Reading Response to “The Fix” by Percival Everett

            One of my favorite things about this piece is how well the setting works with the plot and characters. The sandwich shop with the ordinary couple is necessary because some of the events are so dramatic and shocking that I needed something to keep from slipping into a dream mentality or discrediting the events altogether. The dialogue in this piece is really what brings the characters to life more than anything, and the best part about this story for me was the character development. I got a distinct idea of who each one was, even with Sherman being vague and mysterious. But being mysterious is a character trait in itself, isn’t it?

            After the mugging incident, Douglas and Sherman don’t even properly introduce themselves until well into their conversation. This made the first scene even more traumatic because they must’ve been so shaken up by the whole thing that they didn’t even think to say “My name is…” After they do exchange names, we automatically learn that Douglas is very curious and easily excited just by the amount of questions he asks Sherman. I was surprised that after Sherman fixes the fridge, he asks “Can you fix other things?” and then offer another sandwich. He quickly goes from savior to playing somewhat of a victim. Compared to Sherman, he has a lot of emotions and they move from point A to point C randomly. Sherman, on the other hand, is more consistent. It’s strange that Sherman’s lack of emotions causes Douglas to think he’s “an honest man who could fix things” (491). Sherman’s character is likeable for reasons I don’t understand myself. The other major character, Sheila, is hilarious. She sounds like what the wife of a shop owner should sound like. I actually laughed out loud when she went on about “He’s in the shop all alone” and “I’m having you committed” to “It’s certainly alright if Sherman sleeps here.” All of these characters feel real. I could imagine meeting them at some point in my life.

            From the point of the resurrection on, things escalated much quicker than I could have anticipated. I already thought things were getting strange when people came to Sherman for life problems or teeth, but bringing someone to life? I had no idea how to perceive him. I didn’t think him to be superhuman or alien by any means, but I wondered who the author had in mind when he created such a character. Douglas’s reaction to the resurrection is plausible and convincing and the question he poses: “Who are you?” was effective because I pictured him standing in front of Sherman’s blank face repeating that question like an owl. The story went from real to surreal in the last two pages when Sherman and Douglas run off. I was confused by the “But you” on page 498 and still can’t figure out what Douglas was referring to. But the image of a mob of people screaming “fix us” resonated in my mind and I knew before then that Sherman couldn’t live. People cannot be fixed in my opinion because we aren’t broken. We are imperfect by nature and if all of our problems went away that easy then of course we would be greedy about it. The end scene was haunting with “They sang their dirge into the dark sky, their flames winking” (499). I won’t get that out of my head for a while.