"A Man and His Routine"
"One day after twenty-five years of marriage, Alexander found himself alone. The woman he’d promptly married after he got his first raise, and with whom he shared three kids, just one morning woke up and decided she didn’t want to be married to him anymore. Well, that wasn’t exactly what she had said. While zipping up her suitcase on the foot of their bed as he sat up and rubbed his eyes that Saturday morning, Tammy had told him she had had enough of being taken for granted and was leaving because “she didn’t want to grow old alone and die alone”, but that’s not what Alexander said to their children, people at the office, the old Italian guy with the flat-top who trimmed his hair every second Thursday, and virtually everyone else he spoke to in passing..." To read the entire story click here.
A Man and His Routine was published in Storyteller Magazine earlier this year and was my first published story. I wanted to write a story about the kind of guy readers should loathe, but somehow end up rooting for. I sometimes wonder how realistic it is that Alexander got a second chance at love, but then I start thinking about all of the oddballs that I know and miraculously none of them are alone. Alexander's tale ends on an at leat mindly promising note, but I worry that he might still mess things up.
This is a space for you to provide commentary on the short story "A Man and His Routine" by Corey Charron. To leave a comment, click the "comments" button on the bottom right of this post. All comments are sent to a moderator before being posted.
- Mr. Martin
posted by Corey Charron @ 8:17 AM
70 comments
70 Comments:
This time around, I've assigned the class a couple different things. The first response should be in the form of a "character sketch". The students have been asked to write on Alexander's physical characteristics, personality traits, motivation and, from a literary point of view, what type of character he is (flat, round, static, developing etc.).
From our discussion today, I noticed that the class had a really good handle on the character of Alexander and had many different opinions and observations on him (some of which, I did not pick up on until they pointed them out).
The second part of their assignment is another personal response to the piece as a whole.
Enjoy!
Robin Martin
In the story “ A man and his routine” the main character was Alexander. In my mind Alexander was a stubborn, rude, perfectionist. All of these things portray Alexander in different ways.
To start with Alexander was stubborn because even after his wife left him he got another chance but he would not change his ways. This proves him stubborn because he never even thought twice about criticizing Margaret when that was why his wife left him. Which mean he will never learn.
He’s also rude because no matter what the waitresses did they never please him he always complained to their face, which isn’t a nice thing to do. If he didn’t like what they served him he should just say nothing or stop ordering the same thing.
Another trait of Alexander is that he’s a perfectionist. Nothing is ever good enough for him. One the last page when Margaret stays over he wakes up to a beautifully cooked breakfast but instead a thanking Margaret he says the eggs are ok and the bacon is almost perfect. Which means they still aren’t good enough for him. No matter how good they would be he would always have something to complain about.
In the story “ A man and his routine” I didn’t like the character Alexander because of these three reasons. Him being stubborn, rude and a perfectionist when he had everything going for him.
The character Alexander was a very different character. Because well he was just an extreme odd ball. This sketch will tell you my opinion on him.
Well first of all, you really went out of the box with this character. Like when you think of characters you think of normal people or at least you know someone that the average person would see everyday. But no not with Alexander. He is slightly odd, like I’m sure he has OCD or something like that. But how strange. I give you an A+ for that
Second Alexander seemed like a young guy at the first of the story, minus the fact that he was married for 25 years. But when you said that he was in his fifties he really didn’t seem to play the part. Did you have an experience with someone like that in your life? But over all I believe that Alexander was a well put together character, for a short story
To conclude, well the character of Alexander was one that I really enjoyed writing about. He was really good and this story was by far one of the best by Corey that I have read to date.
The main character in the short story "A Man and His Routine", is Alexsander. He is a 50 year old man, and his wife has just left him. Although you didn't give us, the readers, a very good idea of what Alexsander looks like, I'm willing to take a crack at it myself.
Since he's in his 50's, I picture him having almost-white-hair with a comb over. He is tall and thin, and in good shape for his age. Considering he has such a set routine, I would assume he eats well, or atleat he did before his wife left him.
On the other hand, we know a lot about Alexsander's personality. We know that he is a perfectionist. He does the same thing everyday; goes for breakfast, goes to work, and then comes home and watches tv. Even still, after his wife left, he still does the same thing, and doesn't show any bit of sadness or disapointement that she had left. He has made it a habit of taking people for granted. That is the reason why his wife left in the first place, and evening knowing that, he still criticises Margaret after making breakfast for him. Alexsander is very stubborn. I think he doesn't want to take responsibility for his wife leaving him, because he doesn't tell his kids or anyone else the truth. He wants to look like the good guy.
After everything that happened to Alexsander, he still hasn't changed. He is a static character. Alexsander, I think is also a round character. We find out a lot about him. What he does during the day, and how he spends his time.
In the end, Alexsander is not one of my favourite characters. At first I felt bad for him, and then happy when he found someone after Tammy had left him. Then I realized that he didn't even try to change for Tammy, or even want her back.
The character Alexander, from the short story "The Man and His Routine" was a very particular man. As it hints in the title of the piece, Alexander had a specific routine he followed and did not like it to be disturbed.
I read and re-read the story, but could not find any physical description of Alexander, with the exception that he was fifty-something years old. So instead, I will focus on his personality.
As I said before, Alexander was very particular about his routine. He was also very stubborn, and somewhat of a perfectionist. For example, he always offered suggestions to make his bacon and eggs better, implying he was very specific about everything.
I strongly believe that Alexander was a flat character, as we only saw the side of him that was picky, fussy, and a tad obsessive. However, the question of whether he was static or developing was a bit more challenging, as in the last paragraph he showed signs of both changing, and remaining stubborn. But I think I'll have to go out on a limb on this one, and state that he was a developing character. The line in which he refers to Margaret as 'Marge' (it says earlier he refused to call her by that) seems to big of a deal to ignore. I believe that is a sign of things to come, and Alexander can finally lead a normal life.
The character Alexander in “A Man and His Routine” is an enticing individual because of his physical, personal, and characteral aspects.
The man is compared to Abe Lincoln in the story, from which we may deduce that he is long, lanky, and brown-haired. There is a slight amount of stock character traits shown here, but I’ll come back to that later.
Also, he possesses a personality which may be described as anal and particular, and also excrutiatingly well-ordered and organized. He demonstrates time and time again that he has a routine that he must follow, no matter the cost, whether it be a few crazy calamities with his car or an affront to an employee in a coffee shop. This as well is an example of a person who fits well the mold of the eccentric and obsessive personage.
Thirdly, and most importantly, this man is an eccelent case of an individual who is a fanatical follower of fossil-aged formality and fashion. He may have budged slightly from his presiding cycle of extremely stiff procedure near the end, but this thought aside, is a supreme model of the stereotypical late-to-middle-aged man who is set in his beliefs and practice.
In the story a man and his routine the main character is a 50 year old man named Alexander.Alexander is in short a perfectionist.Everything has to be dine the way likes it,and if it isn’t he’s not afraid to say it’s wrong.wich might be why his soon to be divorced wife left him.
In the story the author doesn’t give us any physical discriptions of Alexander so we are left t guesse,but in my oppinion he probably looks like this.He probably has gray thining hair,around 5ft11 and wears glasses.But this is just what I think.
Now,back to the Alexander’s traits that we discover readind this story.For instance,I said he was a perfectionist because at one part I remember him talking to the waitress and telling her how her work wasn’t up to what he thought was good.Told her everything that was wrong with it.So really I don’t think he’d be the kind of person oyu’d want around al the time.
Also,Alexander isn’t used to doing things any different then what they usaly are.It says that when his wife left him he had to change a few things but tried to keep to his normal schedual.In closing,I have to say that somtimes some things never change,but who knows,he might change for his new lover margret.
The short story “ A Man and His Routine,” revolves around Alexander, a 50 something year old man, just getting dumped by his wife, Tammy, after 25 years of marriage. Although he will admit none of the blame, Alexander’s wife left because of his stubbornness, perfection and
criticism.
Throughout the story, Alexander shows many signs of stubbornness from not taking any of the blame for his wife leaving him to the point where he doesn’t seem to change, taking Margaret for granted at the end of the story.
Alexander also shows his stubborn side excepting nothing less than perfection, which will transfer into my next topic.
Alexander is also a perfectionist (fitting into the title), fixing his routine until perfect, starting with breakfast, even though it’s never good enough for him.
Even after he gets a second chance with Margaret, he only seems content with his breakfast. Although not criticizing her, he tells her it’s not perfect.
During scenes in the story, Alexander isn’t afraid to speak his mind if he’s not pleased, telling everyone how it is, and criticizing everyone’s mistakes, including his breakfast every morning.
I found Alexander was a hard character to take liking to after he didn’t leap on his second chance with Margaret, but it’s not hard to imagine with stubbornness, perfection, and criticism.
In my opinion, Alexander was a flat character. Even though you know a lot about his characteristics and qualities, without his physical description and a few more descriptions, I do not believe that’s enough to be a round character.
Reading the end of the story, and seeing Alexander call her “Marge”, there might be a little hope for him changing even though I have strong doubts. I think Alexander is a static character, and maybe if the story would have kept going, he would have changed, but I don’t think there’s enough evidence to make that conclusion. Even though he did show a new sign, he still showed old ones in the same settings.
Alexander, the main character in the short story “A Man and His Routine” is a very interesting character. He is a fifty eight year old bachelor dealing with a sudden and unexpected divorce. He is characterized for his obsessive compulsive behavior, his boring daily routines and his perfectionism. His consistent way of life does not seem to change at all throughout the story, even though he does run into some changing points in his life.
He is at the age where he has been to the top of the hill, and is already on his way down. His is average height, and is a lanky fellow with a high pitched, nasally voice as is described on the first page. “Alexander had the same high pitched nasally voice the equally lanky Abraham Lincoln is said to have had.” His hair also showed signs of his age. Page 4: “…Alexander’s was dark brown, sprinkled with strands of white…” It is mentioned in the story that his wardrobe consists of several white shirts. I assume that the clothes he wears in public each day fit a routine and are just as boring and as dull as he is.
How Alexander managed to keep his wife for twenty five years is beyond me. If I was his wife, I would have ended the marriage, or my life, years sooner. He is the most routine and obsessive compulsive person I have ever known of. Everything has to be perfect for him to be comfortable. He criticizes waitresses at diners about the cooking, changes his oil every month, and goes to bed every night at eight to watch the hockey game, which I have nothing against. He is also a perfectionist. For example, when he was hanging up his pictures, “….stepping back from the final one in the set to make sure it was centered on its hook.” He also has a “self-imposed” drinking limit. I think this is the type of behavior that made his wife leave him. Following the same routine every day gets less exciting every time the routine is followed. Alexander was, perhaps, not spontaneous enough for Tammy. It said in the story that Marge “found his insistence on formality old-fashionably sweet and endearing.” This could have been what Tammy thought in the beginning too. Although, Alex did tell a white lie to maybe seem like he was not so routine. H said in the supermarket that he never thinks that far ahead. He also said earlier that “When he was twenty seven, he had mapped out his life...” He is a fairly predictable character. You can always count on him to fall back into old patterns.
I think that Alexander is a flat character because he is not a man of many colours. He seems to take comfort in his predictable and somewhat cautious way of life. Ex: Page 2 “…stomped on the pedal whenever he noticed he was a click or two above the limit.” He is a one sided man. I also think Alexander is a static character because he doesn’t seem to change at all in my eyes. There is a glimmer of hope at the end where he calls Margaret “Marge” for the first time, which is unusual for him. However, the fact that he is still picking apart the little, insignificant aspects of his everyday life kills that hope.
Alex is an interesting character that I enjoyed reading about. This is mostly because I can relate him to some people I know of, but not quite as bad as Alex. I enjoyed this story and its characters.
A Man and His Routine
In the last addition to our Corey Charron responding spree, the character Alexander is being dissected piece by piece. This is what I gathered about Alexander from descriptions in the story, and what my imagination puts together about the physical, personal, and overall alteration (in personality) from beginning of the story to the end.
As it describes in the story Alexander was in his fifties, drinks every night, and watches television until he eventually falls asleep. From this my imagination immediately composes a stocky, short, balding man who rarely smiles quite like George from the show Seinfeld.
My perception of Alexander’s personality didn’t take ling for me to establish. He is obviously very stubborn which shows in his ways of not allowing change, he seems unable or unwilling to even think about why his wife could have left, which could mean he is partially closed minded. He also seems very lazy and doesn’t have any desire to enrich his life living behind barriers of negligence.
Alexander fails to evolve from beginning to end of this storey, which leads me to believe he is a static character. His reaction to life, and the people in his life, changes very little if at all.
The main character in "A Man and His Routine" is Alexander, he's not your typical character. I found that Alexander was a very strange man, who was never happy with what others do for him. He always complained when he went to a restaurant about the food being, over-done, not done enough.
If he thought the food wasn't very good, why did he keep ordering the same thing?
Alexander was a very weird person, who never ever learned his lesson, he always complained, when that's why his wife, Tammy left him. When he met Magret for chance number two, he stayed the same, he never changed his ways. The only thing I think he was happy about in the whole story is the end, when Margret is cooking him breakfast, and everything was just fine. He still never complimented her, I think if the story would have kept on going, she would have eventually left him also.
I think that Alexander, was a good character, very stubborn though. He was well put together in the story.
A pendulum swings back and forth in a repetitious motion. The clock chimes with acute punctuation on the nose of every hour. The hands rotate slowly around the circumference of the timepiece. Alexander’s life consisted of routinely going through the motions, like clockwork. Although we were not given a physical description of lavish proportions, we do however get to explore deeply within his personalty through his actions, as well as through narrative aid. We learn that he is a perfectionist, in denial, as well self indulged.
The corners of life are none short of rough and uneven. Though in Alexander’s mind, you should be able to colour within the lines. He, on the other hand does not seem acknowledge his own faults, simply those of others. Forcing his two cents upon into unwanted directions, be it at the coffee shop, the barber shop, or with his own children, gets him nothing but rolled eyes, turned heads, and probably a lot of saliva.
“De Nile. It's not just a river in Egypt, it's a freakin' ocean. So how do you keep from drowning in it?” Alexander is beyond drowning. He has denial so far up the butt it effects his vision, which would at least help explain how he could possibly let on that he had not been a factor in his wife’s choice of separation. He was so clearly absent in their relationship that he wasn’t even around to notice his own absence. He has convinced himself that consistency is more satisfying then and new found change or enlightenment that life can give him, and that this is all his needs to truly fulfill him.
As human beings we tend take more then we need. An extra cookie here, another hour there, but in the end indulgence is never among our wisest of decisions. Alexander does not over eat, treat him self to new clothing, or technological devises. He takes luxury in the emotional, and physical capabilities of others. Like his ex. wife for instance, he took love, food, and household chores from her until she decided she had nothing left to give. He was comfortable in the mix she had provided the batter to, and did nothing to earn his keep.
Alexander probably lived a repetitive life for the majority of his entirety. Tammy would never have married him had he treated her in the begging in the same way as he had in the end of their relationship. In the end of the story he may have appeared to change when complementing Marge, but even a broken clock is right twice a day. I strongly believe that perfection, and his own needs will always be at the top of his priority list, whether he has to deny the rest of the world or not.
Alexander was one of the strangest characters i have ever read about. He wasn't strange in an obvious way, like the bag lady from "The Scratch Ticket", but when you really think hard about him and his ways, he just doesnt seem to have his head on straight.
First of all, Alexander made it seem like he had to have everything done perfect, his food, his routine, even the way he drove. In the Story. it reads "On his way to church, his eyes were in constant movement, darting from the road, up to the rearview mirror and back down again to the speedometer; he rode the brake and stomped on the pedal whenever he noticed he was a click or two above the limit." This shows just how perfect he made sure his driving was. Sure, its always good to be precautious, but that is just weirdly safe. Not normal.
He was terribly rude aswell. He openly critiscized the cooking to the waitress, who probably didnt even cook the darn stuff. He also spread strange rumors about his wife, tammy, saying she "joined some crazy cult", when in reality, she was just sick of how he treated her.
He was a little obsessed with how his bacon was cooked. Sure, this isnt anything hugely important to his over all personality or anything, but its still pretty obvious the story. He tells the waitress at a restaurant that "the bacon was a little too crispy." & then tells marge at the end that "the bacon was nearly perfect, which is never easy. It's pork, so you of course have to make sure there aren't any raw patches, but you dont want to over do it." Obsessed? i think so.
After reading the story quite a few times, i came to the conclusion that there isnt any specific points made about his appearance. All i know is that he is in his 50's, so im guessing his hair is thinning a bit, and either gray, or getting there. He prbly has an older looking face, with wrinkles and all the not so nice stuff that comes with age.
All in all, Alexander is kind of a freak, & not a very likeable one at that. I didnt feel bad for him when Tammy left him. I also wasn't happy when he met Marge. He was definately not my favorite character.
In the short story “A Man and His Routine”, the main character is Alexander. Alexander is a very punctual and also, a very critical man. He is a perfectionist who berates at the slightest mistake.
Alexander is a lanky, fifty-eight year old man. He has dark brown hair and a high-pitched, nasally voice that is supposedly, comparable to that of Abraham Lincoln.
Alexander follows his routine almost religiously. He is extremely particular about everything from the crispiness of his bacon to driving the speed limit. He wants everything in his life to be absolutely perfect and he allows no room for error in anyone.
I think that Alexander is definitely a flat character. From the information given in the story, we are not able to figure him out personally. I also believe that he is a developing character. In the last couple of paragraphs, he doesn’t criticize Margaret’s cooking as was present through most of the story. He also begins to call Margaret “Marge”, which is something he refused to do previously in the story. I think these are signs that he is willing to make changes in his “routine”, which prior to Marge, was an almost unfathomable feat. I think he finally realizes that he has to live a life and not a plan.
These are absolutely wonderful! Well thought out, brilliantly written and an absolute treat for me to read. One of my favorite comments so far (and there are a lot of them) comes from Marley Curran-McLaughlin.
The hands rotate slowly around the circumference of the timepiece. Alexander’s life consisted of routinely going through the motions, like clockwork...
...In the end of the story he may have appeared to change when complementing Marge, but even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Awesome stuff Marley, I loved it! I'll be putting together a highlight reel on all your posts for this one, you're all literary geniuses!
As I said yesterday, your comments just seem to get more insightful all of the time. I am, however, a little disappointed that "A Man and His Routine" didn't get you all fired up like my good friend Declan Carroll did. Heeheehee!
Again I am glad most of you seemed to like the story. Most of you thought Alexander was strange; Ashley Trevors said he "was one of the strangest characters (he) had ever read about", and I was glad to hear this. When I was writing Alexander's story I wanted to create someone different enough to make you want to read all the way to the end and have him do things that would hopefully keep you laughing all the way to the crucial final scene. If I was unable to do that, the story would be a complete failure because as you have all said, there are many things about Alexander that aren't very likeable.
I think though that unlike many of you have said, Alexander is actually a fairly rounded, non-static character. All of you noticed that he did change at the end and compliment Margaret's cooking. Most of you down played the significance of this, but I think it shows Alexander finally realized that he would have to alter some things in his life. Of course, the changes he will be willing to make may not be enough to satisfy Margaret, and she may indeed end up hitting the road just as many of you predicted. I think it is unrealistic to think he has it in him to change completely - I think no matter what he does, he will always be a bit of a self-centered weiner - but at least he is on his way. And when he finally called Margaret Marge, that was also a sign. Makes me think of a movie from about fifteen years ago (Wow! I guess you were all born around then), "What About Bob?" with Bill Murray (Not a really popular flick, but a pretty decent rental, and really, you can never go wrong with Bill. My personal favorite is Rushmore. Hey! Check it out.). In "What About Bob?", Murray is his usual nutty self, but his time he's seeing a shrink played by Richard Dreyfuss. Anyway, Dreyfuss' character keeps saying to Murray, "Baby steps, baby steps!" Well, that is what Alexander is doing, and for someone like him, that can still be pretty darn bold. I think also just by surviving on his own for six month, Alexander showed that he was not static. Compulsive, obsessive, rude, self-centered, oblivious, and host of other things, sure, but certainly not completely static.
Getting back to what I said yesterday, I basically don't want to write stories with endings and messages that hit you over the head like a sledgehammer in the last few lines. I want my readers to get to the end and then keep thinking. Wondering what is going to happen next. How many times have you read something, enjoyed it while you were going along, and then forgot all about what happened soon after you read the last line. I didn't go into great detail about Alexander's appearance because I wanted everything he did to create your image of him. This is very commonly done in fiction, and I bet you would be surprised how many things you've read, had a very concrete image of the characters in your mind, but if you looked back you would see there had been almost no physical descriptions of any of them. Good writer - and I think that's what I am, good but not great - show and resist the urge to tell too much.
To Penny Matthews and her class: I am looking forward to reading you comments and hope they are as well-thoughtout as all the of the ones I have read so far. This is fun. I wish Japan, and Calgary (where I am from) wasn't so far so I could get a chance to meet all of you.
Have a good one.
Corey
I found Alexander to be quite annoying, mostly because of his need of perfection, his ignorance and the way he took things for granted.
In my opinion, nothing really needs to be perfect, because it's almost possible to be perfect, so I don't really understand perfectionists. For example, him complaining about the bacon being too crispy made me frustrated; it's bacon, and as long as it's cooked so that you don't die of food poisoning, it's good enough for me.
I also thought that he was a very ignorant man; everything had to go his way, and if people didn't like it, he didn't notice. He couldn't even predict that his wife was going to leave him after being such a jerk.
Alot of jerks also take things for granted, which is what Alexander did. His wife made him breakfast every morning and all he did was critisize her food. Maybe if he had to cook for himself for once, he's see how hard it was to cook breakfast for a perfectionist such as himself. I think that Alexander is a flat, static character because he didn't really show many traits and he didn't really change at all during the course of the story; he was a perfectionist at the start and he stayed that way till' the end of the story.
So overall, I thought that Alexander was a perfectionist, was quite ignorant and took many things for granted.
Corey, Robin, et al:
Corey said:
This is fun. I wish Japan, and Calgary (where I am from) wasn't so far so I could get a chance to meet all of you.
Perhaps you could explore the possiblity of a video conference.
I'm really enjoying the conversations happening here. The quality of writing is impressive. Keep it up.
Craig Duplessie
District Office
In the story “A Man And His Routine,” a man named Alexander finds himself in the situation of having to get a divorce from his wife named Tammy. Alexander was a civil engineer, who had three kids, and had little time for a social life, which ultimately lead to his demise. Once he was divorced Alexander, who wouldn’t be call otherwise, didn’t think much about his former wife, and continued his daily routine. One day, while at the local Safeway, Alexander met a women, who gave him advise on what chips he should buy. It appeared that they both were attracted to each other, and as they got to know each other over time, they fell somewhat in love. This is what lead to a new beginning, for Alexander, but this time he had changed a little, but not very much.
The story “A Man And His Routine” didn’t share many physical characteristics, about Alexander, only that he was in his fifties, wore white dress shirts to church, and he was average height. To set the record straight, this man was by far as boring as a Mr. Martin’s bald head. Alexander was a perfectionist, and it was maddening, because his bacon and eggs had to be cooked to perfection. If I was his wife Tammy, I would have took the spatula the food was cooked with, and beat him to death with it, or drowned him in the bacon grease left in the frying pan. This is probably the reason why I am not a girl, and never will be.
The attitude that Alexander had was, if it wasn’t his way, it wasn’t acceptable. I disliked his attitude, but for a man who is very antisocial, you can’t expect much more than that. I found that Alexander was a flat character, because you can predict what he is going to do, like when at the end of story, he wonders if he should tell Margaret how he likes his bacon and eggs. I also found that Alexander was a mix between, a static character, and a developing character, because he does develop, because he calls Margaret Marge once, and like I said, he doesn’t bother to tell her how he likes his bacon and eggs. Other than that he doesn’t develop that much, and still is a complete loser.
I found this story pretty good, which will probably surprise you. I liked it mainly because Alexander is a civil engineer, which I want to be once I am done school. I also liked this story because it mentions “Hockey Night in Canada,” which is amazingly funny to make fun of once Don Cherry comes on. In the end I wasn’t a big fan of the story, but compared to “Declan Carrol’s Unfortunate Death” this was much better.
By: Bradley O’Hearn
Careful Brad, saying that: "Alexander was a civil engineer, who had three kids, and had little time for a social life, which ultimately lead to his demise..." leads your reader to believe that Alexander is dead, where what you meant to say was that those factors contributed to the demise of his marriage.
Careful Brad, saying that: "Alexander was a civil engineer, who had three kids, and had little time for a social life, which ultimately lead to his demise..." leads your reader to believe that Alexander is dead, where what you meant to say was that those factors contributed to the demise of his marriage.
Yes that is what I meant, but I was in a hurry and I wrote it in 30 minutes. But at least I don't have any words spelt wrong, which was my goal. Also I didn't see that, so thanks for pointing that out.
Don't mean to pick on you brad, but you don't have any words "spelt" wrong just doesn't sound right to me.
Like I said, I was in a hurry, next time I post my comment on a story it will be better guaranteed.
A really great "by-product" of our responding is that we, as writers, are becoming more and more aware of our use of conventions in our posts. A few of us (including myself and Corey) have been victimized a couple of times by spelling/ grammar errors which we only noticed AFTER our comments were posted.
The result is that we are taking our revision to a higher level - an example of this is Brad noticing his errors and Tim pointing them out - meaning that Tim would NOT DARE make a post with any type of convention errors in it, for fear that he would get the same type of retribution he so generously provided to Brad!
You are learning the "in's" and "out's" of responsible posting, keep it up!
In the short story “ A Man and his Routine,” there is a very round character named Alexander. He is not used to change, particular and very secretive.
One of the traits that I find related to Alexander probably the most is that he does not adapt to change very well. An example of this is how his wife left him and he didn’t do anything about it. His routine remained the same.
Another word that I thought describes him is particular. I found that even though different things around him were happening, he still wanted things the same, even the little things such as a slice of bacon.
One last trait I found was, secretive. Throughout the story, Alexander was always kept to himself. I thought that it seemed as though he always had everything going through his mind, but failed to tell anyone.
Overall, my opinion about this character was that he was kept to himself, preoccupied and afraid of something different. But, having a character like him helped evolve the story even more.
I hope someone misspells "A Man And His Routine," and puts "A Man And His Poutine." that one is for you Thurshane.
Alexander, the main character in the short story “A Man and His Routine” is a rather strange man. Just like the title of the story tells us, Alexander has a routine and lives by it, he liked it the way it was, and didn’t want to be bothered.
You didn’t go into specifics when describing Alexander’s physical appearance, all you mentioned was that he was about 50 years old. I pictured him to be a short man, with a rather large belly, a bald head except for a few hairs on the sides of his head, rosy cheeks and a stern look on his face.
However, you didn’t leave anything out when you described his personality. I think that Alexander was a flat character and developing. I think he’s flat because he’s not very dimensional. The basic traits to his personality are fussy, a perfectionist, and very stubborn. Also, I think he’s developing because through out the whole story it mentions how he likes to call people and to be called by his full name, and instead of calling Margaret well Margaret, he calls her Marge.
Any who, I liked this story, didn’t love it but it was pretty good. I liked Alexander’s character and while I was reading the story, Alexander felt like someone I knew, because I knew so much about him.
-Jessica
“A Man and his Routine,” is another story written by Corey Charron. This piece is about a character, which I find stubborn, compulsive. I found Corey once again created a realistic character, providing me once more the chance to get into the mind of the author we have been focusing on.
Alexander’s’ physical appearance and voice was said to resemble Abraham Lincoln, tall and lanky. “Alexander had the same high-pitched nasally voice the equally lanky Abraham Lincoln is said to have had.” In my opinion, I thought as Alexander as a rather flat character, only showing one side of his personality. He does the same thing over and over again. I cannot decide whether he is a static or developing character, because I don’t know if he changed or not. There is a hint that he changed, when he calls Margaret, Marge. “The bacon, Marge, was also nearly perfect, which is never easy.” This could mean he is changing, but at the end of the story he also shows how he still like everything his way, by wanting to tell her how he likes his food cook. This factor in my opinion is taking her for granted just like he did to Tammy, his ex wife. It is also the reason why they got a divorce in the first place, “Tammy had told him she had had enough of being taken for granted.”
The stubbornness of the character, reminded me of my grandfather which is one way I could connect to this character. This trait is one of his problems, and I think it the reason why he ended up with a divorce. He refused to change, and I believe he will keep doing the same thing until he either dies or finds someone who had enough patience to put up with him. At the diner, he would send back his food if it was not cook just right, also showing he cannot mange change. He also refused to call Margaret, Marge, even though she insisted on it. He would not answer to any other name expect for Alexander. “His name was Alexander, not Alex, most certainly not Al, and anyone who dared to call him otherwise was soundly rebuked.”
I found the Alexander very compulsive, and always following the same routine. When he went to the restaurant for breakfast, he would tell the waitress his complaints, and then repeated them before he left, so she would not forget. He did the same thing every morning, and every night. It never showed how he reacted when things went wrong, but I believe if his schedule was to be out of order he would take a panic attack. He didn’t even let his divorce get in the way of his important agenda, which is not want most people would do. This characteristic makes Alexander very strange.
Alexander, being inflexible and obsessive made him a character I almost felt bad for, but then again, mad at in a bizarre way. He could have changed, and perhaps he did change. I believe it is Corey Charron’s way of getting us to imagine what the elderly man chose to do with his life, instead of him just telling us.
" I hope someone misspells "A Man And His Routine," and puts "A Man And His Poutine." that one is for you Thurshane. "
bahahah :)
Well now, what can I say? Alexander simply has one of the dullest lives I’ve ever heard of. This is sad in my opinion. How can anybody seriously live that way without driving themselves up a wall? On my personal behalf I would literally die knowing how orderly and simple my future would be. Thankfully, in the end we are relieved of the repeating of schedules of the main character by the forceful women. Anyways, enough of that, let’s talk traits, physical characteristics, and character type.
I’m got to say I found Alexander very stubborn, ungrateful, and definitely a perfectionist. I was quite clear to me that he was stubborn once the author tells us that he refused to take any sort of blame for the departure of his wife (Tammy). Like really, I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t have just waked up one morning, and decided she would leave her husband. She’d most definitely thought it through numerous times. As for ungrateful, I believed this characteristic fitted him because he never once seemed to show any appreciation for what his wife provided him (such as breakfast, etc). Lastly, he’s most certainly a perfectionist, like c’mon now, he tells us how his breakfast should appear to almost every detail. So, to me that has to be the trait of perfection.
Alexander doesn’t have a great deal of physical characteristics named. But, there were some named such as being lanky, with dark brown hair. Were also told he’s fifty-eight years old, and has a high pitched voice like Abraham Lincoln. But, that’s basically all we’re told.
I’m pretty darn sure that he’s a flat character my friends because the reader is never given any clear information to figure him out. But, as for whether or not he’s a developing or static character, I’d say developing. I’m saying this because in the end he shows us that he’s willing to begin making a change.
Anyways, that’s all I have to say about this story. I, myself actually liked this story best of all the ones I read so far just because he’s just different then my own self. Even though it was simple I liked it a good deal. But, anyhow, now you know what my beliefs are of what his traits, physical characteristics, and character types are, so till next time.
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A Man and his routine
Alexander the main character in the latest short story we read by Corey Charron, was a very peculiar man, one who I could not comply with. It seemed as if Alexander was mentally deranged, I absolutely hated the man.
One of the reasons I loathed the main character of “ A man and his routine” so much was the fact that he made fun of other religion in which he did not attend. To me this is a sign of arrogantes and ignorance in which I can not tolerate. I also hated the fact that Alexander had the same routine every day; I found this to be pitiful. I hated Alexander so much that when his wife left him I was actually happy.
On the other hand when the 50 year old man finds a new love, it is almost as if he is reborn into another person, he is definitely a non static character. However I just can’t relate to him.
For me this story was a treat to read, it is not often that I become so raped up in the advents of a story, Alexander was all I could think about. I just hated him so much, if “THE MAN” was not reading my response I would have a few choice words to say to Alexander however keeping it “G” rated is what I am all about.
In conclusion I would like to thank Corey for writing such a great story and I absolutely can’t wait to read his next master piece.
Anne-Julie,
Thanks for the compliment. I'm sure you all are wondering how a guy with a mug as ugly as mine could end up with such cute kids (thought I would get this in before someone else did). Mr. Martin said he plans to get a picture of the class and post it here as well. I can't wait to see all of your smiling faces.
Corey
P.S. I liked the Man and His Poutine joke. Man, I could go for a jumbo tub of New York Fries with extra grease sprinkled on top.
Funny stuff. Can you even get poutine in Japan? Our Japanese students thought the concept of cheese curds and gravy on fries was disgusting...this coming from the land of raw squid and octopus!
Aaron,
I enjoyed reading your review. I was especially glad to see that you wanted to pop Alexander in the nose, but still really like the overall story. That's what I was hoping to achieve when I wrote it. Regarding Alexander's view on religious groups other than his own, I agree tolerance is something this world needs a whole lot more of, however, with Alexander I'm not so sure that it is such a personal thing. I think he is just uncomfortable with anyone who moves outside of his little box. He might be just as suspicious of someone who watches movies instead of hockey on T.V. I could be wrong about this though. Mostly I just thought his comments about religion fit in with the rest of his personality. What do others think?
Thanks again for your thoughts.
Corey
My perception of Alexander’s personality didn’t take ling (long) for me to establish. He is obviously very stubborn which shows in his ways of not allowing change,(.) he (He also) seems unable or unwilling to even think about why his wife could have left, which could mean he is partially closed minded. He also seems very lazy and doesn’t have any desire to enrich his life living behind barriers of negligence.
Alexander fails to evolve from the beginning to end of this storey (story), which leads me to believe he is a static character. His reaction to life, and the people in his life, changes very little if at all(throughtout the story)
It's pay back time Tim Wingate. You
criticized my writing on spelling mistakes, and misused words, but in this section that I have quoted, from your response, there are six spelling and grammer mistakes. Next time you try to constructively criticize someones writing, make sure yours is perfect, or responses like this will come along, and burst your bubble.
The short story “A Man and his Routine” is about a very unusual 50 year old man. The mans name is Alexander; I found that Alexander is a rude, stubborn, anti-social and ungrateful kind of person. Through out this character sketch I will tell you why I think that.
Firstly I think that Alex is a very rude man. The sad thing is I don’t think he even notices. Whish lead to his marriages demise; he was rude to Tammy and then she packed up and left him.
Secondly I think he is stubborn. I first noticed he was stubborn was when he was at the restaurant .He was so obstinate about his food; then he was even stubborn about church!
Lastly I think he is an ungrateful and anti-social because after Tammy left him he didn’t really talk to anyone. He was by himself for a long time and didn’t seem to mind. I think he is ungrateful because when Marge made him breakfast all he worried about was if the bacon was cooked right. IF someone is nice enough to cook you something then you should thank them not worry if your bacon is too crispy.
So as you can see I think that; Alexander is a very rude, stubborn, anti-social and ungrateful type of person for obvious reasons. Although I don’t like Alexander I think “A Man and his Routine” is a very good story.
Hey, Corey
I just wanted to thank you for responding to my “letter”. After reviewing your thoughts, I would have to say that I am in an exact agreement with you. However I still do believe that Alexander is a complete idiot, but that is just my opinion. Also I would like to take this time to frown on Tim Wingate’s narcissistic sarcasm towards your story, don’t worry all take care of him, "ha". Well I got’s to go; if anyone has something to add to my response go ahead.
Peace.
Alexander, the main character in the short story "A man and his routine", is a very unique person who has many physical and personal/mental traits. Luckily, i'll be describing a few of them for you.
First off i'll describe his physical characteristics for you. Well really in the story it doesn't say a lot of physical things about him, except the fact that he's in his 50's, so from that i'm guessing he's probably got some grey hair if not all grey, and most likely he's balding.
Although he did not have many physical traits, he did luckily have quite a few personal/mental ones, such as the way he acts and thinks about events within the story. For one he doesn't seem like a very loving guy, but more of a egotistic one, because even though his wife leaves him he doesn't care about her but just decides to roll over and go back to sleep. He is also quite consistent and doesn't give up or learn his lesson, because even though his wife calls him and tries to talk Alexander just goes on without even caring or trying to solve their problems too. Finally he moves on, or forgets his past easily. After meeting Margaret he just simply forgets about his ex-wife and just acts as if she never existed.
In conclusion, although Alexander was a old, ignorant, egotistic, selfish man I still some how felt bad for him and kid of liked him as a person, and I found he had a reason to act like that, really what should you do if you wake up some morning and find your wife just unexpectedly leaving you?
I also think Alexander, as he likes to be called, is a static character. His overall personality remains intact throughout the duration of the story. Sure, you hear a lot of people saying that he changes at the end and blah blah blah. Well let me tell you people why you are wrong. He doesn't change at the end. It's so obvious. The story ends while he is criticizing that girl's cooking, which is exactly what he does rapiditly throughout the story, like at the restaurant. Some people would argue that he changed because he also complimented her cooking while criticizing it, but he did that at the restaurant too. So the point is, he doesn't change at all, and never will.(unless there is a sequel) And Tim, if you point out any spelling errors you'll be sleeping with the fishes.
Whats going on Corey? First of all I have to know why everybody is ripping on my buddy Brad? Tim...you can't be making fun of Brad because your story isn't exactly perfect for grammer and punctuation there genious. I bet if you were to write a story on four-wheeling, Brad would own you Tim.
Alright, now my poor brother Marcus. Marcus you may have contradicted your own statement. Corey also has a point about backing your statement up man. But other then that you deserve some credit for actually attempting to post a blog on this site.
Last but not least, my pal Robyn. What is it with everyone making fun of him because hes bald? Well sure he kind of gave up his self respect, but he makes up for it with his manly goatee.
PS:If I got to make another poutine I'm going to hurt someone.(All comments expressed was in the name of fun. If anyone may feel offended, it wasn't intentional)
Laterdays
" Hey, Corey
I just wanted to thank you for responding to my “letter”. After reviewing your thoughts, I would have to say that I am in an exact agreement with you. However I still do believe that Alexander is a complete idiot, but that is just my opinion. Also I would like to take this time to frown on Tim Wingate’s narcissistic sarcasm towards your story, don’t worry all take care of him, "ha". Well I got’s to go; if anyone has something to add to my response go ahead.
Peace. "
ITA (i totally agree) with Aaron on the Tim Wingate commet ;)
I often debated whether Alexander from “A Man and His Routine” was man or machine? Well, not really, but with the lack of emotion that this man shows in the story makes you start reckon if he is a normal human being. In my opinion, this “Man” isn’t normal. Most average people say, “My life is like a soap opera”, meaning that things and problems actually occur. However, in Alexander’s case, I’d relate his life to a show like “Coronation Street”. Meaning poor old Alexander’s life is quite colorless, but this doesn’t seem to bother him because he has a routine.
Some traits that go along with his routine are: stubbornness, perfectionist and he is emotionless. Not many people in life get two chances at true love. However, Alexander did, and did he change and become a better person on the second try? No. This is why I say Alexander is so stubborn. The morning after the much needed, shall we say, libido that Alexander received, he woke up to a perfect breakfast that his new lover Margaret made for him. Oh wait, did I say perfect? Nothing’s ever perfect for this man, so instead of kissing Margaret on the cheek and saying thank you, he complains about her cooking. Alexander just won’t change for anyone else.
The word perfectionist easily describes Alexander. He gets up on week days, eats his Bran Flakes, goes to work, then comes home, eats and then watches the television till he falls asleep. He has certain meals picked out for certain days too. Also, everyday Saturday night, he falls asleep sometime during the third period while watching “Hockey Night in Canada”. Alexander has his life planned out till the day he dies. As you can tell, from these few things, Alexander is no doubt a perfectionist.
The reason why I say he is emotionless is because when his wife up and leaves, he doesn’t seem to really care. He just thinks about his situation and then moves on with his life. This is the reason the thought of Alexander being a machine or non-human comes to mind. Most people would be heart broken, but not one tear ever shed from his face.
Other then these personality traits, the only thing I know about his physical appearance is that he is in his fifty’s. Meaning he probably has a few grey hairs and what not. In conclusion, the author did a great job of creating an image for Alexander even if he didn’t concentrate on his physical appearance. However, if Alexander ever was a real person, I have no desire in meeting him in fear of pure boredom.
Review
“A Man and His Routine” is about a man in his fifty’s named Alexander. Alexander was living his planned life until suddenly his wife leaves him. You’d think the story would be about the whole brake-up of the relationship. However, it didn’t really seem to bother him and he easily moved on with his oh so exciting life. One day, at the grocery store he met a woman named Margaret, who was about the same age as Alexander. They ended mingling well together and started seeing each other. Finally, at the end of the story, we realize that this man has not changed for this second chance that has come into his life. He just doesn’t break the routine.
For me, a boring character equals a boring story. Don’t get me wrong, the story was well written, the author created a good image for Alexander and there was a very clever ending, but it wasn’t as easy as usual to keep on reading throughout the story. I guess it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
While reading “A Man And His Routine,” I discovered that it’s main character, Alexander, was sort of unlikeable in a way. He was not very enthusiastic about life, and he did not act very friendly at times. But, in the same moment, he was a loving individual.
To start off, Alexander was not a very exciting character and his enthusiasm for getting his wife Tammy back was lacking. Even after she called him, perhaps thinking he might say something to change her mind, he did nothing about it and then made arrangements telling her when she could come get her things. Sure he missed her for a few seconds, maybe even a minute, but very soon after he found someone new.
My next point is that he was not the friendliest of people out their. For example, when he was at the coffee shop, he might have had a superb breakfast but since he was probably in not the most stellar of moods, chose to tell the waitress just how he felt about everything that was wrong about the food he had just consumed. Also, when Margaret first introduced herself to him while in the grocery store, he didn’t really pay too much attention to her. He even started to walk away from he at one point, and persisted on giving her a disgusted smile a few seconds later.
However, it was shown in the story that he was capable of being a loving person. After just two months of knowing Margaret, he was seeing her several times a week and thinking about taking a vacation with her (from what I am not sure,) which also shows he was planning on spending the rest of his their lives together. Although he got over his wife quite rapidly, he must have realized there relationship was over and very soon after, opened his heart again.
So, I guess to sum it all up, Alexander could be seen as a likeable character to some, and an unlikeable character to another. Personally, I liked him, but I think it will probably change from person to person.
You people never cease to amaze me. There is some really good stuff here:
Eric, I think it's awesome that you find some stuff about Alexander to celebrate - even though, as you state: he's old, ignorant, egotistical and selfish (and balding, not that there's anything wrong with that!) - you still feel like he was justified in feeling that way because his wife left him? Hmmm, maybe thats WHY his wife left him! But still, it's good to see you're a "glass-is-half-full" kind of guy!
Saunders, I'm really digging your "the class is wrong and I'll tell you why" vibe. You picked up on the same stink of Alexander I had when I first read the story. I wasn't rooting for him and saw him the same way, he shows repeated behaviour (Dr. Phil says "the best predictor or future behaviour is past behaviour" - my wife was watching it, and I walked by the TV...) and he exhibits this at the end. A leopard doesn't change its spots, right Scott?
Thurshane "Poutine Master of Burger King" Martin. *sigh* what am I going to do with you? You make good points backing up Brad and Marcus and I like that you said I had a "manly goatee" but do you have to spell my first name with a "y" and point out my baldness? I'd expect more from the poutine master. (I like how your "voice" comes out in your writing, it gives your writing some serious Thurshane Personality.
McCrae, you make some great points. Highlight reel material for sure. The "Coronation Street" comparison made me smile but my favorite quote was:
Oh wait, did I say perfect? Nothing’s ever perfect for this man, so instead of kissing Margaret on the cheek and saying thank you, he complains about her cooking. Alexander just won’t change for anyone else.
You and Saunders make great arguements about the true nature of Alexander. The Force is strong in this one, young Padwan learner.
Kelsey, you're another "glass-is-half-full" kind of girl and I'm happy to see that. We bashed Alexander pretty hard tonight and you're still looking for that silver lining. Kudos to you!
Solid stuff, all the way around.
And another thing!
Eric, check Lacey's point about Alexander's wife, Tammy:
The sad thing is I don’t think he even notices. Whish lead to his marriages demise; he was rude to Tammy and then she packed up and left him.
Well said, Lacey!
Hey All,
Just reading all of yesterday's banter. Great stuff. Some funny stuff. I agree with Mr. Martin's comment about the overall nature of your comments and exchanges. Whether or not you liked my stories, everyone seems to be having lots of fun, and the thing I like most about this is that even when you are making fun of each other, you are being respectful. And the overall quality of you comments has also gone way up as well. Last week, I read some reviews that simply stated whether the writer liked or disliked a story and left it at that. Now I'm reading things such as, "...a boring character equals a boring story (Macrae Lynch)." Nice and direct, but supported. And of course there were many more gems that I could list here as well. I also agree with Mr. Martin about Scott Saunders sticking to his guns. Fight for what you believe in, brother.
I know you were talking in your class about other things we could do on this site, how about putting up a section where we could talk about out favorite books and writers and then everyone could give their opinions. As I've said, I have really noticed an improvement in your writing, and writing is just like almost everything, the more you do, the better you get at it. The three stories you read of mine certainly weren't my first ones, and every day I keep at it because the more I write the better I get. Does anyone else have some writing they want to post? I also like the idea about collaborating on sometihng.
What are your thoughts? From your words, it sounds to me like there are some aspiring writers among you. I agree with Mr. Martin, so many of you have distinctive styles. If you want to check out some great short stories, go to The New Yorker's site. They have a new story posted every week and generally publish only the best. I don't know if you have read any of her stories in your class, but Alice Munro from Ontario is considered one of the world's greatest living short story writers (top five, for sure). The New Yorker's site is at www.newyorker.com All you have to do is click where it says "fiction". Check it out!
Over and out.
Corey
P.S. I just said a little prayer that my bit of writing is error free, but it is midnight and I've got a feeling something slipped past me. Go easy.
" Hey, Corey
I just wanted to thank you for responding to my “letter”. After reviewing your thoughts, I would have to say that I am in an exact agreement with you. However I still do believe that Alexander is a complete idiot, but that is just my opinion. Also I would like to take this time to frown on Tim Wingate’s narcissistic sarcasm towards your story, don’t worry all take care of him, "ha". Well I got’s to go; if anyone has something to add to my response go ahead.
Peace. "
I really agree with you guys, I think that the story is good, I like the ending in this story. Alexander finally decided to change and finally is happy about the food that Margret cooked him.
I didn't mind this story it was one of the better ones I thought that Corey wrote but thats just my opinion.
Although I don't think a 50 some year old man should have a second chance at love. I enjoyed reading the story even though it was pretty odd.Like realy a 50 year old man doesn't deserve a second chance like really he's on the downhill slope of his life and doesn't need to bring some old lady down with him
Hey Corey I like your idea on "putting up a section where we could talk about out favorite books and writers and then everyone could give their opinions."
In "A Man And His Routine", The main character is a fifty-eight-year-old man name Alexander, who was divorced by his wife. After reading this story, we find out that he is stubborn, ignorant, a perfectionist and is self-possessed. However, he is a developing character, so by the end of the story his traits change alot.
Alexander is a very narrow-minded character, he wakes up and does the exact same thing every day. Even after his wife divorces him he continues his routine everyday, except by himself.
One of Alexanders most annoying traits is the fact that he is a perfectionist. He criticizes waiters on his meal everytime he has breakfast at the coffee shop. before he leaves his house, he walks through it to make sure that all the lights, taps and appliances are turned off. That could be a reason wh yhis wife left him.
Alexander is a developing character. When he first met Margaret he refused to call her anything other than her full name. But at the end of the story, he manages not to criticize her cooking, and even calls her Marge.
Alexander was a very strange man and he had the most boring life in the world.I am doing this character sketch to show that his wife left him for a very good reason.
First of all, Alexander followed the same routine each day, he was so used to his routine he didn't even neeed an alarm clock in the morning.Alexander was not described very much in this story but they said he looked like Abe Lincoln so im geussing he was tall and skinny.
Second of all, Alexander was extremly picky an example of that is every time he went out for breakfast he would tell them ways to make it better.Everything had to been done his way and the same way each day. Know wonder his wife left him.
Last but not least, I found Alexander the strangest and most boring middle aged man I have ever heard of. But in the end we could tell that he was starting to make changes in his life for magaret an example of that is he called her Marge and complemented her on the breakfast.
In conclusion, Alexander had the most boring life in the world and im geussing thats why his wife left him but he started to make changes with Margaret so maybe he will have some better luck.
I agree with Eric's post. We don't have any direct knowledge of what kind of a person Alexander was before his wife left him. It could have been the death of his marriage that caused him to become so obsessive compulsive. He was probably afraid to break away from his daily routine because he didn't want to lose anything else he loved.
" I didn't mind this story it was one of the better ones I thought that Corey wrote but thats just my opinion.
Although I don't think a 50 some year old man should have a second chance at love. I enjoyed reading the story even though it was pretty odd.Like realy a 50 year old man doesn't deserve a second chance like really he's on the downhill slope of his life and doesn't need to bring some old lady down with him "
We like Greg's , it was short, sweet, funny , and definatly straight to the point :) (especially the part about going down hill with the old lady)
Alexander (whatever his last name is; you didn't seem to mention it) is a very well organized and pragmatic man, who seems to have his life under control, despite a cold separation between he and his wife. He has his principles set, and finds joy in life through maintaining a calm, well paced style of living.
That's one way of looking at it.
Another way to describe Alexander What's-his-face is by using words such as redundant, self-absorbed, anal-retentive, picky, a perfectionist, aggravating and above all, a control freak. Also, you could throw in a few more colourful definitions (ones which, as Martin reminds us, are inappropriate for this blog).
Alexander, to be brief, can be considered a relaxed enlightened individual, or a...well...something that rhymes with kick. Let us examine the pros and cons of old Alex for a moment, shall we?
Pros
1.Alexander goes to church every Sunday.
2.Alexander had a long relationship with his ex-wife, and fathered three children.
3.Alexander is direct in his conversations and maintains a simple clarity in his work and home.
4.Alexander is well scheduled.
5.Alexander does not settle for anything less. He gets what he wants, while keeping his cool.
6.Alexander is somewhat social.
Cons
1.Alexander does not respect other ways of worship.
2.Alexander tends to take things for granted.
3.Alexander is a dull (though rounded) person who's conversations are flat and phlegmatic, and riddled with pointless sarcasm.
4.Alexander is a slave to routine.
5.Alexander refuses to compromise anything, whether it is a good idea or not. He constantly mentions his preferred desires, and doesn't applaud anything which is not perfect.
6.Alexander is not very perceptive, and does not notice his anal retentive ways.
To be frank, people can judge Al anyway they please, and see something different. He's one of those characters who seems to have no depth, but has levels beyond imagination, which can be dissected and examined for debate.
P.S. I think you are trying to kill us. All your stories are so argumentative and complex, that I feel like raising fists to some people. Or at least writing an angry letter.
I completely disagree
I believe that B-rice is exactly right on his comments "Mark".
I didn't mind this story it was one of the better ones I thought that Corey wrote but thats just my opinion.
Although I don't think a 50 some year old man should have a second chance at love. I enjoyed reading the story even though it was pretty odd.Like realy a 50 year old man doesn't deserve a second chance like really he's on the downhill slope of his life and doesn't need to bring some old lady down with him
haha, you pulled a Bradley, you spelt really wrong, welcome to my club, where spelling doesn't matter.
Haha, thanks for the support Aaron. I think you made some really great points as well. However Mark I wasn't as impressed with your response. First of all, you said "Alexander is a dull (though rounded) person who's conversations are flat and phlegmatic, and riddled with pointless sarcasm." I believe that statement is completely inaccurate. I took Alexander as an individual who was rather serious about everything, and didn't have a sarcastic tone whatsoever. Perhaps I may have missed or forgotton something, in that case I apologize for my banter.
Also Mark, in your post you reffered to Mr. Martin as "Martin", which is extremely disrespectful and ignorant. Pffttt.. kids these days.
" I didn't mind this story it was one of the better ones I thought that Corey wrote but thats just my opinion.
Although I don't think a 50 some year old man should have a second chance at love. I enjoyed reading the story even though it was pretty odd.Like realy a 50 year old man doesn't deserve a second chance like really he's on the downhill slope of his life and doesn't need to bring some old lady down with him
haha, you pulled a Bradley, you spelt really wrong, welcome to my club, where spelling doesn't matter. "
Do you have jackets in this club?
Despite some of the playful opposition Mark, I liked the spirit behind your post. Just remember that cynicism is great in varying amounts! I'm going to post your pro and con list to the highlight reel, since you look at both sides of the coin.
(tread carefully with your clever word rhyming)
Bryce, regarding your argument about my mention of Alexander's sacastic tone:
Perhaps you forgot the conversation on the phone, where Al explicitly uses a lame-but-fair tone with his wife, acting as if he doesn't know her, and saying that "my wife ran off".
Also, in the grocery store, Alex does not respond all that well to Marge's tip on the chip prices at first, and dismisses her with a haughty, "thanks for the tip."
Maybe you should go back and check the facts before making debates over trivialties.
This means war,
Mark.
Do you have jackets in this club?
Yes Marley this club does have jackets. Each one is unique, with their very own catch phrase. Take my jacket for instance, it has screw up on written on it.haha.
Yes I agree with Mr. Martin, Loggie and MacDonald you guys need to calm down, this is not the place to be arguing. I can't believe I just said that. There is still time redeem yourselves, by proving your the bigger man, and saying your sorry, it's just a matter of opinion. This post is goning to put a target on me now, so I better no come on this blog for awhile.
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OOOkkk?? Alexander seemed to me to be kind of... I don't know... Stuck in his own ways, as if he was unwilling to bend. I think that you've really managed to develope this character. Not only did you tell us about who he is now, you told us a little about his background.
I think that this story wa way better than "Scratch Ticket". And all I have to say is keep writting!
Courtney Atkinson
Wow! What an excellent job done by everyone involved with this site. The student comments are very insightful and appear to be well thought out. Keep up the great work!
Joey Savoy
District Office
Okay, I know this is a little late to start posting all my stuff now, but my computer has been broken forever, and I was sick the day Mr. Martin took the class to the computer lab. So now, I'm finally going to post my character sketch on Alexander.
Alexander is a very unique person, yet very real to me. I found as I read more about him, he felt oddly unrealistic, yet I found he reminded me of someone I know.
I found that Alexander was very rude and judgmental. He criticized everyone as if it was his job to do so. I mean, sure, sometimes its okay it be a little bit critical, but treating everyone with absolutely no respect, and acting as though everyone in the world was just put on this earth to serve him, made me really dislike Alexander.
I also found him to be very oblivious to the world around him. He seemed to be concentrating on the small details, that he totally missed the big picture, and the world around him. Instead of worrying about why his wife just up and left him, he instead decides to criticize the waitress about his eggs.
I kind of think that maybe, this is his way of hiding his pain. Instead of letting out his emotions, he acts as if nothing happened, and that his life is just one big routine. I also think that he maybe just criticizes people because he is mad at himself; like when people tear others down to make themselves feel better. Since his life is no where close to perfect, he tries to make himself perfect, and thinks others should do the same.
Overall, I’m kind of confused about this character. I hate him when I analyze him through the things he does in the story. He seems arrogant, self-centered, and overly critical. Yet, I also feel sorry for him. Maybe through his whole life, he wasn’t happy. So, he brought his wife down, and tried to be completely perfect, thinking he could block his pain out, and just be a perfect person, with a perfect life.
In A Man And His Routine I found Alexander very stubborn, Stupid, and a hypocrite. His wife left him because he kept nagging her about things that wern't important. Critisizing the way she cooked and everything else. He just wanted everything to be perfect to his standerds. When his wife left him he was given another chance at happyness and love but I believe in the end he wasn't going to change his ways.
After there relationship got more intense he started acting the exact same way he did with his first wife. I think that Alexander gives a whole other meaning to you can never teach an old dog new tricks!
All in all I didn't like Alexanders character and I don't think he should have another chance at happyness or love.
I recently just read the short story “A Man And His Routine” by Corey Charron. I found that Corey is a really good writer. Very well rounded, you can surely tell her was taught well. I enjoy they way he wrote. It was the tone of the story I had a hard time with.
At the beginning of the story Alexander’s wife (Tammy) left him, why did she leave so suddenly? Why didn’t she leave sooner in the marriage? And why didn’t you tell us more about Tammy? I was quite shocked that you decided to go with such a depressing ending. Why did you have Alexander learn absolutely nothing from his mistakes?
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