Checkouts
Cynthia Rylant
Presentation buy: Douglas Zhang,
Julia Hurley, and Garret O’Connor
Symbol
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the mayonnaise jar is a symbol of young love. It’s there, but is fragile, and
can be easily broken; as seen when the boy breaks the jar, and feels like he
had made a fool of himself, and therefore, gives up on their potential
relationship.
the bow and flower the girl wears in her hair are symbols of her flightiness;
they separate her hair from everyone else’s.
Setting
Get it? I’m so funny (not
really)
The story Checkouts takes place mainly in a grocery store in Cincinnati. This
mundane setting influences the story in a very interesting fashion. Not only
does it give the whole story a bit of a close small town feel, but also serves as
an obstacle in the relationship between the two main characters. The red
haired girl’s shopping schedule, combined with the big boy’s shift times, would
prove to keep the two apart, and lead to the eventual failure of their
relationship.
About the Author
Cynthia Rylant grew up in West Virginia, and
enjoyed biking in the mountains as a child.
Upon reaching adulthood, Rylant moved to
Ohio, where she remained for a while with her
son. Later on, she moved to Oregon with her
family, where she lives now. She’s always
favored cats and dogs, and has quite a few in
her household. On a separate note, she never
planned to become a writer, but eventually
ended up becoming one.
Other Works by the Author
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The Brownie and Pearl books
Steadfast Tin Soldier
When I was Young in the Mountains
Snow
Dog Heaven
Cat Heaven
Mr Putter and Tabby
Henry and Mudge
Annie and Snowball
Poppleton
High Rise Private Eyes
Lighthouse Family
Cobble Street Cousins
Missing May
Gooseberry Park
Primary
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Characters
the bag boy: clumsy, disheveled in appearance, in love, unsure of
himself; round, but static. Characterized through indirect
characterization (ie. his actions in front of the red haired girl)
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the red haired girl; wears an orange bow or a yellow flower in her hair,
lonely due to recently moving, on the wealthier side of life; indirect
characterization (ie. her thoughts on grocery shopping and her actions
towards the bag boy)
Summary
The Checkouts is about a redheaded girl who is forced to move to Cincinnati,
and is at first, very unhappy about it. It’s only after she goes on a grocery
shopping trip, that she finds herself in love with one of the bag boys there.
However, despite having feelings for one another, the two do not exchange any
words. After they meet up again, the two simply sneak looks at one another and
still don’t talk. This shows the sad, yet ironic relationship the two characters
share, and their unwillingness to share their feelings with one another out of
either shyness or embarrassment.
The Plot
Rising Action:
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The second time the girl goes to
the supermarket, but the boy and
girl ignore each other, despite
being interested in one another
HA Ha Ha… ha…
ha….? Ok, I’ll stop
with the bad puns
Climax:
❖ When the girl accepts the date of the other boy,
as it shows the choice that she makes to give
up on bagboy.
Falling Action:
❖ The boy lamenting for
the girl and going on
with his life.
Exposition:
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The main girl is introduced
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She is moved to Cincinnati
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A bit of her character is
revealed
Inciting Incident:
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Her first shopping trip to the
supermarket when she first
meets the bag boy. And they
find a “connection”
Resolution:
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When the two see each
other in the movie theatre
and smile at each other,
signalling that they are
happy for each other.
Point of View
The Checkouts uses a third person omniscient
narrator in order to give insight on the thoughts of
both the main characters. This serves as a very
useful narrative tool in showing the reader the fact
that both the bag boy and the red haired girl had
feelings for each other while also making the two
characters oblivious to the fact. This gives the
reader a sense of longing, as the reader waits for the
characters to discover their feelings for one another,
and a sense of dismay when they fail to do so.
Technique (Irony)
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The girl enjoys grocery shopping, despite not telling
her parents and inadvertantly making them think she
is taking time out of her day specifically to help them.
The girl and the bag boy avoid each other the second
time they meet at the supermarket despite the fact
that they are in love.
The girl and the bag boy never get together, despite
how the author made it seem as if they would end up
as a couple in the end.
This is the last
one, I swear
Theme
Checkouts shows that irony is present in the everyone’s life, and can frequently
prevent our lives from going as smoothly as we hope. this theme is shown in
the ironic relationship between the two main characters. The main characters
love each other but ironically, fail to get together due to ignorance to each
other’s feelings. This leads to the characters moving along their own separate
paths and prevents their fates from intertwining for more than a few minutes.
Rating
The lack of connection to the characters adds to the
intrigue, but the content itself is boring. It seems like the
author just wanted to write an ironic story. -Garret O’
Connor
The generic love story does not pique my interest and the
lack of excitement was really boring, as where the
characters, who really had no personality. -Julia Hurley
Great insight on the lives of teenagers! The characters may
not be too developed, but they served their respective
purposes very well; as tools to help convey the theme
regarding young love.. -Douglas Zhang
Citations
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/wpcontent/uploads/2013/11/cynthia-rylant.jpg
http://www.cynthiarylant.com/