Response to "Skunk Dreams"

There were some things I really liked about this essay, but it also didnt enjoy some parts of it.

Louise Erdich's descriptive voice made it really easy to visualize the entire essay. I felt like I was almost there with her when she talked about sleeping on the football field, walking through the forest, and sneaking into the wildlife park. She also used a lot of unique phrases and analogies (Ex: the Chinese sage problem) to spice up the story! I think that the story would've been pretty weak without all of the powerful words she used..

I like how she focused the essay around a skunk, even though it wasn't the main point of the story. Erdich learned many lessons about life, but chose to portray some of them through a skunk. She was also very curious about skunks (how they dream, what they feel, etc.). I found this interesting because I've never really given much thought to skunks (or any animal, for that matter) and contemplated what they dream about or how they live their lives. Sometimes it's good to be able to take another person's point of view, which is exactly what Erdich did.

Despite the descriptive phrases, I did not like some of the general vagueness of the story. It left me with a lot of basic questions (what? how? why? when?) that she could have easily added in the essay. Why did she want to sleep on a football field in the first place? I'm a teenage girl, too, and believe me, that is one of the last places I'd willingly sleep! I want to know the reason behind her decision. Also, what is the Chinese Sage problem? Maybe I just haven't been exposed to the world much, but she could've added a sentence or two to inform the readers. Erdich also talks about how skunk smells are a reality-enhancing experience, but she never explains how or why she feels that way. I also am curious of the time frame of this story--when did she move to new England? She never really tells how old she was when any of these events happened! I think if she would've added more of these tiny details, the story could've been a lot stronger and less confusing!

I really enjoyed hearing small bits about dream analysis. I took AP Psychology last year (my favorite class!) and we learned all about dream analysis and psychotherapy, which were both mentioned in this essay...psychology is everywhere! Sometimes objects represent certain problems or thoughts in one's life, so it was fun for me to hear her dream about the fence. Usually a big fence or wall signifies a problem in one's life. I thought the essay would somehow shift to a problem in her life, but I was incorrect. I think this dream was more of a foreshadowing of things to come for her. When I got closer to the end and saw the paragraph describing the fence to the game park, I realized that it was exactly like her dream.

The biggest question I have is why skunks? How could something so simple as a skunk change Erdich? After the football field incident and walking through forests, Erdich realizes that if she could be an animal she'd want to be a skunk. What a strange choice! I guess we all go through life-changing experiences that may make total sense to us, but puzzle others.