Ties That Bind, Build, Heal

During this three-week class, we will discuss three communities that face significant crises. In Bret Harte’s “The Luck of Roaring Camp,” a rough mining camp must care for an orphan baby; in Raymond Carver’s “A Small Good Thing,” distraught parents stand watch over their hospitalized son; and in Stephen King’s “The Reach,” an isolated community protects its own. Through it all, the characters form and sustain relationships that build, heal and bind. So, what are the ties that bind? In these stories, the ties include accepting and welcoming, giving and receiving, defending and protecting. Note: “The Reach” includes a supernatural element, but it is not a horror story.