Nameless, Tennessee by William Least Heat Moon Many stories are written for an express purpose, oftentimes one that can be easily determined by the reader. Fables, or other stories with lessons, have a clear purpose, as do mysteries, scary stories, or adventure stories. These stories are usually easy to understand, with meanings and themes easy for readers to grasp. Other stories, though, are different. They can be short or long, true or fictional, but always leave the reader confused, questioning the purpose of the story, wondering why it was written, the reason for its existence, pondering what it was supposed to do for them, or even for the person who wrote it. These stories require extra investigation, and often time spent deep in thought before these questions can be answered. These stories carry a unique conversation with its readers, as they cannot merely see the information presented to understand it, but must truly absorb it. Nameless, Tennessee is one such of these stories.…show more content… A remembered event, descriptions of a conversation, store, and individuals never to be seen, or even heard of, by the reader. When questioning the importance of such a narrative, it is sometimes necessary to push the limits of the reading method, and think about what the author has not said, rather than what they have. Is the significance of the story in the way the couple, total strangers, treated Least Heat Moon like family? In their care and worry of him? The love and camaraderie they shared with each other? Of is it in the finality of the scene, the author knowing even as he writes it, that it will be gone before he could ever return? The location, is, after all, a forgotten store in a dead-end town, unattractive to inhabitants and visitors alike, whose very name does not
