summary of stepping out by Charles Dicken
Answers
Answer:
Summary
Sedaris describes his experiences with a gadget known as FitBit that calculates the number of steps one takes in a day. The gadget is synchronized together with his computer at home and helps him achieve his daily target steps by calculating them. The author became familiar with the device during a lunch break with a college named Lesley. Lesley rants and complains about her housekeeper who is illiterate and lacks understanding of the English language. Her housekeeper is even cleans the house with acne remover since she isn’t able to read the label and don’t realize that it’s not meant as a household product. As a separate anecdote, Lesley who works as a doctor specializing in the removal of cataracts in developing countries, recalls a funny instance whereby a man got his eyesight restored for the first time in a long time and commented on how old his wife was.
During the conversation, the author notices a gadget on Lesley’s wrist and becomes curious. Lesley describes to Sedaris the function and dynamics of the Fitbit which makes David very interested in getting one. The author tries to imagine all the ways one can achieve twelve thousand steps for the Fitbit gadget. For example, staying at home, one can still reach the target from simply walking around doing various chores. This leads him to recall a time when one man tried to sell him a bench he had stolen from his own house.
When he gets his own Fitbit, the author decides to take walks outside on the roads since he is petrified of snakes hiding in the grass. Sedaris informs the reader about the type of snakes in his hometown such as include puff adders. Because of his phobia, he walks with a snake catcher. If needed, this will help him to throw the snake in the road before a moving car, ensuring it gets killed. What the author encounters on his walks serve as a reminder of both his good and bad memories.
Sedaris once reveals how much he suffered when he was ailing from kidney stones, especially due to the lack of insurance and money to treat the illness. During one of his walks, Sedaris observes a pregnant cow and wonders if the cow is ever informed about the pain it will get while giving birth. He compares the pain of the cow giving birth to when he would bleed and stones would be coming out of his manhood like a cougar.
The author gives many analogies while walking to reach his target for the Fitbit. He states that he gradually improved the number of steps to a maximum of sixty thousand which impresses him. As a result of the increase in walking, he actually loses some weight as seen from his clothes failing to fit him anymore and his face getting leaner. The Fitbit has made him obsessed with walking and each day he intensely feels the urge to walk more. The author knows that he is obsessed with the Fitbit by comparing his walking experience with that of a lady he sees on the show “Obsessed.” The lady is said to walk on a treadmill from the time she wakes up to the time her family has dinner and can’t seem to stop. Sedaris realizes how extreme his obsession is when his Fitbit dies and he feels greatly devastated. He replaces it after five hours and later terms it as his new master.
Answer:
why do you think that the dodger chose the old man