The Babysitter Short Story Analysis Essay Sample

The Babysitter by Robert Coover

A short story The Babysitter written by Robert Coover is one of the best examples of metafictional stories. It bundles multi-layered narratives, but at the same time, it differs from traditional literary effort as it suggests various endings to similar scenes. The author fills his story with multiple precarious scenes, which make the reader tremble and wait for the worst things that might happen. At the same time, the reader wonders whether the author takes a risk and allows the worst things to happen. Thus, awkward scenarios seem to be specific characteristics of the Coover`s works. A scene in the bathroom can be considered an example of the mentioned peculiarities. First, Coover provides different endings as a babysitter sits in the bath or only considers taking a bath. Furthermore, the author describes how Jenifer comes to the bathroom where two men are spying on her and at the same time, he watches as a little Jimmy (the hosts` son) is soaping her back.

Intrigue to the story is added by means of grotesque and bizarre content. Coover creatively suggests a postmodern read. Using multi-layered format of narration and dividing a story into small separate paragraphs, the author confuses his reader. Thus, the reader loses real thread of the beginning, middle part, and the end of the story.

In the short story The Babysitter, Coover acts in accordance with the latest postmodern tendencies, combining impossible and contradictory things into one piece of writing. Postmodernism requires from the author using of unusual mediums and means and creating new genre (Alfonso 123). This essay aims at analyzing techniques used Coover and providing own unique understanding of the short story.

Your Best Essay Is Just One Click Away!

The Techniques

To start with, Coover`s The Babysitter is a combination of interchanging techniques that were originally found in art and music. They stimulate the fictional masterpiece as well as engage its reader in the process of new meaning discovering similar to those experienced while examining a piece of art or listening to orchestral music. Robert Coover makes use of washes, descants. These devices comprise layers in his work thus multiplying realities and narratives aimed at disrupting ordinary and expected plot progression. For example, the descant is known in the music theory as a high melody that is sung over the existing melody. This technique allows Coover to show the contrast between his narration and new realities. At the same time, these new realities are placed over the existing plot, providing one more surface to the completed picture. Combining these techniques, the author creates a postmodern frame to complement existing ideas and introduce new ones.

Furthermore, Coover`s The Babysitter is full of parceling. Thus, first of all in, order to emphasize children`s personalities, Coover describes “Dishes. Noise. Clutter. And fat” (Coover 2). One more parceling is used “Down forbidden alleys. Into secret passageways. Unlocking the world’s terrible secrets” (Coover 10). Parceling in both cases is used to draw reader`s attention to details.

Moreover, the story is divided into reality, imagination, dreams, etc. Thus, it is possible to say that Coover also uses imagery as one of the primary stylistic devices. For example, we cannot distinguish whether Jenifer is taking the bath or she just considers taking it. However, it is necessary to admit that the author hardly uses metaphors and epithets. The text is read in a reserved manner and does not contain poetical elements. The author, however, uses simulacrum – a replacement of reality with its simulation. In addition, the author uses the metaphor of control which is represented in the text with the help of television programs that babysitter switches on. The metaphors of control are used in this short story to put emphasis on the difference between reality and linguistic representation of this reality.

Finally, the author also uses palimpsestic technique that is supposed to be a rewriting of the old story by putting it in different cultural and linguistic contexts. Moreover, the typical feature of Coover`s metafictional masterpieces is the absence of punctuation that was canceled by commentaries of the author.

The Historical Context

Robert Coover`s The Babysitter is written in the epoch of Postmodernism. Postmodernism appeared as an indispensable part of historical and socio-cultural life and is seen as a unique way of postmodern culture and life depiction. It represents a crisis of human being`s identity (sexual, cultural, social, or ethnic) and the wage for legitimization of hypocritical society. This theme was thrown into sharp relief after the USA Civil Right Movement in 1960. Postmodern li
Order Now