Analyse af 'Be Here Now' af Miguel Sujuco

Life is a rollercoaster of emotions, which we struggle with. We have all been in stages where we find us disconnected with the rest of the world and the things, that we used to be familiar is now unfamiliar. In this stage will we be longing for some of the happy moments we have had in the past. The only problem is that we don’t want the negative moments from the past, that are in the past. Humans lives roughly until they are 80 years old. In these 80 years life brings us tons of opportunity and we have to make hard decisions through life. These decisions should be the “right” one. Our judgement is influenced by the social media and how it describes a “perfect” life. Social media is also one of the major reason, that we compare us to others. We are also some tough judges, when we compare us to each other. So, every good thing, that happens in our lives is posted in the social media.

In this short story “Be Here now” by Miguel Sujuco are we introduced to the author himself, who just arrived from a war zone where he was a photographer. We hear how he has made a decision to move in with hi fiancée Jenna. although he was happy to move in with her, he is still doubting, after he came home. He also wants to be familiarized with his ancestors. Without knowing what happened to his family, he cannot make his own. The story takes action, in Jenna and his new house, where he searches for answers with his family past, and how he struggles with his presents and the relationship he has with Jenna. The story starts in media res, which is one of the main feature in a short story. This leaves us with a feeling, that we are thrown directly into jenny and his lives, without any insight into the characters. The story is told by a first-person narrator, that is also the main character in the story. The main characters name is not being told and we are left with his thoughts and his feelings, this is also what dominates through the short story. The short story is told by the main characters point of view. So, the view of Jenna and their relationship is not seen in an objective view but in a more subjective view. It is hard for us to identify with main character or have sympathy with him. He is not direct with telling us about his job or how his life was. So, we have to guess. We also get a feeling, that he is distancing himself from Jenna and he has a hard time connecting with Jenna and enjoying their relationship, this can be seen in line 165. It is very clear, that he is troubling to find sense in their life together, he does not know how to react when she is around. Although from his point of view, this is not a big problem. He does not think it is necessary that they eat breakfast together, but it seems as it is important for Jenna because when he turned his back on her, she smashes the plates in the sink.