Living with Strangers, Siri Hustvedt

Living with strangers, Siri Hustvedt

''To live in a strict audience in to the pretend law all the time would be unbearably dull' ' (P. 3 line: 104-105). A culture is formed in every society, and a certain rule must be followed, which a complete stranger would understand. In Minnesota greeting one another is considered as a form of respect, where as in New York City, if you are to greet a stranger, you would be considered as mentally disturbed.

Siri describes to the reader how, how the individual is expected to conduct themselves, around where she grew up. She had grown up in Minnesota where not greeting a stranger , would be considered being both rude and snobby. In 1978 Siri had moved to New York, she meet a world vastly different compared to what she knew, from back home. Addressing a stranger in New York, you would be considered mentally disturbed. She quickly learned that the social code of behavior was very different, as well as there was an unspoken rule, in every culture as well societies. Being forced to stand so close to a stranger, to a point where you can smell their hair oil, perfume and sweat, is considered as a level of intimacy which is only in reserved for family and lovers in Minnesota, where as in New York, you are being forced to such close contact, in the subway for instants. Siri's way of adjusting herself to this community was to go by the pretended-it-isn't-happing-law, this was a phenomenon of the big city life, where you basically ignore strange behaviors from others in the public. So the rule is simply minding your own business. Reposing to an action of ''strangeness'' is viewed as either ''courageous or merely stupid'', all depending on the circumstances.