Week 10: Reading Notes Part A

The Woman Who Makes Swell Doughnuts

This story is a short sweet tale about an oriental woman who does just as the title suggests, makes swell doughnuts. There is not much substance to the story, nor is there much of a story all together. But the culmination and the warmth you can feel through the authors words is definitely there. The author enters the old Woman's home, and is immediately greeted and taken to the most comfortable chair in the household. The author describes the wear and tear of the old woman, and how it is obvious to see that the woman has gone through many hardships as well as bright times in her long life. The old woman has raised six children, as well as an extremely long marriage, and just life in general. None of this has deterred her cooking, and even though the recipe to make a regular old doughnut does not offer much in the form of variety, her doughnuts still have a distinct taste to them that makes them amazing to the author. It is also clear that this woman is worldly and after living a long life and raising other lives, she is fully aware of life and the paths that should be taken. When the old lady is asked about the children she responds "I say to them, play, play hard, go out there and play hard. You will be glad later for everything you have done with all your might." This is important because she knows that playing hard and playing outside is important to the development of a child. In all I enjoyed this story, and I think it connects very well with the reader since myself, and I'm sure many other readers have someone like the old lady in their lives that they can relate this story to.