This story is an example of Literary Minimalism. Based on the story, what do you think minimalism is? If you were explaining minimalism to a friend, what examples from this story would you point to that would help you create a definition?

Few proper names exist in the story. The narrator and friend are unnamed, as are the hospital, doctors, and nurses. However, references to popular culture abound: TV show titles, characters from TV shows, popular musicians, and Al Jolson, who features both in the title and the story’s conclusion. Why do you think some things are unnamed or unlabeled while other things are more concrete? What effect do these choices have on the reader’s response to the story?

Two important themes in literature are love and death. How does the story interact with both of these great themes? What does the story suggest about both?