"Bettering Myself" by Ottessa Moshfegh
I’m not sure how I came across Moshfegh's short story "Bettering Myself", but I think I was looking for more of Moshfegh's writing after reading Lapvona, and found this story. Apparently it was one of 2 short stories for which Moshfegh was nominated and won an award. I think This story was absolutely hilarious. The narrator, Miss Mooney, is a Math teacher in a Catholic school, and she shares some of the details about her personal life—probably too much information—but this is what makes the story so ridiculous and hilarious. I can see some elements of other characters from Moshfegh’s books in Miss Mooney. Like Eileen, she doesn’t seem to care and her attitude and behaviors are in contrast to the kind of repressive and oppressive institutionalized environment of the school (or in Eileen’s environment, the prison). Similar to the narrator in My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Miss Mooney also seems like she is ready to escape or drop out of society. She seeks alternative forms of rest, keeping a sleeping bag in her classroom to nap between classes, or going out for drinks between classes. This teacher is so inappropriate and contrary to what we expect, it becomes humorous to see how far her behavior will take her. I was giggling as I read this book, wanting to find out more about what would happen as she progressed towards chaos.
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