Rock Springs is a collection of unconventional stories written by Richard Ford in the 1980’s. Instead of using the traditional buildup of a story, with villains and heroes, Ford manages to make the characters plain people with stories to tell. Bad fortune and luck plague them, more than any other human source in the book, which makes the reader sympathize with the characters, instead of anger or agitation towards an antihero.
The first story, named after the title Rock Springs, centers around the life of Earl Middleton as he tries to make a living for his daughter. He has a shady and criminal background, and the only thing he is talented at and knows how to do is break the law, yet he is not violent or brutal. He and his daughter and girlfriend go on a road trip to escape, though they don’t know where they are headed. The car breaks down and Edna, his girlfriend, ends up leaving because of Earls doubt on their relationship. He gets an epiphany and the story ends in with refection and questions that are left unanswered. Did he really need Edna? And why was his life the way it was? Did he really control his life, or was he only a series of reactions?
“Communist”, which is other story in Rock Springs, is about a young boy named Les. He remembers back to an incident that happened in the past and reflects on it, as the Ford likes his characters doing. When Les, his mother and a friend were out hunting Geese, Glen, the friend, decides to leave a hurt bird to die. Aileen, Les’ mother, stops him in order to “keep civilization alive”. Les reflects on this, and on how the incident left him feeling, as he still can feel the sadness at his core.
