Awakening to the World of Posibilities in Charles Baxter's Gryphon

Charles Baxter's short stories are well-known for the strong presents of ordinary people encountering extraordinary strangers who disturb their lives. “Gryphon” written by Charles Baxter is not an exception. The story is filled with characters that are awaken from their boring lives and transported into a world of possibilities. As a central idea of the story, Baxter's critics often mention “middle America's” conventions, and the effect it has on anyone who does not fit the mold. Within “Gryphon” the reader experiences a few days in the life of fourth grade class; specifically, a few days spent with a unique substitute teacher. The narrative outlines, on many occasions, the unsureness in the face of the unknown. Is the society ready to accept someone who deviates from the limits of the norm?

The title of the story is very significant in the context that follows. Gryphon is a mythical, mysterious creature. The term is almost never used to describe the life of the fourth grade students. In this case, it works perfectly. A cleaver metaphor describes Miss Ferenczi in her role of substitute teacher that this fourth grade class is introduced to. Gryphon is an imaginary creature with the rear body of a lion and an eagle head. The parallel between the substitute teacher and the unreal creation serves a multipurpose metaphor. It is used to portrayed Miss Ferenczi's appearance and her teaching methods. Like a gryphon, Miss Ferenczi is misunderstood, courageous, and intelligent. With a picture like this in mind, it is effortless to see why she would be an outcast.

The outward physical appearance of such a creature is not widely accepted. Miss Ferenczi is depicted as dressed strangely, her hair do is bizarre “done up in chignon”(24...

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...classroom is his world and he attempts to make the best of it. The narrator likes Miss Ferenczi. He doesn't just want to listen to her. He produces evidences in her favor. He makes up stories of his own. At one point, he consults the dictionary and finds “gryphon” defined as a “fabulous beast.” He misinterprets the word fabulous, and he believes in the existence of the beast. Tommy's character stands for the small part of unaltered society that is still willing to accept the extraordinary aspects of life.

The last paragraph is full of small details. Details of “no mystery”(256) now become noticeable. Because of Miss Ferenczi's influence every fact from the world starts to take an element of strangeness. After Miss Ferenczi was gone, life in Five Oaks restored it's ignorant peace, but her larger that life spirit remained alive in a heart of the fourth grader Tommy.