Living with Strangers

Living With Strangers

Generally speaking the large cities are mostly densely populated. Even the people lives so close to each other they don't know one another because the only thing the populations in the cities have is their jobs and life. This is a social problem, which can be dangerous for the people if we live after the pretend-it-isn't-happening law.

This story takes place in New York City in 1978. The main character lives in a two-room apartment on West 109th Street. The two-room apartment doesn't has thick walls against a background of the raging voices, bangs and the sound of breaking she can hear from the couple that lives below the woman. The buildings in New York City are really close to each other because sometimes she watches two young men who just live across the airshaft between their apartments. New York City is so densely populated that the woman needs to found herself in intimate contact with people she doesn't know.

New York City has many different people from any country in the world. "I could smell their hair oils, perfumes, and sweat" - "A very tall black man entered the car with a woman..." - "A little guy with blond hair".

Even if the pretend-it-isn't-happening law is introduced some humans can't respect the law 100% correctly because sometimes the law isn't the answer for good behaviour but for something, which is inhuman behaviour. My conclusion to the theme is act morally correct.

The main character has a daughter, who is fifteen-years-old and a husband. The woman is grown up in rural Minnesota. She is raised with a polite and good behaviour. In her hometown it is a habit to greet everyone you meet on the road.

She moves to New York City and she quickly discovered that New York City has a culture, which is different than her own culture. Then she moves to New York City she hears and sees everything around her. She is one of them who are a good listener. "I listened to the howling battles of the couple that lived below me..."

The central character is one of the women who respect their own body. The body isn't a "boy toy" it is only for the people she cares and loves. "On the subway, I found myself in intimate contact with people I didn't know, my body pressed so tightly against them, I could smell their hair oils, perfumes, and sweat. In my former life, such closeness belonged exclusively to boyfriends and family".

The woman is a normal person like other people who are taking the pretend-it-isn't-happening law seriously because she is afraid to break the law and the consequences which can be very dangerous. She is just another witness like other people.

The principal character's husband is not really a gentleman he is more a pussy. He is one of those husbands who don't