Two Stories

Abstract

"Ms. H and Me" and "Roundabout" are both short stories exploring the theme of isolation in contemporary, urban life, through the construction of character. "Ms. H and Me" is narrated by a cancer. The personification of cancer enables the reader to enter into the disease’s viewpoint, causing the host of the cancer to be viewed as a lover rather than a victim. In describing the relationship between the disease and the diseased, notions of appearance, 21st Century love and identity are explored. "Roundabout" is narrated in the first person by a female protagonist who is driving her car. After a confusing and deliberate car crash with a white van on a roundabout, the narrator is discomforted by the lack of motivation for the attack. Although 'assisted' by the van driver and a witness, the protagonist is left feeling displaced and threatened by her urban environment.