hyperactive love story on some sort of amphetamine...

yeah. I said it.

"Interpreter of Maladies" made me think of a hyperactive love story. on speed. I'm not sure what would ever make someone think that an interpreter is able to solve marital problems... but apparently Mrs. Das thinks that Mr. Kapasi can. the kind of unspoken "thing" they had for one another throughout the story kinda made me sick, too. I mean, really? you will never see this woman again. but you're still trying to get with her? you have a wife, for Christ's sake!

okay, but seriously, think about this in terms of a real relationship, will you? first, there's the infatuation. duh, he keeps checking her out in his rearview. she plays it coy (coneofmeaning?!). next, they start talking. exchange addresses, under the guise of mere picture sharing no less! then, finally, the big boys come to play. the huge bomb drops. the one huge secret that plagues the Das marriage gets dumped on Mr. Kapasi, and he can't deal, so they drift apart because she gets upset. he tries to win her back, she storms off, he saves her from rabid monkeys (okay, maybe they weren't rabid). and maybe that's not exactly "normal", but something similar happens in all failed relationships. then, she loses his address. loses all contact with him. done. all the way through a relationship in a matter of mere paragraphs.

and you thought that I was on crack with the whole "hopped up love story" notion... ha! the plot of this mirrors perfectly how a full relationship works and fails. it's pretty rad, actually.

payment, metaphor style - TSAR

"I thought I had paid for everything. Not like the woman pays and pays. No idea of retribution or punishment. Just exchange of values. You gave up something and got something else. Or you worked for something. You paid some way for everything that was any good... Either you paid by learning about them, or by experience, or by taking chances, or by money. Enjoying living was learning to get your money's worth and knowing when you had it. You could get your money's worth. The world was a good place to buy in. It seemed like a fine philosophy."

Jake, to himself, p. 152

this quote really stuck out to me when I read it. not only is it strikingly beautiful in the simplicity of it, but it's got a lot of truth to it. in this part, the world is metaphorically linked to the stock market or a business endeavor: one has to "buy in" to be a part of it. in order to reap the full benefits of the final product, some part of one's property, be it intellectual or physical or emotional, must be spent in order to really be living. it's so true that in order to be fully living, there are sacrifices that must be made. no person can go through life without sacrificing some small part of themselves. again, Hemingway has presented yet another timeless aspect in life: nothing is free.