During that time, he partied, drank in excess, lost his wife to pneumonia (for which he was at least partially responsible), lost custody of his daughter, and lost his fortune. 8 In this story, an American man returns to Paris after the Great Depression and recalls his life as a young artist in the American artist expatriate community of Paris in the 1920s and 1930s.
For example, in one session we reflected on “Babylon Revisited” by F.
#Chekhov a visit to friends book windows
The stories also served as windows into the world of others which enabled us to see and become the other. The discussion led to a deep understanding and empathy for us and our colleagues knowing the pain of alienation that some of them felt but could not discuss. This allowed us to talk about deeply personal topics, without having to own the topic or reveal personal issues. Some of the members of the group were Indian American and could relate to the alienation from their home and nostalgia for their country, while others could relate to the same alienation, albeit from other cultures and countries. 7 The family professed to be interested in knowing about the culture but could not concentrate: the wife stayed busy flirting with the guide and revealing outrageous secrets to him, the children were engrossed in their squabbles, and the father was essentially absent taking photographs as souvenirs instead of seeing the sites firsthand. In a different session, we discussed the story “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri in which a settled Indian American family returns to India to tour and learn about their heritage from a guide (the interpreter of maladies) who interpreted the culture for them. This was a conversation that may not have taken place without the story as anchor to discuss insecurities that we individually may not have been willing to admit to the group. This led to a discussion of insecurities, ways to bolster self-confidence, and ways to accept and respect limitations. One member of the group stated that he could relate to the doctor’s insecurities and mentioned that he too felt insecure and even sometimes felt like an imposter. He was also the father of the child who was dying and refused to admit any responsibility. The doctor was nervous, insecure, and unable to express any empathy. 6 Some of the members resonated with the doctor of this story who awkwardly attended to his lady patient whose son was dying of a brain tumor. In one session we read “The Doctor’s Visit” by Anton Chekhov. We found that stories mirrored our own world and allowed us to discuss issues close to us without the embarrassment or stigma of owning the story. Another way reading and reflecting on short stories helped was by reflecting our practices to ourselves, as though looking into a mirror to see ourselves and out of a window to see others.
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