This fantastic work by Eudora Welty deals with a universal topic that affects us all, especially when we exist in a time when time seems to be running out, and we question what we have done with ourselves, until now.
R.J. Bowman is a man who has dedicated himself entirely to his career. He has left little space to cultivate a knowledge about who he is, what he can offer, or what are his real...
This fantastic work by Eudora Welty deals with a universal topic that affects us all, especially when we exist in a time when time seems to be running out, and we question what we have done with ourselves, until now.
R.J. Bowman is a man who has dedicated himself entirely to his career. He has left little space to cultivate a knowledge about who he is, what he can offer, or what are his real "wants" and "needs" in life.
As a result, he is now nearly crippled by illness and facing death. Having crashed his car in the woods, a farm couple rescues him for the night. It is here where he experiences the epiphany of learning that he has lived merely for one thing, and one thing only: his job.
He analyzes this couple. They are quite bonded. They keep each other happy. They are going to have a baby, and they seem quite content. Sure, they may not be the flashy people that salespeople all over the world expect to meet and greet. However, in the couple's simple unity, Bowman experiences the warmth and care that he could have only encountered had he moved away from his immediate interests, and had learned to extend his emotions to others.
Bowman could not speak. He was shocked with knowing what was really in this house. A marriage, a fruitful marriage. That simple thing. Anyone could have had that.
This last comment is a very telling statement. It entails that he viewed marriage as some sort of mythical condition that would have slowed him down, or chained him up. Yet, now that he sees it up front, he realizes that it is really not such an enigmatic thing. It is really just the honest desire of two people to be together. "Anyone could have had that". In other words, had he seen things for what they really are- and not for what he imagined them to be like- he could have also had a comfortable home with someone taking care of him, especially during these trying times.
Therefore, regret is the most important topic in this story. Bowman's regret is not one that will bring him crying on his knees asking the universe for forgiveness. His kind of regret is more personal, which also makes it all the more painful, as he knows that he had designed the life that he has lived. He built his own vessel and traveled the waters that he wanted to travel. That he may have made an extreme choice is something he may not really get to know. However, he feels in the depth of his core that, perhaps, life could have just been different if he had given himself the chance to consider other options on how to live it.
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