Let me draw your attention to a scene. Not very special. Subtle would be the word. Ahem. Michelle is just back from the hospital, having suffered from a miscarriage. Leonard is sitting by her side, tracing out those three words on her arm, as she drifts into a sedated sleep. He loves her, but she doesn’t know it. Not yet. But does he either? Is she just a way out of his loneliness? Plausibly.
What’s remarkable about the scene is not its clichéd poetic beauty, but the fact that it is embedded in the very brutal reality of life. It’s daytime and the sunlight is sharp in its intensity. No expressions playing on their faces remain hidden. There are sounds that are obstinately stealing into the room. The dull thud of the music from a party close by. The shouts, catcalls, and bickering of kids playing in the streets. The spirited laughter and animated conversations of the party-people.
The walls are straining under the pressure to keep these harsh realities outside, where they belong, so that the two lovers can stay frozen in time. But they still manage to creep in. And they make us realise that no matter how poetic, tragic, or romantic the moment might seem to you, life won’t let you stay trapped in it. Even fleetingly. It is relentless, cruel, and insensitive. It won’t stop for you to get back on your feet while you wallow in your own private prosaic moment. And that, my friends, sucks.
What’s remarkable about the scene is not its clichéd poetic beauty, but the fact that it is embedded in the very brutal reality of life. It’s daytime and the sunlight is sharp in its intensity. No expressions playing on their faces remain hidden. There are sounds that are obstinately stealing into the room. The dull thud of the music from a party close by. The shouts, catcalls, and bickering of kids playing in the streets. The spirited laughter and animated conversations of the party-people.
The walls are straining under the pressure to keep these harsh realities outside, where they belong, so that the two lovers can stay frozen in time. But they still manage to creep in. And they make us realise that no matter how poetic, tragic, or romantic the moment might seem to you, life won’t let you stay trapped in it. Even fleetingly. It is relentless, cruel, and insensitive. It won’t stop for you to get back on your feet while you wallow in your own private prosaic moment. And that, my friends, sucks.
beautiful! The beauty lies in the realization of the insensitivity and neutrality (rather than cruelness) of time.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes that sucks. Big time!
Awww look how miffed you are that life won't let anything be romanticised. Its cruel and it sucks. But, once in a very blue moon, things align themselves into obedient oblivion and life doesn't stick its leg in the door. Then, perfection is achieved. And isn't that just worth everything? Example? Part two. [But yes, it still sucks]
ReplyDeleteIs she just a way out of his loneliness?
ReplyDeleteYes. She found you when noone else did :D.
ouch! that is cruel. i am talking about you, actually.
ReplyDeletebut leaving her now would be wicked, right? not after she found him when no one else did! using her just as a means for escaping loneliness is, well, quite cruel. and what if he again finds himself in the same pits, but now does not even have her to go back to?
that uncertainty probably gives him a selfish reason to stay put. but uncertainty was never the stumbling block. for it were, he wouldn't be thinking of a way out. but a way in.
phew. confusing.
Some wise guy has said: "I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is ending up with people who make you feel all alone."
ReplyDeleteSince she found him when noone else did means that he is not lonely any more. The reason for this is because of the way this person makes him feel. So, there is nothing cruel in doing so.
"what if he again finds himself in the same pits, but now does not even have her to go back to?". Compare this situation with a scene of accident, you can be lucky once or twice. But, does this accident stop you from driving?
Staying put would suck. If he is that rational, then he would understand that not trying is the biggest mistake.