Conflict In Brownies And Car Crash While Hitchhiking

M. Esther Harding’ quote “Conflict is the beginning consciousness describes conflict being the epicentre of stirring consciousness in a person. This theme is explored in the short stories ZZ Packer’ “Brownies” and Denis Johnson’s “Car Crash while Hitchhiking”. In both works, different types of conflicts have been introduced to intrigue the reader and invoke thought and contemplation. ZZ Packer develops a more external and racial conflict by focusing on various characters of different backgrounds and races. On the other hand, Johnson relies on an internal conflict by focusing only on one person, the Hitchhiker. ZZ Packer’s story illustrates a racial conflict to evoke empathy whereas Denis Johnson’s story develops an internal conflict to gain

At the end of the story, Laurel, the narrator, says that her father made the Mennonites do humiliating work at her house. When Daphne asked whether her father bothered to tell the workers ‘thank you’, she said no. “I could not tell which were the thoughts and which were the trees. “No,” I said, and suddenly I knew there was smoothing mean in the world that I couldn’t stop”. The expression stated above illustrates how when being confronted about the action of her father made her think about the situation with a new perspective which allowed her to broaden her horizon and accept her father’s mistake. This stirs empathy in the reader as its human tendency to form an impression about a person without knowing them and one fails to realise how can that subconsciously affect them. As in Laurel’s case, every person has been a prey to such a situation where subconscious hatred towards someone due to background difference could lead to increasing the differencing by repeating the same thing others had done to you. This makes the reader further question their action and thoughts in such situations which causes them to empathize with Laurel. This shows how ZZ Packer uses racial conflict to make the reader empathise with the

I’d thought something was required of me, but I hadn’t wanted to find out what it was” (9). The words “relieved” and “tearful” show a drastic contrast about how the narrator feels and at the same time even after knowing he is required or expected to do something he tries to circumvent it. This shows how he is at a battle with his own thoughts and isn’t able to decide what is needed of him at the moment. This makes the reader feel remorseful for the hitchhiker as they can recognize that he is a dilemma in his own mind. Moreover, when taken to the doctor, even though he had minor injuries when asked about how he was he replied, “There is nothing wrong with me” (11) and later that he was “surprised” that he let those words out. This erratic behaviour of the hitchhiker confounds the reader. Even though he needs help he denies it. This makes the reader sympathize with his situation as the narrator is clearing in a situation where he needs desperate help. This desolating and despairing tone evokes a sentimental mood for the reader and makes them sympathise with the