Transitions

One possible reason for reading “The Guest” right after Fromm is the way the story shows a different way to look at life, or starting from small to big when trying to tackle our personal outlooks when it comes to life. With the reading from Fromm, we worked more on the feeling of love, and started to take a closer look at the events that are happening around us. For me, Fromm got me to stop and really see what goes on around me. Over time, a lot of the details get lost on us, and we have to pause, and see things without the blinders that we normally look through. The reading from Fromm’s book The Art of Loving got me to pay attention to what is happening now, where “The Guest” seems more focused on morals, and the consequences of our choices. After reading the story, I started to wonder why the story was ended the way it was. Going from focusing on our views/morals, to looking into how we might use them in a situation where our responsibility and personal views are at odds with one another. Not only that, but we are reminded that reality tends to change our original view of life or plans. There are so many different elements that change and influence our decisions at different times. Love and the way we interpret it is very personal, a reflection of what we see now, and in an ideal world in a way. Ideal, as in focused on one person, without really having to factor in reality, or the hardships that we might have to face in the ‘real world’ or the future.

Another way of looking at it, is going from analyzing only one perspective, to having to take into account the outside factors that come into play. In The Guest, I feel that the way Daru feels, and what he would prefer to act with the prisoner is changed, because of his job. Watching as he tries to justify his actions and decisions, before letting the prisoner choose for himself. Showing us, that we have to think through our choices, because they all have consequences, we just have to choose the one that seems best for us. A really good way to remind us to think further down the line when it comes to any choices we make in life. The story seems to start at a point that is really similar to the ‘third act’ in Shakespeare’s plays. Because almost much all of the important decisions have already been made; nothing the character does during the story can change the ending (another way to put this, doomed from the beginning).

We transition from talking about our personal views through Fromm and developing them further, to acknowledging that there are different influences that come up when we make our decisions through Daru.