Fate in Save As Many As You Ruin Frederik Højgaard 11th Grade

In his minimalist short story Save as Many as You Ruin, British author Simon Van Booy comments on the human concept of fate, and how a series of random life events can bring forth the feeling of inevitability. The story is told from the point of view of a third-person narrator who is closely tied to Gerard, the main character, and has insight into his past and thoughts and feelings. Thus, the actual plot of the story is supported by Gerard’s continuous stream of consciousness which allows the reader to always know what he is thinking. In the first part of the short story, Gerard is walking around New York City. This serves as an introduction to Gerard’s way of reasoning and, more importantly, the past events which shaped him as a per- son. The actual story line is sparse and does not begin until Gerard sees his old flame, Laurel, through a shop window.

Gerard is a man of a great contemplative nature. His thoughts reveal that he thinks deeply about everything, and associates and connects the things which he has experienced. His streams of thought are associative as he jumps from one idea to another, revealing a complex inner life where he is constantly aware of himself and his surroundings. In the very beginning of the short...