Enny Van - Meet the Shaggs

This actually turned out to be one of my favorite pieces in the course. Orlean amazingly always captures the feelings of everyday life that is worth talking and writing about. She picks subjects that seem to break down everything and represent the core of human emotion and struggles. Having read American Man- Age 10, it was interesting to see how she would write a profile and not have followed the subjects around like she did in the other piece. And that she didn't include her interview with the actual sisters, suggesting that she did all her research before even getting in contact with them and how she made it work. What was particularly striking was the way in she had even informed the reader about just interviewing the sister and making it seem like their history and story didnt start until her inclusion of their "actual interview." This legitimized the way in which Orlean could use what they said about the past and use it to reconstruct the scenes and their past. Then, the reader just feels like their reading a detailed story and then BAM! --followup years later with the sisters. There was much buildup and anticipation to hear from the Shaggs ages later. I respected Orlean so much on how she showed Helen's depression possibly due to the journey of the Shaggs or because of the "intimacy" with her father. Instead of pushing the issue over the edge to discredit the father, Orlean rather posed it as something horrible that shouldnt happen but sometimes just does. Irony threaded throughout the piece and gave it this addicting pull leaving readers at the end empty, sad, feelings that go out to dreamers who fail regardless, and small towns missed by interstate highways bounded by some invisible wall.