There is one story that I found more troubling than the rest of the stories and that was "The Super." This story was the one that stayed with me the most after I was done reading it. Throughout the story I felt many different emotions towards the super himself. As the story began I felt as though he was just a mean man that didn't do his job for the tenants in his building. However, I believe that the tenants only thought this of him because he worked for the landlord, who was "the enemy," and also because they never really got to know him. This went on so long that the only thing he had was his dog and pornography.
I believe the theme of this story was loneliness. All in all, the super acted the way he did because he didn't have anybody to talk to or connect with. He was mean to the tenants because they refused to give him a chance and get to know him. This eventually led to the horrifying ending in which he was played by a 10 year old girl. She was the first and only person to really come and talk to him and when he let her in, she not only stole his money but also killed his dog (the only friend he had). I believe he killed himself in the end because he realized that he would never be able to have a real connection with anyone and would be alone forever. In the end, none of the tenants really even cared that he was gone.
I agree with you about “The Super.” Of the four stories in A Contract With God, this is the one that will stick with me the longest. I think the theme of loneliness is one that everyone can relate to at one time or another. I don’t think there is one person who hasn’t felt like the outsider at one time or another. Everyone wants to feel a connection with someone or something else. No one can live without that connection. The super had that connection with his dog. When that connection was broken because of the dog’s death, it also broke him. What I also felt was truly sad was even in death the super was misunderstood.
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