The Team

        This week, we read a short story from the Decameron Project, The Team, written by the same author who wrote There There — Tommy Orange. Central to this story is the idea of not just 'a team', but rather 'the Team'. The first reference to this team was mentioned as a group of runners with whom the narrator originally used to train for marathons. This team was one that was one that was not too important to the narrator, as he used to prefer training by himself instead of with others who were there purely for motivation. The definition of 'the Team' in the eyes of the narrator changes when it is referenced in context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

        The change the pandemic brings to the definition of the narrator's team is one that is rooted in how the pandemic has forced everyone to become responsible for not just their own, but also everyone else's safety and wellbeing. Everyone has to actively try and protect themselves and others from the virus, all while going about their daily lives – something that nobody had experienced to such an extent before the pandemic. This refined definition of 'the Team' helped me understand the changes the narrator experienced as part of his time at home, such as his increased time spent with family. It also helped me understand the reasons that justify the narrator's transformation over the months of the pandemic.