The Metaphor
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Inside Stories II,
The Leaving,
Close Ups: Best Stories for Teens,
Fractures: Family Stories
| "The Metaphor" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Budge Wilson | |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Short story |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Chatelaine (1st release), Inside Stories II, The Leaving, Close Ups: Best Stories for Teens, Fractures: Family Stories |
| Media type | Magazine (1st release) |
"The Metaphor" is a short story by Budge Wilson. It was originally published in the October 1983 issue of Chatelaine magazine.[1]
The story has appeared in numerous collection books. First, it appeared in the 1987 collection Inside Stories II.[2] Next, it appeared in Wilson's own 1990 collection, The Leaving[3] (also known by the name The Leaving and Other Stories for some reprints).[4] It was also included in the 2000 collection Close Ups: Best Stories for Teens.[5] Lastly, it was featured in another one of Wilson's collections, her 2002 book Fractures: Family Stories.[6]
The story begins in 1965, following Charlotte and her seventh-grade class. Their teacher, Miss Hancock, enthuses the class and encourages Charlotte to develop her writing. After being taught how to create metaphors, Charlotte compares her mother to an office building: efficient but unfriendly. Charlotte's mother disapproves of Miss Hancock for her flamboyancy.
Once Charlotte is in the tenth grade, she again has Miss Hancock as a teacher. However, this new class does not respect Miss Hancock, and Charlotte distances herself from the teacher. Several months later, Miss Hancock is killed by a school bus. Believing this death to be a suicide, Charlotte is overcome with grief, feeling that she is partly responsible.
Receiving no sympathy from her mother, Charlotte returns to an old notebook. She creates a metaphor that compares Miss Hancock to a birthday cake filled with useful party favors; the contents of the cake are valuable, but they're overlooked by adults who only see the garish exterior.