George Saunders’ “Tenth of December” is a short story about heroism and its ubiquitous nature with the notion of rejecting reality from the perspective of a woefully dying man and a young child with a fruitful imagination. Don and Robin both divulge into their own illusory worlds through disconnection and role-playing by creating a barrier between themselves and the nature of the world around them. Heroism, also intertwiningly injects itself into the ideology of rejecting existence as a base for story. The pair, Don and Robin, views themselves as heroes that allow their actions of living out in a false domain to become justifiable. The story itself is structured in a dream-like narrative furthering this notion of the importance of reality …show more content…
Both Don and Robin believe that to be a hero they need to reject reality and its responsibilities as a prerequisite. Robin, enchanted at the idea of saving his fabricated classmate, ends up finding a scantily dressed Don walking up a hill without a coat, which was conveniently left on a bench. Robin finds this opportunity to actually become a hero and save the old walking man from the cold spell surrounding them. This act seemingly starts to detach Robin from his fantasy world and progresses as the story unfolds. This interdependent action triggers Don’s notion of his will to live when he spots Robin falling into the lake. At this moment, Don realizes he has to act in order to save Robin, which in turn prompts him outwardly in the reality around him. The cycle of damsel in distress occurs once more when Robin gets his mom to save Eber from his outwardly tomb. When Robin’s mother finds Don across from the soccer field, he comes to the realization that he does indeed want to live. He understands that life is all about give and take and that there is beauty in the simplicity of this transaction. Don is then trailed into Robin’s home and see’s that Robin is alive and well, reinforcing his decision to become whole again in mentality and revives his will to live to its fullest