Really great short stories often have more than one iron in the fire. By that I mean there's the main plot and there's also a sub-plot. The two are usually connected in some way.In "The Legend of Pig-Eye," the main plot -- or the central question we want to answer -- has to do with whether or not Mack (the narrator) will win 100 fights and go to New York.
But underlying that question is another, less tangible one. What do you think it is? (Hint: it has to do with Don [and, to a lesser extent, Pig-Eye].) In the comments section, write a sentence or two describing the sub-plot of "The Legend of Pig-Eye."
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ReplyDeleteI think the subplot has to do with Don's illness and his fading health. I think the family dynamic also has a lot to do with it. Pig-Eye to me is sort of a symbol of Don's fading health and the way that he trains.
ReplyDeleteLauren says: I feel that the sub-plot maybe, pertaining to the short slides of the climax and ending of Pig-eye's career. Don's feelings and regrets about Pig-eye, but also the good memories, and the tale of how one could have so much then lose it faster than they get it.
ReplyDeletecould the subplot be Don trying to keep boxing in his life? since he's not boxing anymore he would want to have someone complete his dream.
ReplyDeleteLaura says: I think that the sub plot has a lot to do with Mack and how in his youth he wants to be just like pig-eye. The sub plot might have to do with the fact that Mack is doing everything Pig Eye did to by the same and do the same things, like failing. And maybe Pig Eye just wanted to fail. Maybe he didn't want to continue on fighting and just wanted to stop, maybe it was impulse to fail.
ReplyDeleteI think the underlying question is "Will Mack still be Don's fighter?" Mack says that he's never lost a fight. When Don's previous fighter lost a fight, he wasn't Don's fighter anymore, instead Pig-Eye became Don's fighter. If Mack loses a fight, the question is, will he still be Don's fighter?
ReplyDeleteI think the subplot might be about Pig-Eye, and his relationship with his parents.
ReplyDeleteWoops, I ment Mack.
ReplyDeleteCeri-Lune -- what about Mack's relationship with his parents? Say more...
ReplyDeleteWell, I think it's sort of an awkward relationship, because his parents aren't very happy with what he does. But he just wants them to be proud of them.
ReplyDeleteI think that it may be about Mack and his relationship with Don. They are close to one another, but in kind of a strange way.
ReplyDeleteJessica -- strange in what way?
ReplyDeleteI think the subplot has to do with Don and his sickness. Is he gonna die. The narator himself asked if Don's illness was the reason that he was so mad. I think the subplot is the backbone for the bigger plot and the bigger plot would be drastically changed if Don died. So that is why I think it has to do with Don's illness. Question: Is "Mack" the name of the narator or just another person that Don trained?
ReplyDeleteMack is the narrator. It only says it once, on page 15 when Don compliments him.
ReplyDeleteOlivia says: I think that is has to do with the fact that Matt hesitates with the "100 wins" and he doesn't really know if that is what he wants. He explains how good his childhood was and how he wants to give back to his parents, but they don't want him to be fighting.
ReplyDeleteWell, they are close, but it just seems a little awkward. Because Mack's parents aren't proud of him, I think Don - although he is - feels like he needs to be. Don is almost like a "replacement father," which is nice, but could be a little weird becuase he is also his trainer.
ReplyDeleteLita says: I think that this story's subplot is about Mack's relationship with his parents. Don almost treats Mack like a son (page 9, the second to last paragraph), which parallels this relationship.
ReplyDeleteThe stories subplot deals with Mack's relationship to Don as a father-son relationship, but it alters it slightly. The story of Pig-eye ends with him being rejected by Don, who was like a father, after losing a fight. Earlier, Mack mentions that Don's actual son will never have to fight for his father affection and will never lose it. So the subplot outlines this odd relationship that is, in some ways, much stronger and deeper than a father-son relationship but, in others, much more dangerous and short lived.
ReplyDeleteCarmen says: Um, if I had to guess, I would say Don is evoking memories and emotions in Mack to ensure he (Mack) always remembers what to do, when, and for whom (when he gets to New York). This way, perhaps Pig-Eye could be more than a legend, more than something Don will eventually forget or struggle to remember clearly.
ReplyDeleteI think that the subplot is about how Don is becoming mentally and physically decrepit. Don is very cruel and hard on Mack. And he thinks that if he is nicer, Mack will get soft and lazy and fat, like Pig-Eye. I think the fact that Mack and Pig-Eye swan in the same lake is very ominous. The story depresses me. Mack has an extremely hard life, and it’s so unfair, that he doesn’t necessarily have to have the life the Don has seemingly forced on him.
ReplyDeleteI think that the subplot really has to do with Don, and how he's...almost training these fighters because he either can't or won't fight anymore. He's getting old and sick, and I think he wants to leave behind a kind of legacy that he couldn't achieve as a fighter.
ReplyDeleteI think it's about what Mack wants, and the influence of the Pig Eye stories on what he wants. He wants to go to New York, but he wants to stay with Don, and the Pig Eye stories make him nervous. It also seems to be foreshadowing, like Mack is going to turn out like Pig Eye.
ReplyDelete