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BEWARE of the solo traveler
solo creeper“A haunting new translation” says The New Republic and I could not agree more. This novella touches upon a new kind of tourist/traveler that we haven’t encountered before. This is the solo traveler. It is exactly characters like this who give solo travelers a bad wrap. Instead of enjoying the sites of Venice, which are described in an eerie manor, the protagonist enjoys watching a little boy. After reading this I guess a moral of the story could be beware of the solo traveler, for he probably has twisted intentions.
This idea of traveling solo conjures up a variety of images, but overall I find that stereotypically it is considered creepy for a man to do and sad for a woman to do. Even in Ugly Betty (yeah…I watch it) when Betty goes on a trip for “self discovery”, to learn what makes her happy and reevaluate her life, it is viewed by everyone else with pity, a sad undertone that implies a lack of relationships or friends. Is it really that improbable to travel by yourself and enjoy it (at least for some of the time)?
exit buddies!
Yea, there is a certain something in seeing a tourist or traveler wandering alone. Besides the fact that they look lost or out of their element, you have to wonder why they want to travel alone? Sure for “reinventing” yourself, or discovering your self-purpose, but I don’t think traveling by yourself would be all that fun or exciting. Who can you share all of the cool sights and sounds with? Its like the saying, “if a tree falls in the middle of the woods, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?”. So, do travel journeys even count or are they even worth mentioning if you went through them alone, with no one there to believe you? Many would probably dismiss your ideas or experiences as exaggeration or just simply crazy talk. No one can vouch for you. And, on top of that, as everyone else has said, traveling alone can cause you to pay attention to different sights, not all of which are normal or respectively healthy, as Aschenbach proves. So as for me, I would rather travel with a companion, not only to share the memories with and update me/give new insight to experience, but to also keep me sane.
exit buddies!
Yea, there is a certain something in seeing a tourist or traveler wandering alone. Besides the fact that they look lost or out of their element, you have to wonder why they want to travel alone? Sure for “reinventing” yourself, or discovering your self-purpose, but I don’t think traveling by yourself would be all that fun or exciting. Who can you share all of the cool sights and sounds with? Its like the saying, “if a tree falls in the middle of the woods, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?”. So, do travel journeys even count or are they even worth mentioning if you went through them alone, with no one there to believe you? Many would probably dismiss your ideas or experiences as exaggeration or just simply crazy talk. No one can vouch for you. And, on top of that, as everyone else has said, traveling alone can cause you to pay attention to different sights, not all of which are normal or respectively healthy, as Aschenbach proves. So as for me, I would rather travel with a companion, not only to share the memories with and update me/give new insight to experience, but to also keep me sane.
I agree, when people travel
I agree, when people travel alone they do have a lot of time for self reflection and for observing others. In Aschenbach's case he becomes obsessed with observing others especially Tadzio. He begins to create relationships that do not require communication. In one scene Aschenbach describes Tadzio glancing back at him, claiming that there was a communication between them that did not require words and that it was closer than normal communication. This belief in a relationship with someone he has never spoken to and his obsession with observing others does make him a very creepy character.
HAHAHA
pretty much... the best picture ever
Also, I think that some solo travelers may not start off as creepers, but that the nature of traveling alone - being constantly by yourself and therefore constantly reflecting on your own thoughts, constantly in a state of introspection - can bring out the creepiest in people.