Every character in this story finds themselves "stuck" in some fashion. Del most of all, for the reader's view of the world is presented through his teenage perceptions.
Although the title comes the coach, Dan Gable, he says: "It's no secret. It's pride and faith and stubborness. That's all. You don't give in. No matter what, you keep going. You don't ever give up. That's it."; we as analytical readers know the meaning must go deeper than this simple statement.
So, what is the secret to not getting stuck? Is there one, or is Woodruff simply playing an ironic joke on his readers?
Sure, this statement made by the coach is a typical thing to say before a big game or an important match. In context with the story, the aspect of "pride" relates to the relationship between Del and his father. What keeps them in a somewhat functional relationship is the pride that Del's father has in his victories. That's what keeps their relationship "winning" and prevents it from "getting stuck". As soon as Del's father fears a loss when Del is almost pinned on the mat, he commits suicide, thus ending their relationship permanently. He lost FAITH in his son, which is one of the things the coach says keeps one from getting stuck. Therefore, what keeps one from getting stuck on the mat, (pride, faith, and stubborness), also keeps a relationship from "getting stuck".
ReplyDeleteI agree with the beginning of Krystal's post, that the pride Del's father has for his son's successes on the mat is what had kept their relationship from "getting stuck". However, with the divorce, the drinking, and the cheating, Del's father becomes stuck and not even Del's wrestling can take him out of this rut. The coach's advice is typical of a coach, he more or less states that "as the going gets tough, the tough get going". Basically that you should be proactive in your own life and not let yourself become stuck. Del's father does not do this, seeing as how he kills himself-ultimately he gives up and admits defeat. For a majority of the story, Del believes he is invincible- he believes that his success from wrestling means that he cannot ever be stuck. However, once his dad kills himself, and he loses the match, he realizes that he is stuck too. In essence, there is no "secret to not getting stuck". Getting stuck is a part of life, and no matter what you do to avoid it, sooner or later everyone finds themselves stuck. The real secret is how to get un-stuck once you become stuck in the first place. A truly successful and strong person can do this.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sara in that there is no “secret to not getting stuck,” failure and defeat are inevitable. If someone like Del, who’s motivation has no limits, cannot avoid “getting stuck” then no one can. Throughout the story Del works out constantly so he can win, so he will not fail. The author suggests that Del connects failure in life with failure in wrestling. Del has seen his father fail in life. His father is a drunk who cannot control his life or his marriage. Witnessing his father’s failure has driven Del to avoid it himself at all costs, so he expresses his need for control through his wresting triumphs. This strategy for control fails Del when his father dies. Mourning is too strong of a feeling to express through sports, so Del had to lose control; he had to breakdown and cry in the bushes. There is no “secret to not getting stuck” because life’s downfalls are too overwhelming for us to handle with composure.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there isn't really a "secret to not getting stuck" in life. There are only certain ways in which you may succeed in preventing yourself from becoming stuck. There is not, however, one specific "secret" that is foolproof in each and every situation. There will always be something wrong, causing the plan or "secret" to fall through. We are naive if we believe that there is truly a way to avoid all controversy and loss in our lives. There is no way out, that is just life. Del's coach was only stating the "secret to not getting stuck" for wrestling. That may really be the "secret" for wrestling, but it is not going to work in some thing such as writing an essay for English class.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Krista and Sara's statement that there is no secret to not getting stuck. It is inevitable that we will all eventually fail, mess up, or be defeated. Coach Gabe's words are helpful to become "unstuck" or to keep moving on after encountering a set back. At the end of the short story, Del is curling dumbbells, which brings hope to the end of story. Del, unlike his father, is capable of dealing with the pain and humiliation of getting stuck, by setting goals for his future.
ReplyDeleteThe secret to not getting stuck requires effort from all those involved in a situation, while depending on the severity of the situation. Then again, sometimes the secret to not getting stuck in one situation may end up leaving you feeling as though you have been stuck. And...sometimes you may find yourself in quicksand or something like a Chinese finger puzzle with no way of not getting stuck if you try; the more you struggle, the more you find yourself sucked into the problem until eventually it buries you. The only way out is to give up.
ReplyDeleteWith the duality created by the varying possibilities of how not to get stuck, their really is no one way to keep yourself out of a rut, with instead unending possibilities to choose from after first evaluating the situation.
Bottom line; there is no one secret to not getting stuck.
I don't think there is a secret to not getting stuck, how could there be if one cannot predict the future. Del thought he could predict what was going to happen on the mat but him getting pinned in the final match at the end proves there is and never will be a secret. Ultimatley life happens and you just have to deal with it. You can let yourself get stuck of ride out the wave so to speak.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sara's comment there is not "secret to not getting stuck". Because conflict and difficult situations are unavoidable, getting stuck too is unavoidable. No matter how hard one tries to distance themselves from difficult situations they are bound to arise. Like Del we all face hardships. When his father kills himself Del loses a wrestling match and therefore becomes stuck. The question then is not "what is the secret to not getting stuck," but what we do when we get stuck. When one gets stuck we must make a choice, we can either sit around and wait for something to happen or we can get up and do what is right for ourselves.
ReplyDeleteWhile there is no real, distinguished "secret to not getting stuck," there is a secret to each individual's way of "not getting stuck." Woodruff was not trying to pull some ironic joke, but instead open the door to each person's diverse way of "not getting stuck," by exploring the experience of a young teenage boy and his struggle to finding his "secret of not getting stuck." I agree with Shelby when she says that there is no way to avoid misfortune and difficult situations and I believe that the "secret to not getting stuck" is different for every individual and to finding that secret is what truly makes a person strong. The key to finding the secret is the struggle that they overcome to get there.
ReplyDeleteAgreeeed with everyone else. You're going to have bad times in your life, it's inevitable. But what isn't inevitable is how you handle the bad situations you're faced with, and how you grow from them. You can't avoid getting stuck, but the secret is to embrace the faults in life. C'est la vie, and it's full of constant progress and forward motion. The secret to not getting stuck is to get stuck, to learn from it, and to come out the other side a more strong, mature and proficient person.
ReplyDeleteWoodruff displays the secret to not getting stuck through the sport of wrestling. Wrestling in this story as we know has more than one interpretation. The secret to not getting stuck is said by the coach, and it's to never give up. However that isn't abnormal, that's exactly what a coach would say right before a big match, game or meet. Woodruff displays the secret to not getting stuck through the coach when he well... comes right out and says it. However there is a deeper meaning to the secret to not getting stuck and it's hidden within the characters. When people are not engaging in sports, the secret to not getting stuck doesn't exactly exist. I believe people will get stuck many times throughout their life, but it's what each person takes from it and how they recover from getting stuck that makes the next situation less sticky.
ReplyDelete:)
I think hillluhreee said it perfectly. The secret to not getting stuck is to deal with life and/or wrestling moves as you come across them. The coach says that it takes pride, faith and subborness to not get stuck. This is true in any situation where someone may be "stuck." They have to push through and be strong enough to become "unstuck." In order to not get stuck, you may have to get stuck a few times to learn a lesson and become a better person... or wrestler. Look at Del after he got stuck in the meet the first time. That just made him train even harder and strive to be better. That is all one can do.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5tGW8AISNY
ReplyDeletethought this might add a nice touch to the blog =)
I agree with what the majority of people have blogged that there is not one way of not getting stuck. There are many different ways a person can avoid getting stuck. But as hillluhreee and candykane814 said the best way for a someone to not get stuck is to learn from all of the other times that they have gotten stuck and so that they can become a stronger person.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sara and Allie, and everyone else, that people get stuck and they bounce back. I agree with Sara that people do get stuck in a rut when they feel like they have lost their track on life. When people feel like they have no where to go, they get stuck and they lose hope. But I like how Allie said that the author leaves us with hope. Even though Del's dad gets stuck so bad that he kills himself, in the end because of Del learning from his dad getting stuck and the "weaklings" around him getting stuck, he tries to rescue himself from that same fate. The author leaves us with the thought that Del will not get stuck for long and he will bounce back, because of what he has learned from the people around him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone else that there really is not a “secret to not getting stuck” in life. Everyday difficult situations arise that force us to choose or make a complicated decision in order to not become trapped. We, like Norma said naively believe that there actually is a way to avoid each issue and avoid become caught. This may work from time to time but things change and each situation is different. There is not a set answer or way to never get stuck that will solve all your problems. For, each situation and event is different and if you treat them the same then you will destined to fail in life.
ReplyDeleteI am unsure what the majority of people are saying in the context of this post, but it seems as if the general belief is that there is no secret to getting stuck. However, at the same time I am finding several instances where people are suggesting that the secret would be never giving up, or just dealing with your issues and "embracing" them.
ReplyDeleteBy saying there is no secret, and then describing how to get out of the situations that are presented to you in life, everyone who is claiming that there is no secret to getting stuck, is actually citing the secret.
Just because everyone who is posting has a grasp of the secret described in the story, does not mean that everyone in our world knows or understands the true secret. If everyone had a grasp of it, and the ability to act upon it, then there would far less problems in our world. The secret to not getting stuck is not self evident to everyone, and therefore even though the secret to not getting stuck, may not be a secret to us, it still is a secret to others.