The Fantastic in Fiction

Russell in “The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach, 1979” hides the pieces of fantastic within it, while having the fantastical pieces and the world of Nal and his family very fleshed out, knowing very specific details about each character. I like how from the beginning, the mass amount seagulls surrounding Nal is noticed slightly, but not enough to pay attention to it. From the start, after getting his hamburger stolen, Russell conveys that Nal deserved that to happen to him, and Nal accepts that, eating the remains of the burger. Throughout the story, the seagulls are noted, but
not to an extent to make a large difference or ever be the center of the story. The seagulls could possibly represent the unrequited love Nal has for his brother’s girlfriend, those thoughts constantly following him around or appearing (in his mind, but also as the seagulls do), seeming to always be growing in size(more obsession over the girl). I wish the seagulls on their beach were more explained and why they were in their town, but then again, surely Russell had his reasons to leave us in question. But, I wish Russell hadn’t left us wondering at the end of the story, too, because after Nal betrays his brother and sleeps with her, there are so many questions as to why would he, why would she, and what happens a little into the future.