When apple-picking season ended, I got a job in a packing plant and gravitated toward short stories, which I could read during my break and reflect upon for the remainder of my shift. A good one would take me out of myself and then stuff me back in, outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit.
After the apple-picking season concluded, the author found employment at a packing plant, where he discovered a passion for reading short stories during his breaks. These stories offered a form of escapism, allowing him to temporarily disconnect from his daily life and immerse himself in different narratives. The experience of engaging with a compelling story resonated deeply, providing both comfort and a sense of discomfort upon returning to reality.
Through reading, the author felt transformed, as if the stories expanded his perspective. This duality of feeling both uplifted and uneasy highlighted the profound impact literature can have on our lives. The act of losing oneself in a story and then grappling with the subsequent return to one's own existence exemplifies the complex relationship between art and individual identity.
