Writing a story that revolves around an unlikable, nay despicable, protagonist is a bold move. The classic example is Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” However, that protagonist resolves to change by seeing the error of his ways. In Jennifer Milne’s “Gravy Boat Genie,” our protagonist, who serves as narrator, obtains absolution by a different means.
In our protagonist’s words, “How can I have joy with stupid people irritating me and telling me what to do?” Oh indeed. This creature is unhappy, yet our story begins with a rare find that may help. A gravy boat containing a wish-granting genie magically washes-up on the beach. Rejoice! And so our protagonist gets busy making wishes and our genie hops to it in the granting of them. But, well, our protagonist reflects, “‘What the hell, why does everything still suck?’ I asked the genie a couple days later.”
Soon after this, we reach the potential turning point for this character with, “I realized what the problem was and called the genie.” So, will this character connect the dots like Ebenezer? Is there a chance for redemption? Will the audience be satisfied with the end result? Read this story and you shall find out.
Perhaps this character ought to have uncovered a voucher for free psychoanalysis. Or maybe instead of a genie emerging from the gravy boat, it should have been a kick in the arse. No, Milne selected a wish-granting genie and intended for the entire scenario to play out… to the end. Suffice to say that the main lesson in this tale was not meant for the protagonist. Rather, Milne turns it on the audience. If you’re holding humankind in contempt, it becomes easy to forget that we’re all in this together. For better or worse is up to each and every one of us. No exceptions. We discover through this exaggeratedly despicable persona that we are not alone in our frustrations. This is what makes this story, and its natural conclusion, so ingenious.
Source: Milne, Jennifer. “Gravy Boat Genie.” Flash Fiction Magazine, August 14 2023, https://flashfictionmagazine.com/blog/2023/08/14/gravy-boat-genie/#more-98886.
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Pauline Shen 