Preparation For The Next Life Analysis

Atticus Lish’s first novel, Preparation for the Next Life, offers a bleak view of the world. America is depicted as the decaying home to a myriad of social injustices. In Patrick Flanery’s review of the novel, he shares a similar opinion of Lish’s portrayal of the U.S., particularly the main setting, Flushing, Queens. Flanery and I share akin views of the gloom that Lish describes, as well as the mood of the conclusion. However, Flanery has a differing assessment of Skinner and Zou Lei’s relationship. In Preparation, Lish details an existence that is meager. Everywhere that Skinner, Zou Lei, or Jimmy go there are examples of the despondent nature of Lish’s America, whether it be rape, poverty, imprisonment, or the multitude of other issues …show more content…
Lish’s final chapters, which conclude with Skinner’s murder-suicide, are dark and fatalistic, providing a fitting finale to Skinner and Zou Lei’s love story and the tale of urban blight. The hope that is present is demonstrated by Zou Lei. Through the novel she faces repeated obstacles in the form of imprisonment, battles with unemployment, and great levels of violence. Zou Lei is confronted with numerous difficulties, but continues to persevere. After Skinner, her sole connection in an unwelcoming world, kills himself, Zou Lei could not be blamed if she let this loss engulf her, ending the novel on a concluding note of hopeless finality. Instead, Zou Lei endures, continuing to strive to better herself and find solace in exercise, as, “she put her shoulders under the bar, said a prayer to him and prepared to lift” (Lish 417). This is the concluding sentence of the epilogue, and it infuses the conclusion with a lasting feeling of belief, amongst the sea of …show more content…
Flanery believes that in their relationship, “a deeper bond if forged” (Flanery). I do not believe that Skinner and Zou Lei’s relationship has the emotional depth that Flanery mentions. Zou Lei is introduced as a character experiencing extreme isolation. She is in a country where she does not know anyone, and is soon imprisoned, sitting in confinement without any information about her release and, “an aching in her eyes from loneliness” (Lish 12). Skinner is a solider suffering from several mental health disorders, discharged from the army and without any connection to his family. I believe it is the characters’ shared loneliness that ultimately unites them. Both characters are attracted to the idea of having a companion and system of support in an environment that is extremely unyielding. Skinner and Zou Lei share common interests, such as exercise, but there is little evidence that they share an intense emotional connection. Skinner may have thoughts of marriage, but this is only because Zou Lei provides a source of happiness in an otherwise depressing existence. Although Zou Lei may offer happiness, this does not make her a potential spouse. The pair have a higher regard for each other due to the levels of joy that they bring one another relative to the rest of their lives. Skinner and Zou Lei live amongst poverty and violence, and the prospect of having a