Siggdalos wrote: ↑Thu Mar 10, 2022 10:29 pm
I also agree with this. I think it was a very conscious move on John's part to only let us see a brief glimpse of O&E through another character's eyes and to ultimately give S&K the same treatment. As the narrator tells us about S&K (my translation):
"
I have never met a couple with such integrity, such closeness as those two. They made up their own little universe."
S&K exist only for each other. As much as we try, we--as readers--can only ever manage to view them from the outside, just like the narrator does. And of course, S&K's relationship is a reflection of O&E's (just as it is a reflection of John and Mia's relationship). When they choose to pursue the same fate as O&E, they--like the children--vanish from of our and the narrator's sight for good to truly enter their own separate world away from the rest of humanity. All we can do after that point is to speculate and
dream new dreams about what they're up to.
I hadn't considered this at all when reading -- but I really love this interpretation of how the story is presented to us. The people who knew them, and the readers, get the privilege of seeing this formative part of these characters’ relationships, but then, they're gone. Riding off into the sunset as it were, as if they're unable to be touched by anyone in the world, invincible -- locked into this state of romance between them that can never die.
All we get is the rare reassurance that things are just fine (at least as “just fine” as killing innocent families can be).
It’s kind of bittersweet, because that implies that we don't ever get a chance to be let back into their world.
I could totally understand John never writing that follow up to Eli / Oskar's story for that reason alone. I’d, of course, be extremely curious to see what they’ve been up to, in detail. Though, seeing them in the background of another book of his randomly -- even without any true interaction or impact on the story -- would be really fun as well.
Milkman wrote: ↑Thu Mar 10, 2022 6:48 pm
Is there an ulterior motive for that being said? Is it merely an observation, taking into consideration everything that he knows about the circumstances surrounding Oskar and Eli? (And also the fact that he has just discovered that they didn't age a day). Or was he trying to imply that they intended to harm that family?
[...] I like to think that they were just hunting, not at all focused on the family in particular. I don't think they would be the type to butcher a family. Not unless they were really desperate.
When I read that, I wanted to interpret it the same way -- that they were just hunting, but it really does imply that they look malicious at that family in particular.
I find that strange though, since it seems so much more dangerous and wasteful to attack a family, not even to think about the moral implications, if Oskar and Eli still held onto any morals after all that time.
@metoo has a fanfic on here
Monster http://let-the-right-one-in.com/fancont ... sh-version (highly recommended) that explores a possible more noble reason for them to be doing something like this.
Who knows, could be fun to explore the background of this particular photograph in a fanfic.
More on S&K, I can’t help but wonder how their adventure went.
Karin should be skilled enough to
eventually track O&E down and confront them, especially since she knows just the sorts of things to look for and even potentially how to bait them out.
I can see so many different possibilities for how that meeting would play out, depending a lot on the context of the situation. I just can’t imagine how hard it would be to get either Oskar or Eli to talk to you, or even listen to you, especially if they’re off in their own world, completely uncaring about anyone else.
Maybe they could see the same sort of love in S&K as they have, and care enough to share their “situation” with them. Or maybe they would just run off to another part of the world, scared someone knew of them, or even worse and become violent.
S&K would be completely at their mercy, I think, probably even on purpose, going into it totally vulnerable given their current state, and since they were going to ask for a favor, so to speak.