Alone by Yiyun Li &amp Essay Example

lives of Fumiko and Suchen is the valiant effort to escape these elements by relocating to new places. ”Your girlfriend came to France as a cure. But one of the conditions of her recovery was that she avoid things, elements that are reminiscent of her Japanese culture. At least, for the time being. ”Fumiko departed Japan for Paris, France to embark upon a successful road to her recovery from a nervous break down (David Hoon Kim, 4). Conversely, this was somewhat impossible as Fumiko was unable to escape that which bound her spiritually.

The similarities are uncanny, Suchen’s mother, in an effort, to have her daughter escapes the tragic memories and the talk of the community, relocated the family. “In the eyes of her neighbors and her schoolmates, Sachem had seen fear and awe, as if she carried rear infectious disease, and in the end it was her family’s move to another province that had ended the episode” Nonetheless, this obviously was not possible for Suchen. Each breath she took was spent in captivity of a soul imprisoned by the spirits of her five deceased friends.

Fumiko and Suchen were never able to find solace as they succumb to that which haunted them. In essence, both Fumiko and Suchen were never able to achieve the success of an intimate relationship because of their demons. Suchen’s marriage of sixteen years with Lei failed and “The divorce papers had arrived six months later, mailed to the cottage that Suchen had rented, not far from their house. She had signed them at once and mailed them back” a marriage that was cursed and in actuality was doomed to fail (

Yiyun Li, 2).

Suchen’s soul was unable to be committed to Lei and to their marriage “He had been worn out by her, Lei had said toward the end of the marriage, not without bitterness. Sixteen years was a long time for anyone to endure a wife who had neither faith nor interest in the worldliness of marital life, he said, and she wondered if, by letting her go, he finally outgrown his youth”(Li, 3). Suchen was immensely devoted to the pack with her five deceased friends, and any other committed relationships would virtually be impossible (Yiyun Li, 3).

Profoundly, all her relationships would be licensed for failure because of the haunting of her soul. The strangeness of Fumiko causes her character to be refreshing and easily likable. Her love relationship with Blatand was very intense; a love that was mephitic for Fumiko, a love that and would ultimately lead to her premature death. One asks why Fumiko continued the relationship. Why consent to the relationship knowing that it was detrimental for her? “When I am near him, it tugs at me, like a sweet, diabetic longing.

A sticky addiction welling up like a blood bubble. And then I want to eclipse myself” (Kim, 13). In practicality, one could assessed that it was extremely arduous for Fumiko to end her relationship with Blatand (David Hoon Kim, 13). Fumiko’s description of this noxious relationship is enigmatic, because she had an addiction to Blatand, which she likened to a sweet diabetic longing, an addiction that made Fumiko powerless in separating from the relationship which represented the elements she must avoid from having a relapse that would prove to be lethal.

Unfortunately,

Fumiko succumbs to her demons because she chose Blatand, who would eventually became the facilitator of her death. This unfeign love for Blatand forged a fortitude within her journey towards death which makes Fumiko’s choice so tragicbut yet so sacrificial, dying rather than living without Blatand. One might say this was foolish on her part, but it is possible, that even if she had tried to separate herself from Blatand, his presence and memories had already captured her soul and this was too overwhelming for Fumiko. Still she would have chosen death.

Unable to confess their inner most fears and thoughts to their significant others. Fumiko and Suchen detached from Phillippe and Walter chose to confide and communicated without any inhibitions their fears and hauntings to these individuals. “She had told him –an impersonal interviewer, a stranger doing research – what she was incapable of telling me a Scandinavian who looked too much like country men” Fumiko was able to revealed to Philippe a young Psychology student at the Citie U dorm that, which she was inept to confide in Blatand (David Hoon Kim, 13).

While Suchen was able to unveiled her hidden demons through her conversation with Walter “ When I was thirteen, five friends and I decided to commit suicide together,”, she said, and without meeting Walter’s eyes, she shook her head” Suchen conveyed to Walter that which haunted her since she was thirteen years of age (Yiyun Li, 6). A suicide packed which she survived. Why were Fumiko and Suchen so candid about that which haunted them with these two strangers?

Could it be that subconsciously, the desires to be understood rather than judged were

more accepting by a stranger? Why was Fumiko fearful of confiding in Blatant? “Perhaps she didn’t want to admit what was happening for the same reason I was unable to admit it to myself. Love makes us do strange things and behave in unimaginable ways” What if Fumiko had confided in Blatant, would there have been a different outcome? And what if Suchen had confided in her husband Lei about all that she had endured?

Suchen imagined what Lei would have said had she told him the truth; over the years, she had thought of making the Confession, thinking that a man who shared his life with her deserved more that a lie, more than silence” Given these two truths one would assessed that, the fears which hauntedFumiko and Suchen hindered them in suppressing truth to Blatand and Lei. Essentially, It was easier to hold to their fear than to trust beyond the veil of their demise. Sweetheart Sorrow and Alone embodies a miniscule portion of both authors experiences growing up. Which had been creatively crafted within each story?

Yuan Li ingeniously incorporated some of her life experiences in her piece “Alone. ” “YiyunLi , “when I was much younger and in college, I thought about suicide and I nearly did it” (Three Guys and One Book). Without being controversial Yiyun Li discreetly exposes the pressures placed on young women in the Asian culture. The author brilliantly interwoven obscurity of identity, elements of love and relationships. Essentially, One his able to connect the character Suchen to the author Yun Li because they share a common bond in this area.

Both lived despite their discouragement with life. There was

an expression my father sometimes used back in Denmark “keresteSorg”, Sweet Heart Sorrow to describe the sadness One feels at the thought of a love affair nearing the end” David Hoon Kim wisely crafted excerpts of his journey growing up, the struggles with his identity and language while depicting love within this masterpiece (Perpetual Folly, Clifford Garstang). The acceptance, that the freedom of a haunted soul is achievable by death, by demonstrating the parallels of language to the identity crisis of many young college students of various nationalities.

Fumiko and Suchen being from the Asian culture are constantly faced with these struggles. In actuality, these struggles are faced by many as eloquently spoken by Yiyun Li “To me I think there is my view that everybody lives a secret life and everybody has some secrets and oftentimes I think people walk in the world in a way they hide those things away” Unfortunately, many are haunted by these inner demons and one is often reminded by society of these elements and the stigma to keep these struggles concealed (Marco Werman, The World).

One must recall the journeys of one’s endurance in order to persevere that which imprisons or haunts one’s soul. Just as Fumiko and Suchen were compelled to make a choice in their consciousness, Fumiko’s choice of death sets her free forever from the elements that haunted her. However, Suchen’s choice to live but never lived, will always be hauted. So the catalyst of one’s freedom or demise lies in one’s power to assent and change those innermost elements to be free.

Reference

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