Loss of Innocence

Whelp, Harry back for another scintillating conversation about yet another short story. Although, to be completely honest, this one is probably one of my new favorites of all time. Quite an honor, really, considering it’s standing among the likes of the Dresden Files, Howl’s Moving Castle, and, of course, you can’t forget Harry Potter! Anyway, I’ve just realized I haven’t even said which story we’ll be talking about this time. So, without further ado, let’s jump into Bob Shaw’s “Light Of Other Days.”

Now, before any analysis, I just have to go through the premise with y’all at least once. I swear, it is life-changing. We begin with a little insight into Mr. and Mrs. Garland’s marital life as of late. The newly pregnant Selina Garland is...disgruntled, to put it lightly, due to losing her job, any aspirations she had on a new house, and being forced to rely on her husband’s meager earnings as a poet because of her “delicate condition.” And so, while on a vacation gone wrong meant to fix their marriage, the pair stumble across a rural “slow glass” refinery run by a Mr. Hagan. While there they see his unusually young wife in the window and get this unnerving feeling that she can’t see them and are wary of Hagan’s extreme reaction to her appearance. And they end up looking into his cottage only to see, not the tranquil image seen through the window but, “a sickening clutter of shabby furniture, old newspapers, cast-off clothing and smeared dishes. It was damp, stinking and utterly deserted.” (Shaw “Light Of Other Days” After learning what happened to Mr. Hagan’s wife, the couple hurry away shaken and clinging to one another.

So, onto the analysis! In terms of loss of innocence, I would say it’s easiest to see it in Mr. Hagan not really losing his wife perse, but how he copes with it is his loss of innocence. The appeal of slow glass, according to Mr. Garland, is that seeing is basically equivalent to owning. Thus Mr. Hagan’s painful attempts to revive her through the slow glass is as what it really is. A pitiful endeavor that, ultimately, only serves to reinforce the fact that life isn’t fair, that there isn’t a happily ever after, that you have to have to cherish what you have while you do; because it won’t always be there. This poem, which is mentioned in the story, is a prime example of this feeling of wanting the past, to return to what once was.

Oft in the stilly night,

Ere slumber's chain has bound me,

Fond Memory brings the light,

Of other days around me . . .

This ties in with the Garlands’ situation, as they are currently fighting but still love each other. By the end of the story they discard their previous disagreements and find solace in each other. They, like Hagan, have realized the ruthlessness of the world and the regrets that it causes. This is their loss of innocence.

Sorry if it seems like I’m gushing but this story is just so ugh. This story is heartrending not because of any big gestures, awe-inspiring revelations, or some such nonsense but the raw feeling that Shaw conveys through the abruptness of the thoughts and words of his characters. “Strange how a man can love a woman and yet at the same time pray for her to fall under a train.” (Shaw “Light Of Other Days” this paradox accurately shows how convoluted the Garlands’ relationship, although not particularly emotional. But, the part that really hit me is the end when Hagan says “I'm entitled to keep something.” (Shaw “Light Of Other Days” that whole scene is just steeped in emotion.

Alright done, I’ll see y’all.