Elizabeth
Strout tells the story of Olive and Henry Kitteridge through delicately woven chapters,
each resembling a short story, in her 2008 novel, Olive Kitteridge. Written in modern-day America where over 40% of marriages end in divorce or separation, the small tales mostly feature various relationships
in the shared the setting of Portland, Maine, a small-town similar to the one
Strout grew up in. The novelist’s reoccurring parallels between the various
chapters appeal to me due to their unique way of both telling and showing
Strout’s assertions. For instance, in “The Piano Player,” Angie O’Meara
receives a visit from her vindictive ex-boyfriend, Simon. After Simon degrades
Angie in order to compensate for his lost dreams, Angie describes his actions
as “thin milk” (58). By comparing Simon’s actions to nutritionally insufficient
thin milk, the author asserts that people rarely gain genuine salvation through
vengeful actions. Rather, one achieves a temporary satisfaction that fails to
eradicate the true source of their dismay. In the next narrative, the first of
Olive’s own stories entitled “A little Burst,” Strout reverses her narrative
position and illustrates the assaulting perspective through Olive. After her
son Christopher’s wedding, Olive overhears her new daughter-in-law, Suzanne, criticizing
her mother-in-law’s dress and the already agitated Olive reacts strongly. Olive
resolves to steal a few of Suzanne’s clothing items and draw a black streak on
Suzanne’s sweater; when looking back of her actions, Olive reckons “It does not
help much,” (73). Strout juxtaposes the two chapters in order to demonstrate
that neither side benefits from spiteful reactions, and the repetition of this
idea emphasizes the assertion’s prominence. Furthermore, Strout anticipates the
possible judgments of readers and, thus, positions Simon’s outburst prior to
Olive’s in order to prevent overzealous criticisms of Olive as almost all of
society has had a vengeful impulse. Although I believe these kneejerk reactions
often prove unpreventable, I encourage excessively hostile readers to recognize
the uselessness of their actions. Moreover, I advise victims to acknowledge
instances where they have done the victimizing and understand the trivial nature
of their assailant’s actions.
I like the parallel you make between Simon and Olive, one that I did not realize when reading on my own. Their similar actions in the face of their own dissatisfaction seem to assert that people act or speak irrationally when unable to compensate for unhappiness in their life, because it gives them a sense of power or control in the situation. Even though Olive later recognized her own foolishness in stealing the small objects from Suzanne, she could not resist the "vengeful impulse" you suggest exists throughout society, and I agree. Throughout history, even the best of us humans have remained power-hungry and unforgiving at times, a "kneejerk reaction" that seems impossible to overcome.
ReplyDeleteI also did not realize the interesting juxtaposition Strout makes between Simon and Olive. I agree that Strout asserts that people act with "kneejerk reactions" when facing lifes obstacles that only bring makeshift feelings of gratification. I myself have experienced this type of reaction when I have fought with my sister. Once, I threw all of her blankets off of her bed when she borrowed my shirt without asking. However, shorty after I sat looking at the bare mattress and felt foolish. I remade the bed and instead calmly talked it out with my sister. People do ridiculous things when they do not think situations through.
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