While it is safe to assume that most relationships begin happy, certain actions, or lackthereof, of both parties can foreshadow its inevitable deterioration and eventual failure. In Octavio Paz’s short story “My Life with the Wave,” he presents the tale of a man’s passionate turned abusive encounter with an ocean wave. An experience that the narrator claims changed his life quickly transforms into what he describes as a relationship of fear and hate; however, various elements of the narrative suggest the relationship was headed in this direction from the start. By highlighting the detrimental interactions between the narrator and the wave, Paz suggests the overall meaning of his work is to illustrate the essence of an unhealthy relationship.
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When reluctantly allowing her to accompany him home, he states, “I didn’t want to say anything to her, because it hurt me to shame her in front of her friends” (Paz 1). From the very beginning, the narrator feels inconvenienced by the presence of the wave, but does not wish to upset her by refusing to permit her to travel with him; however, he immediately tries to convince her to stay behind. While his respect for the wave’s feelings is admirable, his early desire to be rid of her is indicative of how he feels tied down, a feeling that certainly generates resentment in their relationship. Soon after, he expresses his concerns about traveling back home, as he does not wish to be seen with her due to the fear of being judged. He worries, “How could we get on the train without being seen by the conductor, the passengers, the police?” (Paz 1). He goes through much trouble to disassociate himself from the wave, a feat that gets him arrested and jailed for a year. The narrator arrives at the train station early, makes sure no one is looking, and pours the wave into the water tank, all to avoid the likely whispers and stares that would ensue from his fellow passengers. While seemingly irrelevant at first, the narrator’s initial view of the wave displays the unhealthiness of the relationship, …show more content…
Farther into the story, after the narrator returns home and begins his passionate affair with the wave, he discloses “But never did I reach the center of her being. Never did I touch the nakedness of pain and of death” (Paz 2). In the preceding paragraph, the narrator articulates the physical pleasure he shares with the wave, but his tone when revealing their lack of an emotional bond proposes this absence bothers him greatly. While a fling can certainly be fun for a while, acknowledging emotions is vital in maintaining a healthy, stable relationship in the long run. He then follows up with, “To love her was to extend to remote contacts, to vibrate with far-off stars we never suspected. But her center… no, she had no center, just emptiness as in a whirlwind, that sucked me in and smothered me” (Paz 2). The narrator implies through this quote that his relationship with the wave is solely physical, and that the dearth of emotion overwhelmed him and took away some of the happiness the relationship initially
When reluctantly allowing her to accompany him home, he states, “I didn’t want to say anything to her, because it hurt me to shame her in front of her friends” (Paz 1). From the very beginning, the narrator feels inconvenienced by the presence of the wave, but does not wish to upset her by refusing to permit her to travel with him; however, he immediately tries to convince her to stay behind. While his respect for the wave’s feelings is admirable, his early desire to be rid of her is indicative of how he feels tied down, a feeling that certainly generates resentment in their relationship. Soon after, he expresses his concerns about traveling back home, as he does not wish to be seen with her due to the fear of being judged. He worries, “How could we get on the train without being seen by the conductor, the passengers, the police?” (Paz 1). He goes through much trouble to disassociate himself from the wave, a feat that gets him arrested and jailed for a year. The narrator arrives at the train station early, makes sure no one is looking, and pours the wave into the water tank, all to avoid the likely whispers and stares that would ensue from his fellow passengers. While seemingly irrelevant at first, the narrator’s initial view of the wave displays the unhealthiness of the relationship, …show more content…
Farther into the story, after the narrator returns home and begins his passionate affair with the wave, he discloses “But never did I reach the center of her being. Never did I touch the nakedness of pain and of death” (Paz 2). In the preceding paragraph, the narrator articulates the physical pleasure he shares with the wave, but his tone when revealing their lack of an emotional bond proposes this absence bothers him greatly. While a fling can certainly be fun for a while, acknowledging emotions is vital in maintaining a healthy, stable relationship in the long run. He then follows up with, “To love her was to extend to remote contacts, to vibrate with far-off stars we never suspected. But her center… no, she had no center, just emptiness as in a whirlwind, that sucked me in and smothered me” (Paz 2). The narrator implies through this quote that his relationship with the wave is solely physical, and that the dearth of emotion overwhelmed him and took away some of the happiness the relationship initially