“Yours” by Mary Robison Essay

”žYours“ is  short but very deep story. The relations between two peple, their whole life is depicted in two pages. Mary Robbins managed to create a simple but very touching story about life and death, love and compassion. The story tells about a man and a woman, a married couple, who make jacks-o-latterns out of pumpkins the night before Helloween. After the work is finished they have a small argument discussing whose pumpkin is better. Clark tries to persuade his wife Allison that her ones are better but she doesn”˜t agree. The same night Allison dies. When I started reading this short story I paid attention to the atmosphere of Halloween as the main characters brought pumpkins in order to make jacks-o-lanterns. Both, Clark and Allison behave like an ordinary couple and the story describes a routing day of their family life. Next fact, which attracted my attention and made me interested, was the age difference between the main characters of the story. Allison is twice younger than her husband. I also paid attention to the episode with the letter. When I read about the deception mentioned there the idea about the unequal marriage came to my mind. I thought about the rich man and his young wife who used him. Secondary details, such as woman’s wig, the pumpkins’ faces and argument about them became important only after I finished reading the story. All the details get another meaning after Allison’s death. We get another perspective to their time difference, to their relations and even their conversations. What really impressed me is the new meaning of the conversation about pumpkins gets after we finish reading the story and know about the Allison’s death.   The author uses artistic deals in order to create the necessary affect. Pumpkins are very symbolic in the story. They are the first thing mentioned in the beginning of the story and they are the last thing we read about when finishing the story. The main characters spend their evening cutting faces on the pumpkins. These faces are important for our understanding of the story. We can see how different Clark’s pumpkins are. Aggressive, astonished and serene, they tell us about the stages, the person goes through when loosing dear people. Knowing that he will loose Allison soon, Clark tried to find the means to deal with his loss. Allison made two smiling and two sad faces. This reminds us that grief and happiness are two parts of our life and nobody can escape them.

Not only pumpkins deliver the author’s message to the reader. Being a very gifted author, Robins managed to describe important issue through the routine conversation. When talking about the pumpkins, Clark tried to tell his wife about her uniqueness and importance. No matter how good you can do anything, you are unique to this Universe and whatever you do and however you can handle it is important.  These are the words Clark wanted to tell his wife, to my mind, and this is the author’s massage she put into the story.



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