Life in the Navy
"Man from the South" was an odd story. The interaction of the man in the white suit and the young sailor was strange, but perfect for this type of story. Right away, we know it is 1948 and we are at a pool where the narrator has been observing a dozen or so American naval sailors in the hotel pool goofing around with a couple of English girls from the hotel. As young sailors in the 1940s post WWII, we know that these young men are probably low-ranking in the Navy. We know their daily lives will probably consist of living in cramped quarters, carrying out several menial tasks and duties required of them as low-ranking sailors. Cooking, prepping food, cleaning, laundry, and carrying heavy supplies while at port are all probably part of these men's days, or soon will be once they are at sea. Training and drills are also a vital part to their roles as new navy sailors.
For the young sailor in the story, he does not see the necessity for all of his digits. The pinkie, to him, is an inconsequential finger and seems a small price to pay for the chance to win a bet. What the sailor does not realize, is that to achieve an effective and powerful grip, all of our digits are needed. Living in such tight spaces on a ship or submarine, requires efficiency and a strong grip on routine and daily duties. The sailor does not realize that if he lost his pinkie, he may lose that efficiency and he would need to modify his daily routine. For an occupation such as prepping food, like peeling potatoes, would be difficult when a person lacks a pinkie. Without a person's pinkie, it can be difficult to maintain grip on a slippery potato, while wielding a paring knife. The soldier may need to rely on his right hand to hold the potato and peel it in one hand and only using his left for support. He may also need a modified peeler, that would allow for him to use a stationary peeler, while he held the potato itself. He could also do exercises on his left hand to rebuild any lost strength in his grip. It would be necessary to keep up with the pace of his daily routine, as integral part to a ship.
I was struck by the wife of the man in the white suit in the story. She had lost so many fingers to this man, and I did not understand why. It was strange that she, the one with a limiting physical trait, was the caregiver. She had to keep an eye on him so much, that even leaving to have her hair washed was a burden to be done quickly. Her occupations would have been driving, paying bills, taking care of a home. She also would have had to be the one devising the logistics of their travel. All of which could be very difficult with missing digits.
For the young sailor in the story, he does not see the necessity for all of his digits. The pinkie, to him, is an inconsequential finger and seems a small price to pay for the chance to win a bet. What the sailor does not realize, is that to achieve an effective and powerful grip, all of our digits are needed. Living in such tight spaces on a ship or submarine, requires efficiency and a strong grip on routine and daily duties. The sailor does not realize that if he lost his pinkie, he may lose that efficiency and he would need to modify his daily routine. For an occupation such as prepping food, like peeling potatoes, would be difficult when a person lacks a pinkie. Without a person's pinkie, it can be difficult to maintain grip on a slippery potato, while wielding a paring knife. The soldier may need to rely on his right hand to hold the potato and peel it in one hand and only using his left for support. He may also need a modified peeler, that would allow for him to use a stationary peeler, while he held the potato itself. He could also do exercises on his left hand to rebuild any lost strength in his grip. It would be necessary to keep up with the pace of his daily routine, as integral part to a ship.
I was struck by the wife of the man in the white suit in the story. She had lost so many fingers to this man, and I did not understand why. It was strange that she, the one with a limiting physical trait, was the caregiver. She had to keep an eye on him so much, that even leaving to have her hair washed was a burden to be done quickly. Her occupations would have been driving, paying bills, taking care of a home. She also would have had to be the one devising the logistics of their travel. All of which could be very difficult with missing digits.
Hi Clare! I never even thought about gripping onto something slippery would be effected when losing a pinky. The sailor will surely be surprised when his left hand is not as functional as it was before. I also was surprised to read that the wife was the main care giver in the relationship. She sure has her hands full with him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the man's loss of his pinky would affect his grip strength and would challenge his ability to carry out his every day activities such as meal prepping like you mentioned. I also thought it was very interesting that the wife played the role as the caregiver to the man in this story especially since she was the one who had physically been affected.
ReplyDelete