The School" is not meant to be realistic. Why do you think the author might write the story this way? Use specific examples from the brief story to support your opinion.

How does Barthelme use humor as a rhetorical technique in this story? What about death as a rhetorical technique? 2. At what point does the story feel unrealistic to you as a reader? 3. What do you think will happen to the gerbil at the end of the story? 4. What, if anything, do you think that Barthelme's story has to say about schools? 5. How is this story similar to and different from other postmodern stories that you've read?