"The Fittest" is a quest for survival that leads through West Allis. While the main character is from Milwaukee, he must walk across most of West Allis as he nearly freezes. A bit like Jack London's "To Build a Fire," but with more drinking and fewer dogs, but not quite Monty Python's Holy Grail. Then again, it might be more of an adventure. We'll discuss.
Sources
- The quest is the "search for a person, place or thing, tangible or intangible." Specifically, the main character is looking for that certain something that they expect or hope will change their life. - http://www.mit.edu/~mbarker/exercises/exer970117.txt
- The hero searches for something, someone, or somewhere. In reality, they may be searching for themselves, with the outer journey mirrored internally. They may be joined by a companion, who takes care of minor detail and whose limitations contrast with the hero's greater qualities. - http://changingminds.org/disciplines/storytelling/plots/tobias_plots.htm
- The plot involves the Protagonist's search for a person, place or thing, tangible or intangible (but must be quantifiable, so think of this as a noun; i.e., immortality). - http://www.tennscreen.com/plots.htm
from In Search of Love
Weldon was aware of the chance that Ms. Dickinson was offering him, and he seized the opportunity to improve his grade. “Thank you very much, Ms. D. What exactly would you like for me to do?”
“I would suggest that you go and find out what love really is, and then you can report what you discover to the class. Go to the library. Go to the lakefront. Go wherever you think love might show itself, and feel what love really is. Your essay today had so little emotion to it, and it was so very short, that we were not able to experience love. Besides, we all know that I wanted the essays to discuss more of a romantic love, like the love in the books I read in class. You gave us another kind of love, less exciting and more basic.”
“I think I know what you mean, Ms. D. I gotta get to lunch now. Thanks a lot, and all that. I won’t disappoint you.” Weldon left Ms. Dickinson’s room with the distinct feeling that he would disappoint her one week from that day. He also knew that he was not a person to give up, and so began his quest to find love.
Weldon’s quest was only a few minutes old when he made an important observation. He saw Sean and Tammy necking in the hall next to her locker while most of the other students made their way towards the cafeteria. No one else even seemed to notice the two lovers, but Weldon decided to document his find. He took his English notebook, which hadn’t been written in since the first week of class, and he wrote, “all by themselves.” ....
