Function.

The dictionary defines “function” as “an activity or purpose natural to or intended for a person or thing” or “practical use or purpose in design.”  As humans, when we create, we attach a function to our creation.  There are tools that we use day in and day out with a specific function and it would seem illogical to use them otherwise.  But perhaps function is not concrete, but rather relative. In “The Road” this is clearly portrayed.  Everyday objects suddenly become useless, unless given new meaning.  

In class, we have discussed how ordinary items are now used as a means for survival.  Suddenly, these things become necessary to live.  Each time the man finds a new “store” he examines objects to see how they could be used.  For example, the tarp now becomes their shelter, their floor, and their dining room table.  The cart becomes their closet.  A simple glass bottle and some fabric is now a lantern.  These objects now have one function: survival.

But what intrigues me more is the exploration of items whose function used to be for survival.  The things that were once used to preserve life are now used for destruction.  The pistol is not only used for self-defense and protection, but also as a means of voluntary death.  A knot forms in the readers stomach when he reads the father say to the son, “If they find you you are going to have to do it.  Do you understand? Shh.  No crying.  Do you hear me? You know how to do it.  You put it in your mouth and point it up.  Do it quick and hard.  Do you understand? Stop crying.  Do you understand? (113)” The gun is no longer a means for survival, but a means for an end.  This is seen again in the story of the woman’s suicide.  She uses a flake of obsidian to end herself.  Obsidian, once used to save lives as a blade used in surgical procedures, ends hers.

This is seen again through the example of the bunker.  What was once created to be a safe haven of protection has become one of the most obvious places for danger to come and find them.  The father knows this and attempts to conceal the door.  Also, the flare gun, which once would have been used to signal rescue and bring life, is now used as a means of defense and destruction.

Feeling Reflective

With the break in our reading in lieu of the midterm, some of the themes in the texts have had time to simmer in my brain and be applied to my life, particularly from "Hills Like White Elephants" and "The Pomegranate."

In "Hills Like White Elephants," for pages a couple is speaking without actually communicating.  Neither of them actually say what they are feeling, but rather mask their opinion for fear of the other's response.  Their conversation is light and ambiguous while the topic they are discussing is in all actuality dark and weighty.  This has caused me to evaluate my the communication in my own relationships.  Do I speak without actually communicating? Am I too passive-agressive to actually say something?  I think that lack of true communication stems from fear of vulnerability and intimacy, rooted in insecurity and a lack of self-confidence.  Today I am challenging myself to strive for honest communication.  For too long my voice has been muted by the fear that others will not want to hear what it has to say.  Honesty, even when uncomfortable, is the foundation for healthy and fulfilling relationships in life.  Yet it takes courage and discipline to develop this.

In "The Pomegranate, " the mother says (in reference to her daughter), "If I defer the grief, I will diminish the gift."  She wishes that she could protect her daughter, and keep her from all trouble.  But it is in the things that bring pain that lessons are learned.  Suffering is, at times, a gift.  I need to remind myself this.  The turmoil that I am experiencing, the unstable foundation that my life seems to currently be standing on, is molding me, shaping me, and beautifully teaching me life.  The restless nights from schoolwork, job-work, and serving others are worth it.  The reward will not come now.  Today's grief will usher in tomorrow's gift.