Fsz Nsd Zd Essay - 1190 Words

Critique of “Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa” The short story, “Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa”, has a fantastic plot and uses exceptional language to create a magical atmosphere. Ray Kinsella is working in the corn fields on his farm when he hears a voice. The voice says, “If you build it he will come”. At first Ray struggles to find out what this magical voice is talking about, but eventually Ray realizes that he must build a left field, but not just any left field, a left field for none other than Shoeless Joe Jackson. In this superb short story W.P. Kinsella truly shoes that when people show passion for something it can always be accomplished no matter what it is. The author also demonstrates that sometimes people are raised on their sport rather than their own religion.
The way W.P. Kinsella has gone about making this story so passionate is truly exceptional. When Ray’s better judgment and his dream are battling it out inside his head, he chooses to follow his dream and the “voice”, even though he might lose the farm and go bankrupt. He realizes that hard work does pay off and he benefits from it by getting to witness this amazing magic. This choice really shows how passionate Ray is for baseball. It is not just baseball Ray loves; he is also passionate towards his family and Iowa: "I watch Annie looking out. She is soft as a butterfly; Annie is, with an evil grin and a tongue that travels at the speed of light”. (516) Anytime Ray talks about his family it is with passion and affection. To him his wife can do no wrong. This is very similar to Shoeless Joe who threw the 1919 World Series. To any other fan this act would have made them hate Joe Jackson, but to Ray, Shoeless Joe did nothing wrong and was just a victim in the whole thing, which may or may not have been the case. "...but I fell in love with Iowa. Fell in love with the land, the people, with the sky, the cornfields and Annie (516)." This sentence shows the excellent approach that W.P. Kinsella uses to show Ray’s passion and love. External conflict can really magnify Ray’s love for his dream. Throughout the entire story Ray has to deal with the people in town and even his in-laws calling him crazy and stupid, but he does not care. The only people he needs are his daughter, his wife, his father and of course Shoeless Joe Jackson. The story is written in first person omniscient where Ray Kinsella is the narrator. While using first person omniscient is great when the reader needs to know about Ray’s relationship with his father and what Ray is thinking and doing, it would have been nice to know what Annie was feeling. To see if Annie had that fire of passion inside her like Ray of if she was just supporting him thinking it would eventually go away. The point of view adds to the theme of the passion Ray has for his family first and baseball second. He always makes sure it's okay with his wife before he does something and he pays just as much attention to her as to his baseball project. The atmosphere plays a huge role in making this story the polished piece of artwork it is. Without this magical atmosphere being the way it is the story would have lost a lot of passion. How Ray describes things alone can show how much passion is running through his veins. W.P. Kinsella really paints a clear picture whenever he is describing anything. By using magic realism the author can write about things that are unbelievable.
“A covering that served like a coat of armor to dispel the real frost that was set like a weasel upon killing in the night. I seemed to stand taller than ever before as the sun rose, turning the ice to eye-dazzling droplets, each a prism, making the field an orgy of rainbow”. (209)
By giving Joe Jackson another chance to play baseball, Ray is honoring his father’s wish. This, along with other supporting details allows W.P. Kinsella to show the importance of having passion in everything that is done. Without people having passion for things

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