Mater historical origin sketch
  5. ↑ Johnson, 1994 p. 58
  6. ↑ Creighton, 1979 p. 121
  7. ↑ Creighton, 1979 p. 121-122

Sources

Related Research Articles

"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" is a frequently anthologized short story written by Joyce Carol Oates. The story first appeared in the Fall 1966 edition of Epoch magazine. It was inspired by three Tucson, Arizona, murders committed by Charles Schmid, which were profiled in Life magazine in an article written by Don Moser on March 4, 1966. Oates said that she dedicated the story to Bob Dylan because she was inspired to write it after listening to his song "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue". The story was originally named "Death and the Maiden".

<i>By the North Gate</i> Collection of short stories by Joyce Carol Oates

By the North Gate is a collection of short stories by Joyce Carol Oates. It was the author's first book, first published by Vanguard Press in 1963.

<i>The Wheel of Love and Other Stories</i> Short story collection by Joyce Carol Oates

The Wheel of Love is contains 20 works of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates published by Vanguard Press in 1970. The volume brought Oates "abundant national acclaim" including this assessment from librarian and critic John Alfred Avant: "Quite simply, one of the finest collections of short stories ever written by an American."

<i>Marriages and Infidelities</i> 1972 collection of 25 works of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates

Marriages and Infidelities is a collection of 25 works of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates published by Vanguard Press in 1972.

<i>Upon the Sweeping Flood and Other Stories</i> 1966 collection of short stories written by Joyce Carol Oates

Upon the Sweeping Flood and Other Stories is a collection of short stories written by Joyce Carol Oates. It was published in 1966 by Vanguard Press.

<i>The Goddess and Other Women</i> 1974 collection of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates

The Goddess and Other Women is a collection comprising 25 works of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates and published by Vanguard Press in 1974.

<i>Crossing the Border</i> (short story collection) Collection of short stories

Crossing the Border: Fifteen Tales is a collection of short stories by Joyce Carol Oates written while the author was residing in Canada. Published simultaneously by Vanguard Press in the United States and by Cage Publishing Company, Agincourt, Canada in 1976. The stories had appeared previously in different US and Canadian magazines, often in different versions. Seven of the stories, "Crossing the Border", "Hello Fine Day Isn’t It", "Natural Boundaries", "Customs", "The Scream", "An Incident in The Park", and "River Rising" depict conjugal life of an American couple, Reneé and Evan Maynard, in Canada. The characters in "The Transformation of Vincent Scoville" and "The Liberation of Jake Hanley" are instructors at the same Canadian college. The rest of the stories are not connected to each other.

<i>Night-Side: Eighteen Tales</i>

Night-Side: Eighteen Tales is a collection of 18 works of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates published by Vanguard Press in 1977.

<i>The Poisoned Kiss and Other Stories from the Portuguese</i> 1975 collection of short stories written by Joyce Carol Oates

The Poisoned Kiss and Other Stories from the Portuguese is a collection of short stories written by Joyce Carol Oates. It was published in 1975 by Vanguard Press.

<i>Where Is Here?</i> Short story collection

Where Is Here? is a collection containing 34 works of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates originally published in paperback by Harper & Row in 1989 and in hardback by Ecco Press in 1992.

<i>The Seduction and Other Stories</i> American collection of short stories

The Seduction and Other Stories is a collection containing 16 works of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates published by Black Sparrow Press in 1975.

<i>A Sentimental Education</i> (short stories) 1980 collection of stories by Joyce Carol Oates

A Sentimental Education is a collection of 5 short stories and a novella by Joyce Carol Oates published in 1980 by E. P. Dutton.

<i>The Assignation</i> (short story collection) Short story collection by Joyce Carol Oates

The Assignation is a collection of 44 works of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates published by Ecco Press in 1988.

“Sweet Love Remembered” is a work of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates, originally published in Epoch (1960). The work was first collected in By the North Gate (1963) by Vanguard Press.

"Pastoral Blood" is a work of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates. The story was first collected in By the North Gate (1963) by Vanguard Press.

“A Legacy” is a work of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates, originally published in the Arizona Quarterly in 1961. The story was first collected in By the North Gate (1963) by Vanguard Press. The story is set, as are others in By the North Gate, in Oates's fictional Eden County, similar to the rural upstate New York community where she was raised.

“Funland” is a work of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates, originally appearing in a limited edition by William B. Ewert, Concord, New Hampshire and first collected in Last Days: Stories (1984) by Dutton.

"The Metamorphosis" is a work of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates originally published in The New American Review, and first collected in Marriages and Infidelities (1972) by Vanguard Press.

“The Goddess” is a work of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates originally published in Antaeus and first collected in The Goddess and Other Women (1974) by Vanguard Press.

“In the Warehouse” is a work of short fiction by Joyce Carol Oates originally published in The Transatlantic Review and first collected in The Goddess and Other Women (1974) by Vanguard Press.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.