Rough Draft

Consider a modern day Jesus. Sounds lewd, I know, but just consider it. What would he look like? What would he do? More importantly, what things could he do? These are all questions I found myself asking while diving into the world of Sherman Olney. Through use of conflict, both external and internal, setting, metaphors, and carefully placed characters, the author portrays a twilight zone version of a “what if” happening. An episode that many have been waiting to watch, but will society be accurately portrayed? I believe so.

The main conflict in the life of Sherman Olney is also his greatest trait, which is the ability to “fix” things. One would think that this shouldn’t be held against him, this innate ability to fix cars, help relationships, and even save lives(pgs 140-141), but it is. Society seems to be wanting more and more, to be “fixed”, so to say. This weighs on Sherman, and through traditional plot progression are we able to see his internal conflict. “Sherman sat quietly at the end of the counter and fixed whatever was put in front of him(pg 139),” and “Sherman, who had always been quiet, became increasingly more so(pg 140),” are two indicators of what a person with this power has to go through. To some it is responsibility, especially the society in this story, to use this power to help people. With the whole town watching, Sherman Olney is quietly and patiently swallowed whole by his environment.
The setting to which Sherman lives is the setting we live in, the present. It has shops and cars, people who need help, and more importantly, people who are out to hurt others. Society is accurately portrayed in this setting, with people coming and going, asking for help and eventually pushing Sherman to the edge. If Jesus did come back, I believe he would be facing the same problems, until eventually the society will make outrageous demands, asking to be fixed by some divine being. "Sherman Olney crumpled to the ground, moaning and clutching at his middle, saying he didn't have it anymore(pg132)," is the use of foreshadowing that makes me believe Sherman has gone through this before, fixing things and then eventually being forced to do things against his will.

Sherman and Jesus are obviously different, but what about their posse? Jesus had the disciples yes, but who does Sherman have? Well, Douglas would obviously be one, but could he be compared to Judas? I'm not saying he sells him out, but he does let him perform these tasks in his store, all the while benefiting from the sandwiches he is selling. The thing that is most interesting is the way the author never tells us what Sherman looks like. It gives the impression that he could be anyone, which helps greatly with the comparison of him to Jesus. He is a very dynamic character, and the author doesn't let us get too much insight in to who he is as a person, only that he has this extraordinary gift.