The Lone Traveler

 A Venetian Courtyard

"It asked to be explored, but explored alone, without consultations with, or obligations towards a companion. To step down there now as if completely free, to be released from the arduous states of play of psychological condition, to have leisure to be open and attentive to perception, to the world whose breathtaking, incessant cascade against the senses was so easily and habitually ignored, dinned out, in the interests of unexamined ideals of personal responsibility, efficiency, citizenship, to step down there now, just walk away, melt into the shadow, would be so very easy." (page 106)

I found the above passage in The Comfort of Strangers to be the most arresting and relatable of all. This idea of immersing yourself in life and the moment is in some aspects what travel is all about. To break free from the daily grind of common life, to ignore that personal responsibility, forsake efficiency, disregard citizenship - that is so much of the allure of travel. Time spent abroad is meant to be time spent truly living and enjoying life, collecting and exhausting every moment, appreciating the details of that moment (the smell of the city or the fields or the jungle, the taste of the air, the sensation of sunlight or rain or humidity or salt water) and enjoying your own life, for yourself - not necessarily for the benefit of another person (unless your travel has a humanitarian bent) but for personal growth and satisfaction.

This idea of eating up the moment and spending time abroad according to your own timetable, your own desires, and your own feelings and perceptions is a tricky one in the novel. It seems to be a source of tension; the fact that Colin and Mary are constantly together prohibits this kind of travel experience, and it could be argued that their experience in Venice suffers for it. Their occasional differences in opinion create minor conflicts that fester in silence and develop into prolonged, subtle, taciturn wars that are resolved by sex or something like it. They must constantly remind one another to be in a good mood because they are "on holiday" and "on vacation" and thus should not become frustrated with one another nor with the situations they find themselves in - none of it amounts to anything, in the end. Becoming lost in the city - what could be an adventure, or at least a fascinating and scenic experience for a solitary traveler - becomes a source of great tension when the traveler is joined by a companion (or worse, in this case - a lover) to constantly remind them that they are lost, and hungry, and worn out, and emotional. Constant fretting over the state of the other person's mood wears on Colin and Mary and their affection for one another is only restored after a peculiar encounter with strangers, an encounter they cannot even really speak about. The pair then becomes so enveloped in one another that they forget where they are - in a beautiful city, with beautiful sunsets and side streets and beaches.

 Essentially, though Colin and Mary are traveling and are supposedly enjoying the benefits of travel, they are in fact missing out on its pleasures, remaining instead super-involved with the various mood swings, sexual cravings, and insecurities of the other.  Don't get me wrong, traveling with a buddy or a lover can be wonderful, but sometimes to make the most of travel you must go at it alone, so you can call all the shots and reap all the benefits without worrying about whether or not you're stepping on somebody's toes or rubbing someone the wrong way.