The Artistic Process

"The Center of the Story" is written in a metanarrative form, thus illustrating the ways in which the artist's life often blurs with her artistic work. In Davis's short story, after the woman finishes writing her story, "it puzzles her, and there is a peculiar yellow pall over it" (173). At the start of the narrative, the narrator says the woman is troubled by her story because she "can't think where the center of the story might be" (173). However, as the narrative unfolds, the reader begins to realize that this is not the woman's only concern. She is unsure about almost every element she has included. She decides that "the Bible and the hurricane belong in the story, though whether at the center or not she does not know" (174). The landlady, the mayor, and the newscasters create similar confusion for the woman. None of these...