Laughing man

Last Updated: 23 Mar 2023

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"Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you're in diapers, the next you're gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul " . - from The Wonder Years In other words this quote means that in a blink of an eye you grow up but you will never forget the moments in time that define your life. In the short story The Laughing Man, by J. D. Salinger, the narrator is reminiscing about his childhood and the story his chief told him. Also in the poem Mandarine Oranges, by Katha Pollitt, he character remembers a time in her childhood.

In both stories the narrator goes back to a time in there past that they won't forget. in the laughing man, the narrator goes back toa place in his past where he grew up listening to a story from his chief about a child who was kidnapped and turned into a hideous creature. this creature is called the laughing man and if you look at his face you would faint and then die. the mans face had flesh-sealed nostrils and an enormous oral cavity for a mouth. as the story went on it ended with the laughing an dying and the story was never revisited again. hen the story was over billy walsh the youngest Comanche bursted into tears and the narrator's knees were shaking. when he got off the bus he saw a red piece of tissue paper which reminded him of the man and this broke him down. he then went home and as told to go straight to bed. this story was one of the biggest parts of his childhood. in the poem Mandarine Oranges by Katha Pollitt, the narrator sees a symbol of her childhood while grocery shopping. while shopping the woman sees a can of andarine oranges and it takes her back to her years in high school.

He states that she remembers how bored she was and how miserable she was. she says that the mandarine oranges were the schools form of bribery to make her play volleyball and eat lima beans. also she states that she wanted the oranges more then anything ever before because they held the essence of her youth. in both stories the narrators see a symbol that remind them of their past and how fast it has gone. the symbol in the Mandarine Oranges was the can of oranges and in The Laughing Man it was the strip of red tissue paper. he laughing man narrator remembers how great his youth was growing up while the mandarine oranges narrator remembers how horrible hers was and how one thing made it O. K.. in conclusion the two story connect in one way; they both talk about how childhood goes by fast. so cherish the moments you have even if they are bad ones because as you grow up you will realize that your youth has gone by way too fast and the memories you have will be with you forever. laughing man By cschaef

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