The Garden of Eden in “The Great Frustration”

Fried uses this biblical setting as the backdrop of his story. Rather than taking the conventional route and using Adam and Eve as his characters, he describes the animals present in the garden. As it is impossible to spill blood in “paradise”, the animals are forced to behave in a way that goes against their instincts. The air in the garden is “unbearable and oppressive” as the animals are forced into playing roles they do not understand. Due to this, the animals anxiously await for their escape from this intolerable paradise.

Frost Mountain in “Frost Mountain Picnic”

Frost Mountain is the setting for the town’s annual picnic. It is only accessible by boat, so the townspeople are forced to anxiously line up to be transported across the river. The massacre that occurs every year on Frost Mountain during the picnic...