‘Sticks’ by George Saunders – Short Story Analysis

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sticks by george saunders

Today, we will read Sticks by George Saunders. It’s a flash fiction of 392 words.

You can read the short story online here.

About the Author

George Saunders

George Saunders is the award-winning author of eleven books. His book, Lincoln in the Bardo, won the 2017 Man Booker Prize for best work of fiction in English. He was named one of the world’s 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2013. You can read his stories that have appeared regularly in The New Yorker since 1992. The story Sticks that we will read and discuss today is from his award-winning short story collection ‘Tenth of December.’ 

Sticks By George Saunders Analysis

Sticks by George Saunders literally sticks out from the crowd of fluffy-light flash fiction. There is no way one can read and not be blown away by the impact of this tiny tale as you ponder over its layers.

George Saunders does wonders with his short story Sticks, laden with subtext, imagery, and metaphors.

We are introduced to an imperfect father by his adult son in this story—a father with several quirks, including an obsession with a metal pole.

We see his happiness manifest during the Holidays in the first paragraph and get the hint when the son says it was his father’s only concession to glee.

As the story unfolds quickly, we get a glimpse into the dysfunctional family. Questions run in one’s mind now.

A control-freak father with anger issues. Was he abusive as well? 

“We left home, married, had children of our own, found the seeds of meanness blooming also within us.” 

The son is conscious that his father may have negatively influenced him on a subconscious level. As a reader, you feel sick to the stomach that this vicious cycle might never end in the family. You are now aware of two unlikeable characters in the story. 

But then, you see the father slowly slip into oblivion when he lives in an empty nest. The pole, which was earlier decked up in all gaiety during the Holidays, starts taking complex, sinister, and even morose forms.

We see the father’s human side when he expresses his feelings through the metal pole towards the end of the story. We see displays of love, guilt, and regret via the pole. 

There are now more questions running in one’s head. 

Did the father suffer from any mental illnesses?

Was his deteriorating mental health an excuse for his bad behaviour, and perhaps, abuse?  

The story ends on a sombre note, with the father’s death and disposal of the metal pole on garbage day. 

To me, the pole is a metaphor for life.

For dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return.” – Genesis 3:19

It’s a mere two-paragraph story. But what makes the Sticks unforgettable for me is how it packs a punch in a few words.

What are your thoughts on Sticks by George Saunders? 

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Tina Sequeira
Tina Sequeira is a marketer and moonlighting writer. She is passionate about tech, creativity, and social justice—dabbling in and writing about the same.

18 Comments

  1. short stories are really trickier to write. I loved your analysis. reminds me of the one story i had read during school, about old man and sparrows. don’t remember the title though

  2. Well this story does get you thinking. I personally feel the father was just quirky and the pole was his way of engaging with the world…. I didn’t think he was mean frankly….

    • Doesn’t it? The son mentions the meanness is now part of him too. But we see a flawed human being in the father. Filled with remorse towards the end. He had an issue with emotional intimacy with his family. I don’t think he was a bad man. A bad father perhaps…or husband not sure. But he was self-aware towards the end. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. Keep stopping by! 🙂

  3. I am actually leading a discussion lesson in school about that short story and your analysis really helped me. Thank you and well done!

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