Living with Strangers by Siri Hustvedt - 934 Words

Living with strangers In the text â€Å"Living with strangers† Siri Hustvedt discusses the lack of solidarity and the social rules, one may meet in a big city, like New York City. Siri Hustvedt starts the essay by describing, the big difference she felt, when moving from rural Minnesota to New York City. She begins by briefly describing to the reader, how one was expected to behave, where she grew up. Whenever you encountered someone on the road, whether you knew them or not, you should always greet them. If you didn’t, you would be considered both rude and a snob, which was pretty much the worst thing, you could be in that part of rural Minnesota. Therefore, Siri Hustvedt quickly felt the difference between these two places, when†¦show more content†¦Human interaction in a modern world is a complex subject to discuss and it will be difficult, if not impossible, to find a definite answer to how you should act. This is why Siri Hustvedt chose to write an essay about it. The essay is simply a subjective collection of her thoughts on this issue, and she has divided it into three main parts, the first being her personal back-story. This provides the reader with an idea about who the author is, but also more importantly, an introduction is eye catching to the reader. Feeling alone in a crowded place is an ironic notion, but nonetheless a feeling that everyone living in a big city has experienced, and therefore the reader is able to relate to Siri Hustvedt. The personal connection establishes a sense of ethos, which helps the author convince her readers throughout the essay. Siri Hustvedt uses the second part of her essay, to support her theory about the urban law that she introduced in the first part. She supports her theory by telling anecdotes all proving the same point: Every city has its â€Å"weirdoes† who refuses to conform to the norms and expectation of the culture. However, none of these weirdoes will get a reaction, because the rest of the society is chanting to themselves â€Å"pretend it isn’t happening, pretend it isn’t happening, pretend it isn’t happening†¦Ã¢â‚¬  . It is rare that people get involved with what isShow MoreRelatedLiving with Strangers Analysis1219 Words   |  5 PagesB. Living With Strangers In 2011 8,244,910 people were living in one of the United States’ most famous cities: New York. New York has the highest population density in the United States with over 27000 people per square mile and it is estimated that 200 languages are spoken in the city. In a city with so many people, different cultures, and languages converts may have difficulties with growing accustomed to a city full of strangers. The American novelist and essayist, Siri Hustvedt, debatesRead MoreEssay about Reunion: Short Story and Father1199 Words   |  5 PagesHow we see each other The stories I am going to write about are â€Å"Reunion† by John Cheever from 1962 and â€Å"Living with strangers† by Siri Hustvedt from 2002 . These stories are short stories. The one I am going to focus on the most is â€Å"Reunion† by John Cheever. This is the short story which I am going to analyze, and I am going to draw parallels with â€Å"Living with strangers†. â€Å"Reunion† is about a son that is waiting for his father in Grand Central Station. His father comes to take him out for lunchRead MoreReunion - Fame or Family?1440 Words   |  6 Pagesplot, the conflict and the setting will be analyzed. Then I’ll move on to the characterization, the possible surprise ending and the theme and message. Finally I will draw parallels between the short story ‘’Reunion’’ and the essay ‘’Living With Strangers’’ by Siri Hustvedt. ‘’Reunion’’ is a short story about a boy called Charlie and his last interaction with his father. Charlie was travelling by train from his grandmother’s to a cottage his mother had rented. He would be in New York for about an