Drinking Coffee
Imaginative Conversation Why does ZZ Packer write her essay with mostly conversing through language? In the short story Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, ZZ Packer consistently uses the art of conversation. She uses this type of language throughout her short story while either a group of people are talking or just man to man conversations. First off this short story is about an African American woman named Dina and she just arrived at orientation at the University Yale. In class she quickly meets and makes a friend by the name of Heidi who was a Canadian. They made it very apparent to each other that Dina was a lesbian with their dirty conversation. Dina later goes to the psychiatrist Dr. Raeburn to talk about her parent where she quickly replies that her dad is “a dick” and her mom was alright. After the session with her psychiatrist Dina suddenly ran into Heidi again where they decide to go out and eat at Commons where they had tacos and had a lovely conversation with a man at the place. They signed for work at the Saybrook Dining Hall where they washed dishes. Dina then attends more sessions with Dr. Raeburn. A few days later when the dishwashers were closed down in the dining hall Dina and Heidi decided to take a couple of smokes on the milk crates. Dina was not a smoker but they were that day. Suddenly a conversation about taking a shower
Hoang, page 2
appears and Dina quickly tries to shut it down. Although she tries to resist very hard Heidi eventually talks her into taking her uniform from work off.
At this point Dina starts to really fall in love with Heidi. They start to get close and Heidi sleeps over a lot more. Dina then flies home one weekend to find out that her parents had divorced. Dina and Dr. Raeburn finally meet one last time where they discuss about how Dina might not be a lesbian and how she now smokes. They then moved on with their lives and Dina moved back to Baltimore where she smoked and read outside her aunt’s
Hoang, page 2
appears and Dina quickly tries to shut it down. Although she tries to resist very hard Heidi eventually talks her into taking her uniform from work off.
At this point Dina starts to really fall in love with Heidi. They start to get close and Heidi sleeps over a lot more. Dina then flies home one weekend to find out that her parents had divorced. Dina and Dr. Raeburn finally meet one last time where they discuss about how Dina might not be a lesbian and how she now smokes. They then moved on with their lives and Dina moved back to Baltimore where she smoked and read outside her aunt’s