Charles Yu was born in 1976 in Los Angeles, CA. He is the child of Taiwanese immigrants, and grew up with Ho-Lo/ Tai-gi as his first language. He has since lost most of that language, however it is important to know his parents taught him the provincial dialect, though Taiwan’s “official” language is Chinese.  He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Columbia Law. He is best known for his work in science-fiction, and is a story editor on HBO’s Westworld. As a contemporary writer, particularly in the science-fiction universe, his work involves themes of what makes us human and how technology affects our society. However, his law school past influences his work as well, specifically when considering ambition, the pressure to succeed, and professional failings. This theme lies in the undercurrent of “Fable”, and the narrator laments that there are so many other lawyers, and he fumes when he is passed over for a promotion because of his situation.

A quote on ambition:

“Then there are stories which reflect the point of view of the narrator, or myself as a person of color, specifically an Asian American. An example of this would be my story “Third Class Superhero.” It’s a story about somebody on the lower fringes of the superhero hierarchy, and it’s very clearly about class and ambition. It’s certainly possible to read that story as not about race, but it probably informs the reading to know it was written by an Asian American.” –Sonora Review, 2018

It is worth knowing that Asian-Americans are referred to as “the model minority”. Consider the pressures put on an Asian American to perform in academia to remain competitive and be considered for admissions to universities. In Fable, the narrator is less than impressed with himself for completing law school and getting a job. There’s never a discussion of race, but the narrator’s environment, perhaps the competitive law school environment, has left him with a feeling of self-loathing, and he never seems to feel he measures up.

The narrator’s role as a caretaker is another major theme in the story. He takes care of his wife, he provides for her financially, and supports her through the bouts of depression alluded to throughout the story. He takes care of his son, who he loves, but the stresses of caring for a child living with a developmental disorder take their toll. He also mentions having cared for his mother until she died. He seems to think he put his own life on hold and married too late in life because of it. I find this striking because he cares for his mother, his spouse, his child, and seems to wait with bated breath for some sort of fulfillment. However, the thing about caretaking is that there’s no heroic aspect, no real lesson to be learned. It’s when he lets go of that expectation, and accepts the bad with the good and beautiful, that the “path” to peace is laid out.

Questions:

1. Consider the different fairytale conventions. How do they set up expectations for the story? How are these expectations met and how are they failed?
2. The narrator alludes to other dreams outside of his occupation as a lawyer, but doesn’t devote much time to chasing them. How are familial expectations different for men versus women? How does ambition play out in that respect in the story?
3. The story refers to infertility as “a witch’s curse” and the child’s disorder as “a dark energy”. How do we avoid naming difficulties in our lives in everyday conversations? Why do we avoid discussing these things explicitly?
4. The narrator in this story is a caregiver to his mother, his wife, and his son. How is he struggling with this role in different stages of life, and how does he cope with them?
5. Why are women considered to be caregivers more often than men? Compare this narrator to the narrator of “Sonny’s Blues”. How do these men care for their loved ones? Is one enjoying/adapting to the experience more than the other?
6. This is called “Fable”. Is it a misnomer, or did the narrator learn something? Did he walk away with any resolutions?

In conclusion, I felt the discussion was insightful, if a little short. I wish we had touched more on the concept of manhood in caregiving. I enjoyed learning about Charles Yu, as the opportunity to read about contemporary authors is rare; most are dead and gone before they are in classrooms. I think if I were to do anything different in the presentation, I would have jazzed it up with more fun facts. For instance, his brother Kelvin is a regular writer on FOX’s Bob’s Burgers.