Tillie Olsen and the sincerity of emotion.

Tillie Olsen was a writer of short stories. She did not produce much but what she did was of such a provocative nature that one story carries the force of multiple lives. Olsen's stories have souls that live well beyond the pages they are written upon. In particular the story "Tell Me A Riddle", from the book of the same name, is a history of love, immigration, illness, reconciliation, faith, hate, and most importantly marriage. Olsen sets characters in roles that will often make the reader feel uncomfortable with the honesty involved. Her workers do not love their work. The students are confused. The men are scared and the women are unfulfilled. They are all strong even in their weaknesses. I come from a cancerous, working-class family and reading these stories is not an easy endeavor. The pain and suffering that Olsen forces the reader to feel is, in the long run, a good thing. It makes the reader understand that a number of lives have gone into the making of every one of ours. I very much recommend Tillie Olsen but I think the reader should be prepared for some dark thoughts. It is fine writing. It is poetic and strong writing. It is painful writing with much staying power.