Banal "Eggs", Jer-ry-mire, & Fictional Incest

I don't really know what compels a person to write a bland short story about a guy ordering eggs, but I guess William Kennedy felt this way. Throughout the first page of the short story, I was extremely confused. Of all things Collier's Magazine could publish, they decided to publish an uninteresting and mediocre story that has almost no plot. However, I was relieved to read that it didn't get published. I don't intend to be mean towards the author but the way he described the story wasn't in a way that anyone would be like, "Wow! I dying to know what happens next!"
On a more positive note, it was really helpful to see how Kennedy went through the revision process for "Eggs" because it showed how it's OK if your first piece isn't amazing and getting all sorts of recognition. Kennedy took valid advice from Eudora Welty; mystery is an element to include in pieces that can make what you write a little more interesting. It was kind of sad how he got sentimental at the end when he was saying how he was sorry that his parents (mostly mom) didn't get to see him progress and develop as a writer. But ending on a funny note by mentioning his dad brought the short essay full circle since he had previously mentioned how his dad hated "Eggs".


Jer-ry-mire. I laughed so hard at this. I thought there was something wrong with it when I first saw it, but after reading it out loud several times I realized that the intended name was 'Jeremiah.' Besides the funny names of his mother's relatives, this essay was really dark.
There was definite shock factor when the "seven children, six miscarriages" was mentioned. It was definitely shocking to me. Who in the world could handle seven children, almost the same amount of miscarriages, and a rough marriage? It's just exhausting and mentally draining to even think about. I felt sad for the children because I could just tell that they had an awful home life just by the mention of one of the children saying that the miscarriages were the lucky ones. They were somewhat compensated (but not really) by being able to become a successful poet and writer.


The thing that really struck me about Maurice Sendak's essay was the weirdness of him and his brother Jack's story that they wrote when they were seven and twelve (respectively). I think that it's really neat that they were able to be so creative at a young age, but I was just deeply disturbed by the 'incest' in the story. How did they not find it strange that they were writing about being in love with their sister? What made it even worse was that their parents were proud of this story. I can understand that it's an achievement of their kids', but as a parent I would still think it's unusual for my two sons to write a story about them being in love with their sister. It's even more disturbing that they would even think of having their sister commit suicide because the brother is dying. Starting young for writers is a good thing, but Sendak's start was just concerning.