In Class Short Story Writing

1. After my first read of the story I could not find any meaningful symbols, but on my second read I found an idea that stays relevant. I think that his secret lab is actually a symbol for their love in many ways, and this is most apparent in the last few sentences of the story.

"We've all had the dream where you find another room in your house you never knew about— if you found it, what would be in there? I thought hard about what that might be, and I've done my best to give it to you— something really cool, something scary and brilliant and mysterious all at the same time. Every single day."

I think that the idea of a "secret lab" or a secret is something that author feels is needed in a relationship. The author's love with his significant other survived on the idea of not knowing, or the idea of something more than just face value interactions. As he explains earlier in his piece "...I admit, a part of me worries that if I told you about it, the secret part of me would disappear."

2. I definitely think that when it comes to love that people need to have a passion outside of each other. Most of the time when I dated someone for long enough, some of the passion dripped away. When you make someone the center of your world, you forget who you are as a person. This is clearly illustrated in one of the earlier paragraphs.

"The moment we met I became two people: the one I decided could be with you, and the one left over, the person I am by myself. A person who I could never, ever let you meet, and who became the greatest criminal genius the world has ever seen. I used to marvel at that fact that you didn't have a hidden side, that you're the same all the way through. How can a person not have a secret and glorious part of themselves that the world absolutely must not see?"

I think for love to be successful each person must be okay with themselves alone, or okay with that "secret and glorious" part of themselves. Only after you accept yourself and who you are can you possibly love someone else.

3. I think that this could be adapted into a movie, but obviously much more content would need to be added. When I read this story I immediately thought "Megamind" which was a Dreamworks animated film produced a few years ago. The movie tells the story of a super villain that falls in love, and no longer really wises to be bad. This is much like the author's story in which a main character has 2 sides that he battles with on the inside. This story isn't particularly unique in concept, but the way it is told is.