The Egg

by Sherwood Andeson

This short story might well have been called, "All I Even Needed to Know About Humanity I Learned From Chickens". At times humorous, at times sympathetic, the author reveals the inadequacies of chickens and then points to our own inadequacies. As much as we hate chickens we can despise the things we believe are lacking in our own lives. That’s the philosophy of the story, perhaps it is equally enjoyable as a story about a family that just can’t seem to move far enough away from demented fowl. Narrated by Glenn Hascall.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Family, Classics

Audible Audio

First published March 1, 1920

Reviews

[George Ilsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 100-year-old short story begins with a description of life on a chicken farm:

One unversed in such matters can have no notion of the many and tragic things that can happen to a chicken.

But who are the chickens in this story, and who is the egg?

One hopes for so much from a chicken and is so dreadfully disillusioned. Small chickens, just setting out on the journey of life, look so bright and alert and they are in fact so dreadfully stupid. They are so much like people they mix one up in one's judgments of life.

And so it goes. Hopes are raised only to be dashed. Humour and the frustrations of everyday life all nesting together. The "American spirit" of ambition is seen as a kind of curse, or folly — a beckoning siren luring the ambitious to their fate. The twists and turns of this story, and the clever unreliable voice, made me laugh.

Sherwood Anderson was friends with Gertrude Stein, and the two of them used to get together and grouse about Ernest Hemingway, who no longer visited. "We taught Hem everything," they'd say, and that was that. Another literary dust-up baked from the traditional recipe of cutting remarks, snide asides, jealousy, and hurt feelings.

I believe this is the first work of Sherwood Anderson I have ever read. Rounded up to 5 stars because there is a town named Pickleville, which is tremendously satisfying to say.

[Joselito Honestly and Brilliantly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I imagine literature professors giving this as an assignment for their students to read. As it would be obvious to the latter that the egg (L'uovo) here symbolizes something, discussions would center around this symbol of whatever the imagination would conceive it to be a symbol of.

Here, the egg, a chicken egg, proved resistant to a father's efforts to use it for his modest ambition to improve his family's lot a little bit. He ends up crying in a desolate surrender, without rancor against the egg which frustrated his efforts, and which he bequeaths to his son as a lifelong mystery to ponder on.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giving it four stars because I listed to the Public Domain Theater episode, which was hilarious.

[Shan]

Un bracciante dell’Ohio e sua moglie, una maestra di campagna, decidono, per il futuro del bambino, di salire la scala sociale. Si buttano così sull'allevamento di polli, ma è cosa ardua, molti pulcini si ammalano e molti polli diventano mostruosi sviluppando due teste o 4 zampe. Il figlio della coppia passa la sua adolescenza nello spleen più completo per la morte aviaria e l’insuccesso dei genitori. Così dopo il disastro dei polli la famiglia si trasferisce proprio di fronte la stazione di Pickleville, vicino a Bidwell, e intraprende l’attività ristorativa per i viaggiatori e la popolazione di Bidwell. Ma anche questa nuova scelta imprenditoriale, benché inizi bene, ha un epilogo tragicomico. Il padre pensando di intrattenere i viandanti con numeri da grandguignol ( mostra loro i corpicini dei polli polimorfi sotto spirito, tenta battute e numeri di giocoleria con le uova) ottiene effetti indesiderati sui clienti disgustati. La rabbia del padre con un uovo in mano condensa il super potere dell'uovo ed il suo trionfo in un' America che presto affronterà lo spettro della grande depressione.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading the audible version of “THE EGG” written by SHERWOOD ANDERSON and narrated by CATHY DOBSON. This is the wonderful story of a young boy, brought up on an unsuccessful chicken farm, whose impoverished parents try their luck at running a restaurant. The father, not a natural showman
by nature, attempts one night to entertain the sole diner with tricks which use eggs. The result is disastrous.

[Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prima o poi finisce in frittata

Racconto breve che vede l'io narrante di un figlio descrivere le azioni del padre che, insieme alla propria moglie, ad un certo punto viene assalito da una sorta di 'ambizione' sociale, improvvisando soluzioni quanto meno bizzarre.

Più piacevole che altro.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Cidolfus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A shaggy dog story about eggs and OP's hatred of chickens. Man, his dad was nuts.

[Randy Tramp · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of a Father, as seen through the eyes of his son. One line in the book: "I am a gloomy man inclined to see the darker side of life, I attribute it to the fact that what should have been for me the happy joyous days of childhood were spent on a chicken farm.

I enjoyed the "inner view" of a boy towards his father. Affected by his, somewhat cheerful father, and at times not so upbeat, the son relates his view. It was a refreshing, and at times comical look at relationships within a family.

[Janith Pathirage · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little short story by Sherwood Anderson. Its in his second short story collection, "The Triumph of the Egg". This guy has a ting for eggs it seems. I like the way he has kept things simple in this tale, without boasting too much about the characteristics of his heroes. Ideal read for a rainy day.

[hamatesus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam bir yumurtayla Amerikan mentalitesini, bir civcivle hayatı özetledi.

[Jessie Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough to keep reading but not up my alley.