Frank Foley
Frank Foley
A PRIMER FOR THE PUNCTUATION OF HEART DISEASE
Safran Foer, Jonathan
Published: 2002
Category: Short Story
Themes: family and the unsayable, the limitations of language,
Overview
First published in the New Yorker in 2002, Safran Foer's experimental and poignant story explores the limits of language in the face of our deep need to express our emotions.
Frank's highlight!
The unxclamation point - the narrator represents this as an upside down exclamation point, and says it indicates a whisper. The narrator then describes when, as a boy, his grandmother said to him, "I hope that you never love anyone as much as I love you." and uses the unxclamation point to indicate how this sentence was whispered. The narrator then asks, "Why was she whispering? We were the only ones who could hear." BEAUTIFUL!
Life-affirming / uplifting message
The sheer depth of familial love in this story always gets me, reminds me of my own family relationships. Who we are, individually, is written in the inexpressible complexity of our personal relationships. This is the core of being human.
Life wisdom
There are things we cannot express in language - We are emotional beings and sometimes what we feel cannot be expressed in words. Knowing there will be times like this, when we simply cannot express what we feel, reminds us of what we value. It is not a failing to be unable to find expression for some things we feel, it should not stop us trying.
A Personal Note
I've loved this story from the moment I read it back in 2002, when I found it tucked at the back of the story collection, The Burned Children of America (which I thoroughly recommend!). The story captures the depth of familial emotion and the impossibility of truly expressing it - something every one us can relate to, whatever meaning of the word family we prefer to invoke.
Quoted passages
QUOTE: ":: Unlike the colon, which is used to mark a major division in a sentence, and to indicate that what follows is an elaboration, summation, implication, etc., of what precedes, the 'reversible colon' is used when what appears on either side elaborates, summates, implicates, etc., what's on the other side. In other words, the two halves of the sentence explain each other, as in the cases of 'Mother::Me' and 'Father::Death.' Here are some examples of reversible sentences. 'My eyes water when I speak about my family :: I don't like to speak about my family.' 'I've never felt loved by anyone outside of my family :: my persistent depression.' 'Sex :: yes.' 'My grandmother's sadness :: my mother's sadness :: my sadness :: the sadness that will come after me.' 'To be Jewish :: to be Jewish.' 'Heart disease :: yes.'"