Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

In the book, Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein, Heinlein tells the story of the unique relationship of Gillian Boardman and Valentine Michael Smith, with human ancestry but originating from Mars. Throughout the book, Heinlein covers very abstract and alien themes and ideas. However, although these concepts are seemingly unlike all earthly issues, they symbolize and uncover multifaceted social and political issues in our society.  One of these Martian concepts is “grokking.” Grokking is from Mike’s Martian language, but he teaches his “water brothers” all of its meanings.

One of the meanings of “to grok” is to drink. Mike often says the phrase, “may you always drink deep and never be thirsty,” this shows how although grokking can mean drinking, drinking has a deeper meaning. The action of drinking and sharing water is often used as a “growing closer.” In Martian culture, sharing water makes two people water brothers. Jill says that becoming water brothers “means you trust us and we trust you… we can tell you anything and you can tell us anything… and that we are partners, now and forever.” Since Jill and Mike basically share a mind by this point in the story, this shows how seriously Martians take the act of sharing water. Sharing water in modern culture would be like making a personal contract to show complete companionship. Also, Mike often claims that he doesn’t grok love. However, I disagree because Mike’s concept of water brethren is almost identical to love.

Another way that the characters in Stranger In A Strange Land use the word “grok,” is as a synonym for understand. Mike comes to the realization that he groks god and is now human. He has a few realization moments- grokking laughter, grokking love, and grokking growing closer. Mike sometimes goes into a hibernation mode- at the bottom of a pool or curled up in a ball- in order to grok something to its fullest. I think that it is intriguing how much effort Mike puts into understanding something, because it shows how much he cares for his water brothers.

Grokking relates to other themes in the book because Mike is always trying to grok growing closer- both on Earth and Mars- and this shows through inn his personality. Mike and Jill have an incredible relationship; they are incredibly dedicated to each other and have a telepathic connection due to their bond. Although this seems slightly alien, their telepathy is immensely human in character and it is only because they grok each other so well. In Stranger In A Strange Land, characters often throw around the word grok and develop I into their own personal meaning. This shows how comprehension can be interpreted so differently. 

Literary Essay revision of "The History of Love" by Nicole Krauss post

The History Of Love by Nicole Krauss tells the stories of Leo Gurskey and Alma Singer, whose fates coincide due to a book Leo wrote, “The History Of Love”.  Alma Singer is a fourteen year old girl searching to find a new love for her mother in order to raise her from the depression she has retreated to after Alma’s father died of cancer a few years ago. Alma decides to recruit one of her mother's clients, and while doing so decides to uncover the author of the book her mother’s client is having her translate.

This author happens to be Leo Gurskey, an Israeli immigrant living in New York with his childhood friend, Bruno. Leo constantly thinks about Alma Singer's namesake, and his own love who he left upon her request many years ago. Alma Singer is living proof of one of the themes in the book; that words, stories, and books keep people alive. However, a smaller theme contrived from this is that stories not only keep people alive, but in doing so bring them together to recover from losses. This is a less notable theme in the book and relates more to the idea of starting anew, with a fresh start, than dwelling in the past on loved ones already lost.

     When Leo's son dies at age sixty, Leo is shocked with Isaac's death after a lifetime of no direct contact with his son. When he attends the public funeral, he is forced into contact with many old memories of Isaac's mother. "Only at the very end did I see her again. I snuck into her room in the hospital and sat with her every day," writes Klauss. This not only shows how devoted Leo was to Alma, but also how Isaac's death forces him to remember his capability to love both Isaac and Alma. By forcing Leo to relive these memories, Isaac’s funeral also forces Leo to move on with his life. After the funeral, Leo becomes vividly aware of how Alma is dead and gone- but the author doesn’t portray this in a negative way, going back to the theme of not dwelling in the past or mourning for too long.

Leo often considers his own death, and Krauss describes him making an effort to be seen in public and noticed every day. "All I want is not to die on a day when I went unseen." This shows how dependent Leo is on his relationships with other people, and how although the author focuses on starting fresh and moving on, there still is incredible loss in death. Leo often also uses the phrase "And yet" as its own sentence, as a transition between thoughts and ideas. This symbolizes all of the thin lines drawn in the book- how there are always thin lines between mourning and living in the past, and the differences between starting over and pushing away old feelings that are still there.

     Alma Singer is also dealing with loss in her life, because her father died of cancer when Alma was 7 years old, leaving her, her younger brother Bird, and her lonesome mother to support themselves. Alma's mother receives a letter from a man asking her to translate “The History Of Love” from Spanish to English as a personal copy. Alma has the idea that since her mother and this man share the common devotion to this book, they would be perfect together. Alma even writes a letter to her mother's client pretending to be her mother, because her mother's reply was not romantic enough. This shows how Alma is still dwelling in the past of her father’s death seven years ago, because once she realizes he isn’t coming back, she tries to find someone to replace him. By the end of the book, Alma meets Leo, and she realizes that she doesn’t need another fatherly figure as long as she is loved.

     Alma’s little brother, Bird, is also dealing with their father’s death by trying to find a fatherly figure to replace him. Bird does this by seeking refuge in religion and God, and making himself feel loved by calling himself one of God’s “Chosen Ones” even though he only became religious in order to feel appreciated. When Alma begins to pay more attention to Bird once her problems are being resolved, Bird becomes less reserved.

     Overall, this book is beautifully written with many unique writing techniques and styles. I thought it was really interesting to compare Krauss’s technique with that of another one of my favorite authors, Jonathan Safran Foer, who is Krauss’s husband. They used the same parallel character’s stories and beautiful tone. Before I knew they had anything to do with each other, I noticed the extreme similarities between their writings. I also especially enjoyed the excerpts from Leo Gurskey’s “The History Of Love,” because they really highlight the themes of living in the moment.

link to unrevised post