Response to "Incarnations of Burned Children"

After finishing Wallace’s “Infinite Jest” a few years ago, it’s safe for me to say that I understand a little bit about the author’s twisted and intriguing mind.  “Incarnations of Burned Children” reads as if it was written by an entirely different author when compared “Infinite Jest.”  The simple grammatical structures and long sentences are prominent throughout this story.  In essence, the story is about a family and their experiences with a horrific and traumatic injury to their baby.  The child accidently overturns a pot of boiling water and is scalded.  The family then scrambles to attend to the baby’s medical needs, but end up losing the child due to the severity of the injuries according to a mistake by the parents. 

 I loved this story.  The simplicity of the story and the lack of dialogue make the story unique.  The long sentences really added to the sheer panic in the story.  What the parents are going through is mirrored throughout the structure of the narrative.  I also noticed how Wallace does not refer to anyone by name.  Although the story is written in third person, it’s almost as if it is from the child’s point of view.  The way that he uses “Mommy” and “Daddy” add to this effect.

 I also noticed how brief this story is.  I was half expecting Wallace’s short story to take up half the book, yet I was impressed with how much information he added.  Even minute details such as the door hanging on the hinge of the birds observation from outside might seem irrelevant, yet Wallace makes it work very effectively.  Overall, I really like the author’s approach for this story.  The story begins so quickly and doesn’t slow down just like the situation occurring in the story.  It’s incredibly sad, intense, and vivid and makes for a very compelling narrative.