Pieces Left Behind

Casey Wilson
Patrick Walters
Writing 121
21 October 2003
Pieces Left Behind
In Lydia Davis’ “The Sock” and Bernard Malamud’s “A Lost Grave,” both the central characters are unable to let go of their lost loved ones. Each clings to a material object formerly occupied by said lover. In Davis’ story, the unnamed ex-wife possesses the sock of her divorced and remarried husband, with whom she still feels a deep bond. She feels as if it carries a piece of him in it, and through it continues to experience a sense of closeness to the man. Malamud’s character Hecht seeks to find his wife’s grave, which besides literally holding her body, he assumes, is his only connection to her. By finding the grave he feels in turn he will have found her once again. By passing on, the significant others have left holes in the people who loved them. Each character longs for their former partner, and the only relief they have from their grief comes from the possessions they left beh...