Paco’s Story Readalong Week 2
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This is week 2 of the Paco’s Story read-a-long, and the second set of discussion questions were posted on Wednesday, July 14 for Chapters 3 and 4.
If you missed the first round of questions, check them out. You also can check out my previous post for section 1.
Like the other chapters, readers only see Paco through the eyes of other characters or the unknown/ghost narrator. We learn that Paco is on medication to keep the pain away, but how much medication would it take to keep the images of war out of your mind?
One of the most memorable passages for me is in Chapter 3: "He [Paco] is not really asleep, hunched as awkwardly as he is, but mighty groggy from the several additional doses of medication -- muscle relaxers and anti-depressants -- to the point of a near-helpless stupor. . . . Paco is in constant motion . . . " (Page 35)
As readers move through these next two chapters we see Paco move from location to location -- from the bar to the diner to the antique store to the barbershop --but in a way, he's motionless as he sits and listens to each person or people he meets -- silent. Paco is a dichotomy in this way, and it makes him an enigma.
The narrator continues to demonstrate the reactions to Paco the war veteran and we learn a bit more about his recovery, but do we get to know Paco? Should this story be told by Paco? Readers may like to understand his inner thoughts, but I wonder if he thinks much beyond the moment. He seems focused on finding a job and a place to stay, but not much else.
Even if you aren’t participating in the Vietnam War Reading Challenge, we hope that you will join us for the Paco’s Story read-a-long. Until next week.