Three stories -- three of my favorite stories-- are all based upon the premise of reflection. Not in the meditative sense, no, purely in the superficial fashion. It is up to the reader, as it often is, to fulfill the creation of tangible meaning via reflection. Perhaps this implicit duality is what attracts me: the metaphor of reflection, or perhaps reflection itself, is deeply ingrained within our society. As students we reflect on what we read vs. what we know (or, more accurately, what we think we know, as we're often told), and through this reflection we obtain a deeper understanding of literature, science, math, the human condition, etc.. As teachers we reflect on seemingly everything: students, colleagues, discipline, lessons, units, administration. And as professionals we reflect on everything, (money especially) and how to achieve success (in terms of money, typically). What's left for there to think of as humans? This is where the unassuming guise of literature comes in: to mellow and anchor us, to ground us in reality and force us to reflect upon itself. The morals and stories are mere reflections of ourselves, of our assumed reality. It exists in the same medium as us, essentially. For what, or rather how, do we define ourselves? In the shortest stroke of the pen: words.
The Dog and the Shadow, Picture of Dorian Gray, Narcissus (Greek).
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