Floyd Got Raptured (fiction review)

This passage exemplifies which idea?

“Don’t you think, Ginger, that even if God took Floyd to Heaven, that Floyd’s presence would still be with us in this house? God would not take that away from us, would He?”

• zeitgeist: the spirit of the times in which all believers are raptured

• carpe diem: the narrator wants to live it up with his wife Ginger

• casus belli: the disappearance of Floyd has led this couple to fight bitterly

• memento mori: Ginger’s inability to recognize Floyd’s death foreshadows the fact that she’ll be dying soon too

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CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.2.6

What does this line in the story tell us about Ginger? 

“Wouldn’t everyone and everything be raptured at the same time?” I asked, trying to activate some of her dementia-soaked brain cells.

• The narrator has never seriously thought about the rapture, Jesus’ return to earth to lift all the righteous to heaven.

• Ginger and the narrator should be raptured too, like their dog. Since they remain on earth, they must not be believers.

• Ginger’s religious beliefs mask the signs of her dementia, a disease marked by a decline in memory and thinking skills.

• The narrator is heartbroken to see his wife so unhappy. Especially since he is also surprised by the sudden disappearance of the dog.

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Why does the narrator’s feel torn apart?

Ginger was only ten years my senior, but the disease had aged her greatly. It tore me apart each time she brought up Floyd.

• When Ginger mentions Floyd it causes him a poignant anagnorisis, or recognition, of her worsening state.

• Floyd’s recent disappearance is a painful reversal, or peripeteia, to the narrator.

• Floyd has just gone on to an idyllic state.

• Floyd was Ginger’s previous lover.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

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CCSS.RL.9-10.3

What is the meaning of rapture in this story?

• a feeling of intense pleasure, joy, or bliss

• to be seized, or carried off

• any bird of prey, or predatory creature

• the belief held by some Christians that believers will suddenly be transported to heaven

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What is important about this imagery?

Floyd’s dry and empty water bowl sat in the corner where it had been for eighteen years.

• Floyd has been gone a long time, but the narrator keeps his bowl to preserve his memory and shield his wife from the truth.

• It reveals that the narrator and his wife have not been taking good care of Floyd.

• It proves that the narrator killed Floyd.

• It demonstrates that Ginger is a careless housekeeper.

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Write a letter from Frank to Ginger explaining why he lied about Floyd.

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CCSS.RL.9-10.3