Eating Naked by Stephen Dobyns
"Eating Naked" by Stephen Dobyns is a narrative that unfolds after a man, Bob Frankenmuth, experiences a life-altering event when he accidentally hits a deer while driving. Struggling with feelings of discontent and thoughts of leaving his wife, Bob's life takes an unexpected turn when he assists Laura Spalding, a woman involved in a separate car accident. Laura reveals that she is rushing to help her boyfriend, Chuckie, who has threatened suicide. Motivated by impulsiveness and a desire for change, Bob decides to accompany Laura to Chuckie's house, where an unusual gathering ensues.
As the evening progresses, Bob finds himself in a situation that challenges social norms; he suggests that they eat the deer naked, leading to a spontaneous and liberating experience for all three characters. This moment of vulnerability and connection allows Bob to confront his feelings about himself and his life. The story explores themes of change, impulsivity, and the impact of unexpected encounters, ultimately highlighting how a single night can lead to significant personal transformation. Through its mix of realism and emotional depth, "Eating Naked" invites readers to reflect on the complexities of human relationships and the potential for renewal in moments of crisis.
On this Page
Eating Naked by Stephen Dobyns
First published: 1997
Type of plot: Realism
Time of work: The 1990's
Locale: Rural New York
Principal Characters:
Bob Frankenmuth , a carpenterLaura Spalding , a young womanChuckie , a potter
The Story
This story is outwardly a simple one about the events that follow a nighttime accident on a rural road. Those events take an unusual turn, however, and end in a room in which social standards have, for the moment, been discarded.
At nightfall, Bob Frankenmuth is driving between cities but not paying attention to the road, being preoccupied with thoughts of leaving his wife. He hits a deer, which damages the right front end of his pickup truck, including one headlight. When he gets out to inspect the damage and the dead animal, he is surprised by the appearance of a car rushing down the road at too great a speed. The car's driver swerves and loses control, crashing into a tree. Bob finds the driver, Laura Spalding, apparently unhurt and both laughing and weeping at the accident. Her car, however, is wrecked. At his offer to take her to a garage, she says she was rushing to the house of her boyfriend, who had just threatened suicide over the phone. She took the threat seriously because he fired one of his guns next to the phone receiver.
Bob does not want to leave the deer for someone else to pick up. It shows no visible damage. He envisions giving it to his wife, to provoke her. With Laura's help, he heaves it in the back of his truck.
Although he has doubts about facing this gun-wielding boyfriend, Bob thinks the encounter offers an interesting change of pace. He has been feeling disgruntled at his wife, who has returned to school to become a teacher. Driving toward Laura's boyfriend's house, he also recognizes elements he has come to hate in himself. He finds himself too predictable, at times.
When offered the option of simply dropping Laura at the corner, Bob instead impulsively decides to go with her. Laura's boyfriend, who goes by the childlike name of Chuckie, greets Bob with distrust, at first thinking he is some other man vying for Laura's affections. He is disarmed when Bob asks if Chuckie has a grill, in order to cook the deer.
Bob is surprised at his own words. Chuckie and Laura both agree to the idea, the former with reluctance, the latter with enthusiasm. Bob, who has never prepared a deer before, hangs the carcass up, skins it, and removes its entrails to the light of the headlight that still works on his truck. Chuckie has prepared a fire, and Laura has scrounged up more food, as well as champagne leftover from a birthday party. She sets the table, using handmade plates and wine glasses. During this time, Bob talks with Chuckie about his threat of suicide and tells Chuckie he should learn to deal with change.
After the food is prepared, as they are about to sit down, Bob finds himself making another impromptu announcement: that they should eat naked. "I say we take off our clothes, eat this dear, and afterward we'll do whatever the god of change wants to have happen," he says. He immediately takes off his clothes and is followed by Laura and finally by Chuckie. The trio eat and drink heavily in a celebratory manner, and make a toast to the "spirit of the forest."
Late in the meal Laura chokes on a piece of venison. First Chuckie and then Bob attempt to help her. When Bob is successful in dislodging the meat, the three of them fall back in the exhaustion of the moment. Bob sits staring at the wind-blown curtains, feeling as if he is close to realizing something important. They drink more and, after beginning to feel embarrassed, put on their clothes.
Bob, unsure what has changed within himself, finds himself able to return to the life he had thought was falling apart, only hours earlier in the evening.