A Different Sort of Stress

I too chose to write about "Stress" although when I initially read it I did not necessarily focus on the palpable stress experienced by the characters mentioned by the narrator. To me the stress of the narrative seemed to emanate from the Major General's lover through her every compensating ritual that is described. Although the short story describes the flat in which she lives in great detail, the ornate and expensive finishings, furniture, and foods, I think that the major general's lover is truly not happy when she looks upon the room "that is composed solely of objects that belong to her." To me the lover is fully aware of the fact that the General has a whole other life and that she is merely an object of his sexual desire and is only kept in a nice apartment such that she can be ready for him whenever he likes. Her careful attention to making herself up, putting on nice clothes, and donning perfume, is just a way to delude herself into believing that she is in fact seperate from the atrocities that surround her. Interestingly enough, none of the elements mentioned by the narrator can truly be said to belong to the major general's lover because the tumultuous society described by the narrative dictates that all of those possessions are transitive. Despite being involved with his mistress for a number of years, the Major General could easily move on and find someone else, not to mention be stripped of his military rank and power at any time due to the society's instability.
The setting itself was enough to make me antsy and slightly stressed as I read through the short story. The notion that perhaps millions of people are constantly at risk of being murdered, raped, and mutilated at any time seems unreal. The instance of an old man who was decapitated just because he could not respond quickly enough to a demand for food is simply tragic. The stress then becomes inherent within the lifestyles of all people who live in unstable areas of the world. The elderly, women, and children are not even spared by the vicious appetites of those seeking power through violence and oppression.
To be honest it is hard to think about a situation where I will ever truly feel proud of humanity in general, even in the modern age because horrible events like that unfold every day and not just in Africa. While not as severe as the decapitation of an old and innocent man the stress felt by the teacher observed by the Major General's lover is even more prevalent, where you have a relatively young person with the weight of an entire family upon his shoulders. It really puts things in perspective to think about familial responsibilities in my own life, such as thinking about the care and love that my parents will someday need from my brothers and I. This sort of care is something people usually regard as a heavy load or a grave responsibility. Here I sit in college as a 22 year old person and my parents are still supporting me in every conceivable way, let alone someone like me having to provide for 2o + individuals. Although I would never condone any sort of violence against any other human, its not hard to see how that sort of stress could lead some people to feel hopeless and unstable.

-CK