I covered G. Ranger Wormser’s book, The Scarecrow and other stories, in the last post, but I wanted to talk about this particular story for very specific reasons. While there were a number of strange and interesting stories in the book, “China-Ching” stands out.
It’s been a month or more since I read the book, and it is interesting what lingers in the mind after you’ve read a book of stories. For instance, I remember the young man going off to war, or preparing to, and having to say good-bye to his mother and sister. And I remember a scene from another story about a couple of people resting against a statue, or crucifix for a night, during wartime. It is pitch black, and one of the people, a soldier, wonders whether the other person resting there is friend or foe, etc. And there is a heart-breaking story about an Asian man who tries desperately to overcome racism . . .
And then there is “China-Ching.”
There are only two main characters in this story, a man and a woman; and then there is a dog (many dogs, actually, but only one main one). And then there is the atmosphere. The atmosphere of this story is so strong that you can almost call it a character also. The Henry David Thoreau quote that “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation . . .” definitely holds true for this story. There is a very strong sense of despair, and desperation. These feelings are palpable, along with fear, and the sense of impending violence. The story seethes with dynamic tension between the man and woman, this couple. And that tension, the taut frailty of this couple’s relationship propels this story into a whole other dimension. One gets the sense that perhaps these two people had come together at some point in the past with a strong passion, but now that passion has died and resurrected, or reformed itself into despair and desperation that is just as strong. This couple is ready to explode apart, and there is a certain amount of fear that hangs in the air between them. This fear lingers in the air like drops of humidity that are ready to form (or have already formed) into perspiration on both bodies. And the dog, China-Ching becomes a symbol of defiance for the woman.
Needless to say, this is a weird little story. It is unique and quirky, and certainly not the type of story you run across every day. The dynamic tension between the couple, along with the palpable atmosphere conveyed by the author is what puts this story over the top for me.
I can picture the man sitting there in his “wife beater” tee shirt (though I can’t say the author had him in one–I would have to go back and reread the story to see.). And I can see the woman, clearly. And there is only one man and one woman that I can picture as these two characters.
And here’s where I come to the part about what a reader brings to a story.
Now, due to the time period when this story was written, I can say with certainty that this author did not have these two specific people in mind as she wrote. However, I would venture to guess that she had similar visions of these people. For this reason, due to the time period, etc. I know that I, in my mind, brought these two people to the story. Who were these two people?
Humphrey Bogart and Jean Harlow.
Humphrey Bogart (in 1918, when this book was published, unless it was published after Dec. 25) would have been only 18 years old. Even if he had been acting at this point, he would have still been a long way from having established himself as this type of character. And Jean Harlow? She would have only been a mere child of about seven.
The reason I probably had Jean Harlow in mind is that I had watched the movie, China Seas, on T.V. a month or so before reading this story. The character she played in that movie is exactly who I had in mind while I read this story. I mean exactly! There is not another person who could even come close, at least in my mind. Though there are probably other actors who could play the role.
As far as Bogart goes, I can picture him plain as day, sitting there in a wife-beater tee shirt, looking menacing, and ready to erupt into violence. I’m thinking of a lower-rent, menacing version of the character he played in In a Lonely Place. Of course, his character was more sophisticated in that movie, and his female lead was Gloria Grahame (a favorite noir femme fatale).
It is not unusual for a writer to have a specific movie actor in mind for a character as he or she writes a story or book. This might change, of course, as the story develops and the character becomes more defined. But it is often a good starting point for reference. And often times an actor comes to mind later on. A writer often thinks in terms of a movie (or at least I do), as he or she is writing. It helps the story to become more “visual” as it plays out in the mind. It can also be a conscious decision to think, hmm . . . if this were a movie, who would play this part?
As I’m thinking about it now, I guess I don’t really do it as often with short stories. It just happens that I’ve got short stories sprinkled all through my Civil War Dark Tales series that are based on characters from a novel that I wrote. The novel is tentatively titled The Sound of Chimes, and though 90% complete at 500 plus pages, is nowhere near to being ready for publication. The story “The Trap” from the book, Daguerreotype Dreams is, as you probably know by now, from the novel, and showcases these characters.
For the characters, this is who all I have pictured:
Jem: Zoe Saldana. Initially I had envisioned Halle Berry, and had Zoe Saldana in mind for playing Minnie. Then things shifted, with Berry wavering (in my mind), and Saldana growing stronger in the parts she played in her acting career (in the real world), etc. And, voila, Jem became Zoe in my mind. And now I’m at a loss as to who would play Minnie. Though Jem doesn’t have a big role in the story “The Trap,” she has a very prominent role in the novel as a whole.
Elias Stark (the wounded Confederate soldier and narrator of the short story): Josh Hartnett. I thought of Hartnett for various reasons, not the least of which being that I wanted someone who could play an “every-man” type, and not be an overpowering “Superstar.”
Nell Parker: Rachel Nichols. I think I had her pictured due to seeing her in the movie Resurrecting the Champ, which was out about the time I was really getting in gear with writing the novel. She had a small role, and Josh Hartnett was in the movie, which was probably what triggered her, by way of association, for the part of Nell. Now, however, I’m thinking Keira Knightley. Initially, I thought Knightley too skinny; but I think, now, that she would be fantastic even though she is still just as skinny as she was then.
Higby (the overseer): Bob Hoskins. Hoskins is now deceased. But that doesn’t matter, since this is all just me imagining these people playing the roles. Hoskins played in a bunch of eighties movies. The only one that comes to mind now is Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Now, I asked a buddy of mine, who had read my story, who he had in mind for Stark, and he said, Errol Flynn. So you can see how vastly different reader’s and author’s views and expectations are. The overall story is the same, and each person might have the same vision in regard to most things, with both reader and writer being “on the same page” (no pun intended), but the visions/views on exact matches for character, if you try and pin it all down, are apt to be different.
In other words, a reader brings his or her own perspective (or baggage? Dare I say.) to the story.
Then again, maybe I’m simply too much of a movie buff, and I’m imagining other readers/writers are the same.
How about you? Just food for thought.
In any case, I encourage you to check out “China-Ching.” Or, well, you’ll have to download the whole book, The Scarecrow and other stories, by G. Ranger Wormser. But, as I mentioned in the last post, it is absolutely FREE on Amazon Kindle. There are a couple of other listed versions that charge. But just type in the title and “Free kindle books,” and the free version should come up. I encourage you to read the other stories also. You might like them. And, of course, you might have a totally different opinion about “China-Ching.”