"Total Solar" by Luke Mogelson is a story about cultural tensions in Afghanistan. The story is about a journalist who has a very pessimistic outlook on the world. He is interviewing an ornithology researcher, when an unfortunate event occurs. A few gunmen arrive and kill many people, including a "fat American" and a woman named Sue Kwan. During this time, the journalists lies on the grass, pretends to be dead, and ultimately survives. The police and press arrive, but the journalist avoids them and walks away from the scene. He comes to an old man's home and the old man lets him rest in his house. When the journalist wakes up, he is hauled away by military agents who check him thoroughly before letting him go.
There are some very nuanced elements of this piece that make it a compelling piece. At the end of the piece, the journalist is walking barefoot when a cobbler notices and offers him some shoes. The journalist pulls out his pockets to show that he doesn't have money, but the cobbler gives them to him anyway. At this moment, the journalist's eyes well up with tears. Despite all the betrayal and negativity that he has experienced in Afghanistan, the journalist is still able to find some hope through this random act of kindness. It is this small action that ultimately causes the journalist to lose his pessimism.
Another interesting part of the story is when the protagonist recalls the time when his documentarian friend visited Afghanistan. This friend wanted to document the happiness of Afghanistan, so she filmed the happy street vendors, ate mangoes and bought textiles. The journalist thinks to himself that the friend hasn't seen the real Afghanistan and that everyone who avoids the reality of war is disillusioned.
Honestly, violence and wars are not topics that appeal to me. I think it may be because they make me feel so depressed and hopeless that I prefer to not think extensively about the topic. If you are like me in this sense, you probably won't enjoy the story much. If war is a topic that you like reading and learning about, I definitely suggest this story.
There are some very nuanced elements of this piece that make it a compelling piece. At the end of the piece, the journalist is walking barefoot when a cobbler notices and offers him some shoes. The journalist pulls out his pockets to show that he doesn't have money, but the cobbler gives them to him anyway. At this moment, the journalist's eyes well up with tears. Despite all the betrayal and negativity that he has experienced in Afghanistan, the journalist is still able to find some hope through this random act of kindness. It is this small action that ultimately causes the journalist to lose his pessimism.
Another interesting part of the story is when the protagonist recalls the time when his documentarian friend visited Afghanistan. This friend wanted to document the happiness of Afghanistan, so she filmed the happy street vendors, ate mangoes and bought textiles. The journalist thinks to himself that the friend hasn't seen the real Afghanistan and that everyone who avoids the reality of war is disillusioned.
Honestly, violence and wars are not topics that appeal to me. I think it may be because they make me feel so depressed and hopeless that I prefer to not think extensively about the topic. If you are like me in this sense, you probably won't enjoy the story much. If war is a topic that you like reading and learning about, I definitely suggest this story.
No comments:
Post a Comment