Perspectives

When analyzing a literary text like “The Strong Man” by George Garrett, it is always useful to reflect deeper on its themes by looking at the context it was written in and similar works.

Literary period

The short story “The Strong Man” belongs to the literary period called modernism.

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Current issues

Though published in 1985, the short story deals with universal themes related to marriage and love, namely confinement and betrayal.

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Works in the same genre

“The Strong Man” is a modern realistic short story, written in the third-person, yet using the point of view of the female character. Two similar stories are “A Serious Talk” by Raymond Carver (Readings, pp. 16) and “Ice Cream” by Helen Dunmore (Readings, pp. 83).

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Works with the same theme

The theme of confinement is explored by a similar story written by Alison Moore, called “Eastmouth”.

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