"You're Ugly, Too" by Lorrie Moore

You can read this story here: http://books.google.com/books?id=E79awtsD3tYC&pg=PA669&lpg=PA669&dq=you%27re+ugly+too+lorrie+moore&source=bl&ots=TxqEyCIIfz&sig=qSw7LjrB_CBraRLPQdmSeCFmhDE&hl=en&ei=nlpIStupFpX4NayOvZcB&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9

The setting struck me as a very integral part of this story – and it was not a specific town, but rather an entire area: the Midwest. From the first paragraph of the story, this is set up as a backdrop to the actions of the characters, perhaps on a subtle level influencing their actions and feelings. “You had to get out of them occasionally, those Illinois towns with the funny names” – this opening line of the story creates a sense of restlessness and confinement. When we meet Zoë, she confirms and expands this sense. Is this going to be a story about the quirky outsider bringing life and pizazz to a small Midwestern town? I wondered. Her students are described as “good Midwesterners, spacey with estrogen from large quantities of meat and cheese.” Though the story is written in third person, we get the idea that this is Zoë's description of her students, which reinforces her offbeat sense of humor. I also liked how Moore built her character with specific examples of actions that shed insight into her way of thinking – for example, when she is delighted to have her own tree and hangs a sign on it that says, “Zoë’s Tree.” This single example shows that for all the generalizations and ironic humor she makes at the Midwest’s expense, in some ways she is entranced by her new home as well.

The setting of the Midwest is contrasted sharply when Zoë goes to New York to visit her sister – this separates the story into two distinct sections. The city is glittery and chaotic and impersonal, reinforced by Moore’s decision to have Zoë’s sister hosting a Halloween party the same weekend she is visiting. Everyone is in costume, adding to the layers of anonymity, and drinking alcohol, making their interactions seem exaggerated and their emotions overly intense. Zoë seems to be searching desperately for human connection – and her need is similarly intensified by her recent medical problems, and the news that her sister is getting married. I like that Moore does not spell any of these things out for the reader – she simply gives us all the information, all the components, and lets the reader sift through Zoë’s emotions and the possible reasons behind her actions, such as when she shoves Earl at the very end. Zoë says she was “just kidding” – but, like Earl, we do not quite believe her. She seems like a woman on the edge of a breaking point; Moore ends the story before she fully reaches that point, but it seems like Zoë world is very definitely beginning to unravel. The story captures this moment, rich with all its banal, bizarre details.