January 26, 2012
"Next Door" by Tobias Wolff
My first reaction is that it is sad to have to live so close to neighbors that you can have little privacy or peace. It isn't as if they want to spy. The loud yelling is difficult to ignore. Their own world is invaded by the nightmare occurring next door. Most of my empathy is for the dog and the baby who is forced to grow up in all this dysfunction.
I am repulsed by the crudeness of this man who urinates on his neighbors' flowers. I find Wolff's comparisons of body parts to geography interesting and unusual.
I wonder how the couple would spend their time better if not for the intrusive drama playing out next door. When the wife crawled into bed with her husband, I wonder why she was unwilling to have sex when her husband became aroused. Is she bored with their love life, or is she really just too tired? Does she long for more drama in their lives? Is she subconsciously envious of the passionate sexual encounter she observed the neighbors having in the kitchen? Could she be jealous, or is she just repulsed that the woman would respond to such a crude man?
Instead of just watching TV and falling asleep next to her husband, I wish she had been more empathetic. What if she had just allowed her husband to explore her geography and let herself to become aroused? Wouldn't even empathy sex have helped strengthen their bond? If their relationship were stronger, would it not be easier to ignore the drama next door?
This story reminds me of my best friend Francesca. Well, we used to be best friends. We grew apart after high school and I have recently tried to reconnect with her becasue we shared so many good times. But what this story makes me feel is sad. For me, life has endless possibilities. If I could, I would major in every subject and get a degree in everything because I love life, learning and being around like-minded learners. (like-minded in the sense that they want to explore life, not necessarily that we share the same views). Anyway, my old best friend never seemed to have any direction. Here I am trying to decide what to cut out of my life, what NOT to be when I grow up..and she can't choose one thing TO be. That always made me sad for her. There are so many people that get caught up in the minutia of other people's lives..and when they do I always rememeber my dear friend and think to myself that they must not have anything inspiring going on in their own lives. What a trajedy!
ReplyDeleteOkay, but let's keep this tied to the actual mechanics of making. It's great when writers make their characters believable. But we're trying to make these things, not simply enjoy them, relate them to our own lives. Let's talk like mechanics. How is it put together? How does he achieve these effects you talk about?
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