Analysis and Interpretation of-Save as Many as You Ruin

1299 Words6 Pages
Analysis and interpretation of ”Save as Many as You Ruin” Life is composed of actions that fall into two categories: mistakes and successes. These actions are responses to events and opportunities that occur within the timespan of our lives and it is how we respond to these events that determine, whether one lives a satisfying or an undesirable life. In Simon Van Booy’s short story, “Save as Many as You Ruin”, the main character, Gerard, contemplates about his past mistake of ruining the relationship between him and the person he loves the most, and how this has led to his present state of life. Furthermore, Gerard utilizes this contemplation to his advantage by seeing an opportunity that could better his life, and taking an action as a response to it. The story revolves around a narrator that is third limited, in which we learn about Gerard and his pensive type of personality. The third person narrator is limited to Gerard, and this allows the reader to get a deeper and more objective view on him. Gerard has a pensive type of personality, which can be shown through his contemplation of “his own footprints and how soon they will disappear” and relating it to a quote by Rilke, who said, “what is ours floats into the air, like steam from a dish of hot food” (lines 7-9) (an example of intertextuality). He is thinking about the significance of his life in this world. Gerard “is [also a] handsome” man and “has slept with many women” (line 34). However, only one woman has reached his heart, Laurel. Gerard then made the mistake of seeing another woman, Issy, while seeing Laurel and justifying it by thinking that “other men enjoyed the occasional partner outside of long term relationships, and he wanted to try it.” (line 125). Not long after, Issy conceived a child with Gerard and this led to the deterioration of his relationship with Laurel. Unfortunately, Issy
Open Document