Hm... I'm pretty flattened by the story. I'll have to read it again to get it right.
... I feel very repulsed by it. First of all I must get over my disgust, because in fact it seems a crime to me to eat my own flesh. In this context, I keep asking myself whether the forms of absolute horror really have to be... All in all, the film and literature scene seems to be very fascinated by the extremes. What does that have to do with? Is it because we want to feel something very deep? ... Is it the pleasure of the horror? But if we were to witness such a scene in real life, we would be anything but comfortably shuddered. I once heard that a dose, if it's used to it, has to be constantly increased in order to achieve the usual effect.
... Personally, I stopped doing that and reduced the dose of horror for myself. To the extent that I notice that even lower doses are enough to get me into a feeling that makes me think or reflect. I don't need it as much as I did before in my life. This may seem like a very unjust criticism to you, but it is deeply subjective and expressed on the basis of my feelings.
On a completely different level, I can go further away from what is happening in the bathtub and look at it metaphorically. The scene is a representative of what people basically do to themselves and how far they go to feel something. In fact, there are people who carve or cut themselves and let blood flow. I don't need to be afraid of it or condemn it. It is an expression of a possible desperation and a distance to oneself ...(or a fascination, curiosity??)
... Is it that someone hopes to attract attention by causing visible scars? And what if this happens in parts of the body that are covered by clothing? Someone will find out at some point. People's reactions are still important for someone who cuts themselves. In our culture of hygiene and under the aspect of health doctrine, such symbolic acts seem to be of the greatest possible deviance. And yet they were probably not so special in archaic or prehistoric times.
Altogether we would agree probably predominantly that this action adheres to something morbid and nevertheless there is a voice, which brings up for this a certain understanding. It is only through the actions and feelings of others, which surpass our own strength, that we know how to classify ourselves. If all people were the same to me, I would not know how to assess myself.
I have to read through the subtleties of the details and the dialogues again, because I was distracted by the scene at the end. The last surprise in your story is that the woman herself was familiar with the act of cutting flesh.
In any case, you have created a very captivating and carrying work.
Uhm, interesting points.. let me start from the end.
I tend to agree with that but I don't want to sound conceited (but since you wrote it..).
Mainly this short story may and should be read as an allegory. What I described is already happening in a more subtle but equally material way.
This is the beauty for me of the horror genre which is capable, through fiction, to convey signals of alarm about the true and deepest horrors of every day life.
You can see that my piece, that is only apparently based on a couple's dynamic, is not strictly finalised to "shock the reader with a higher level of sensational" but instead is aimed to the opposite: reveal in a fiction piece the abyss of addiction in which we're slowly falling. Other themes were inspired by Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, the correlation between a private and a cosmic tragedy (the fractals symbolise this), the sense of horror coming from belated recognition. On another note, consider that @dirge gave us a theme around which develop the story. Again, the theme is not taken from a contemporary b-movie but from the Sparagmòs Dionysian ritual. Furthermore, eating yourself symbolises not only a consumption coming from the outside but also - and primarily - from the inside of our darkest nature. In general, I always avoid to write horror for the sake of disgusting/impressing someone: I consider that quite an empty exercise (but if this story remained glued to your skin like an unpleasant ooze, then I cannot help to declare myself satisfied).
@f3nix
My teachers of Taijiquan has told me this on several occasions. Fiction in general. It is a way to get to the subconscious mind without having to tell or get someone to see the "truth." He has me reading different fictional works at this time.
Your martial art teacher must be a valuable person. I like his holistic approach, not stopling to the mere practice. I'm a karateka and know that those rare moments enlightment, may come in many different ways.. Fiction for me is never just fiction, a bit like dreams are never just like a sequence if images.. Thank for your interesting contribution!
:) Please, do that, because that's what you've achieved.
I was probably mad at "you" because I felt sad and horror reading this story. Of course, this is not directed against you - you know that, don't you? Give me some credit as I was trying to manage to distance myself from what I've seen. I was hesitating the bathroom because I was afraid of what could happen there. lol.
I did acknowledge though, what else your story was causing and how one also could give further interpretations and personal thoughts to.
Can this story of yours be understood as a critique towards the extensive usage of media and how people fall for it to get over their pain and become addicted to distraction and self betrayal? Is it a form of a dystopian future vision, where the masses are dominated by a single media corporation?
Reading the story again, I would like to acknowledge your use of words and how you mixed them together, like in this scene:
It is that you have interwove devices with human emotions and their physics.
The dialogue at the table and the body language of the family members you captured really well as to tell the reader: Look, that how it feels and looks like when people are not authentic. You observed their facial expressions and included all these little hints to perceive uneasiness and being not aligned with one another.
I'm grateful for your sincerity and I give you lot of credits, my friend. I know you're not mad at me and don't worry, I'm a really easy going guy overall 😉 I think that I shouldn't have talked so much of this little piece, though. I'll add that yes it's a dystopic .. present. I mean.. it's happening imho. Also, I liked to put this in a sort of twisted Eyes Wide Shut. But let's divert from the story.. here's an interesting article: the emerging crisis in critical thinking.
I really like your response, @erh.germany. Very thoughtful and deep.
Thank you, @tristancarax - call me "deep thought" - lol!
Exactly!
Exactly what @cyemela, she wrote so many things :-))) (I really am curious to know with what part you were agreeing).
First of all it took a couple of readings to figure it out. There's always more to your writing than a quick read through. Got to find the threads and look for meanings and such.
Like this story deals with the media. However, it could also be about addiction. At the end she takes the knife. She doesn't want him to cut himself; she wants to cut herself.
Thanks bud, I didn't mean to insist but I was curious..let me go and read yours!