The Russian Greatcoat

Theodore Deppe's poem "The Russian Greatcoat" portrays a family man reliving his past. I can assume that the "mystery woman" as she is never named, is an old lover. Deepe is a seemingly good man "At first I evade the question when my wife asks, as if just thinking of you were an act of betrayal". I would draw from the passage that "mystery woman" is a beautiful woman, a somewhat bossy woman. Deppe seems as if he would do anything for this woman. I am brought to the question as to why he must only think of her, why didn't the relationship assuming there even was one, work? Love lost is the topic, even while married with children he can still think of "mystery woman". Was she the one who got away? Deppe seems somewhat hear broken "sometimes i can go weeks without remembering". What was so great? Why is she a reoccurring thought through his head? Leading me to believe she is the one who ended it. Is he happy in his marriage? Deppe focus's on those moments, maybe because that can tell us all we need to know. They were not together no longer, and he would do something so irrelevant just because. That maybe their relationship was not a good one, maybe she was controlling. But why would he still reminisce on old times? What was the reason for the ending of the relationship? I want to know! Why can he not get her out of his head? Does his wife know about her, is that why she might become angered by the idea of her?

Stitches

                In the first images we’re introduced to David he’s drawing a rabbit. We eventually find out on page 56 the significance of the drawing. David “…had fallen in love with Alice” 56 he wants to be her, he even puts a blanket or towel on his head to resemble her long blonde hair.

 He runs through the streets and is looked at like a mad child “ other mothers pulled their children indoors when they saw me coming” showing he knew how crazy it was for a young child to do that but at the time making perfect sense to hang on the monkey bars speaking to someone who isn’t there. When the neighborhood children saw his make believe play time they weren’t amused it was weird for a boy to run around with a towel over his head. The kids called David names as he ran home embarrassed it seems so even then as a child he knew it wasn’t normal but it was his only normal. 

 It’s not just the body of Alice it’s the hope that he too can fall into a rabbit hole, into another more interesting world.

                David Small uses his drawing and dreams of Alice as a scape to his ordinary life, which consists of a mother hidden within herself scorned by her being. A father who thinks the cure of sinuses is radiation therapy, who barriers himself in his work to blind his eyes to the unhappiness of his wife and himself. David needs Alice to remain sane and calm to relieve himself of his problems including his cancer caused by the radiation his father gave him, his seemingly crazy mother, and absolutely crazy grandmother.

                When first reading this I thought his fascination with Alice was his child like ways, but on page 250 we're shown David sitting with a rabbit which was supposed to be his therapist.

 He was fifteen at the time in my eyes old enough to not lean on a made up cartoon, but it’s not just that David seeks compassion from the rabbit and he receives it and allows the reader or at least myself to see his reasoning for Alice isn’t crazy it’s a reason of sanity. Alice is the only reason David figuratively speaking didn’t follow the path his mother was clearing for him in his dream.