The story of the house, and Sanjeev's courtship with Twinkle, seem to coincide in ways. He seemed to have fallen in love with both of them without noticing the "little things" that he would later come to despise. But it is those little things, the color-by-number saints and the Ten Commandments hand towel and the way Twinkle sometimes spits when she speaks, that will sharpen him and challenge him to become a better person - to love her for her, and not what she can do for him.
Perhaps my favorite scene is this one:
"How did you make it?"
"I made it up."
"What did you do?"
"I just put some things into the pot and added the malt vinegar at the end."
"How much vinegar?"
She shrugged, ripping off some bread and plunging it into her bowl.
"What do you mean you don't know? You should write it down. What if you need to make it again, for a party or something?"
"I'll remember," she said. She covered the bread basket with a dishtowel that had, he suddenly noticed, the Ten Commandements printed on it. She flashed him a smile, giving his knee a little squeeze under the table. "Face it. This house is blessed."
It made me giggle, but it also helped me to see the fundamental differences in these two characters. While Sanjeev is meticulous, organized, and seems to enjoy predictability, Twinkle has a "lai ssez-faire" attitude, is whimsical, and girlish at times. (Some of her antics actually remind me of myself, and I'm not sure what that means.)
The characters say "or something" quite a bit in their conversations. For some reason, this phrase makes me think of them as immature, not in a judgemental way (I say "or something" all the time), but I suppose I see them as young and vulnerable, like myself. It would have the same affect if they had said the word "like" frequently.
Sanjeev seems to be very concerned with his image. The story describes him taking a long look in the mirror at his features that didn't seem so masculine. I wonder if the "Christian paraphenalia" is a bother to him, personally, as much as it makes him worry what others will think.
It's interesting to me the way the characters express themselves. Twinkle is searching through the house for "treasures" and trinkets, but I wonder if she's actually searching for more than that. I think Sanjeev is searching, too.
There is a point in the story when Sanjeev wonders if he really loves Twinkle, but when he tries to imagine life without her, (it seemed to me more like a partial, passing thought) he feels "pangs" of anticipation and feeling. His reaction is much different when Twinkle comes down from the attic with a statue of the bust of Jesus. He doesn't argue with her. Perhaps this is a turning point.
"This is our house. We own it together. The statue is a part of our property." This quote made me think of how, in relationships or marriage, two people are in a journey together, and even the things one wishes weren't there - little annoyances, differences of opinion, and room for growth - are part of the relationship. They own those things together, and they can change both parties for better, or worse, depending upon which courses of action they choose.
This story reminded me that, sometimes people have to sit together for a while, blending their strengths, weaknesses and idosyncrasies in order to complement one another - sort of like different flavors simmering in a good curry...or something.
Another beautiful post. You have a good way of zeroing in on significant moments or scenes and then drawing possible meanings out of them.
ReplyDeleteYou say the conflicts--or rather the little things that arise that Sanjeev didn't anticipate, either with the house or his wife (a good comparison, by the way, which I hadn't thought of before)--these things "challenge him to become a better person - to love her for her." Do you think he'll accept this challenge? Or even notice it? I would like to think that he will. But I'm not sure when it comes to the end of the story. The possibility is definitely there. But I'm not sure what will happen.
At the same time, though, I think that readers are also challenged to become better people.