Analyse af novellen 'Low Visibility Laura'

Laura was once the laughter of the party, a part of the crowd. John, was only lingering on the outskirts, he longed to be a part of the crowd, and to lower his defences, and be content. Both Laura and John thought that Laura could help. She was happiness itself, and John was certain that he could absorb some of it. Laura just wanted him to feel like he belonged. John was not capable, to do either. John started to blame Laura for this, for his unhappiness. He became violent, and sucked the life out of Laura. Instead of the outgoing, sociable, and happy person she was before, she became withdrawn and invisible. She forgot how to protest, and let John oppress her. She lost herself.

Then there are the riots. They are demonstrating, but one never gets an all-clear vision of what they are protesting against. As Laura and John, is watching the riots on the television, Laura starts thinking about the girl she used to be, and what she has become. Then people start looting shops, and some of them, chose the shop underneath Laura and John’s apartment. John wants to go down there, and stop them, but Laura tells him: “Don’t”. This is the first command she has spoken in four years, and is shocked by it. John does not see her, though; she is even invisible for him. John goes ahead, and Laura is left alone in the apartment. When she realises that John is losing the fight against the looters, she get scared. She knows that John will blame her, and that he will think that she should have prevented him from going. She hurries below, to see John lying on the ground bleeding from a wound in the head. When he opens his eyes, he tells her to help him. But the change has already come upon her, and she is thinking that she does not have to help him. That is when a man comes by. He sees Laura, but he does not see John, even though he is begging for help. When the man actually talks to her, the parts of herself she lost in the marriage comes back to her.