Saturday, February 28, 2009
Blog Post 1: Misha Vainburg
Obviously Misha’s most defining characteristic is his massive girth. This trait colors everything he does, though personally I find it difficult to imagine to imagine someone who is 325 pounds. His obsession with food is actually a little disturbing. He even seemed to have an orgasm while eating on page 7 and the beginning of 8. Sex also plays a large in his life and therefore in the book. I would even venture to say his “khui” could be a sort of symbol. Misha also seems to be somewhat stuck in between America and Russia, not just literally. He also seems to be in between the sensuality of America and the duty and orthodoxy of his home country and religion. I think the book will be partially about his passing from the tradition of Russia to modern American in both body and soul. I think certainly his relationships with his father and with Rouenna certainly represent this. His father was a chain to Russia and Rouenna is his hope for a future in America. I also think Misha is definitely a character who is pitiable. He seems to be somewhat childish, still calling his parents Mommy and Daddy, and almost completely helpless. I look forward to see if he is able to grow and mature in some way throughout the book.
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Well you've said it all, I agree with his obvious eating disorder and find it a bit sad to think about even in this hilarious book.
ReplyDeleteI also think that he loves the ideals of both America and Soviet Russia, but he does not like the current Capitalist Russia. He seems drawn to the poles of the world, Capitalism and Socialism, he loves his lavish rich life but he also loves Rouenna's humble ghetto life.
As much as he might say he likes Rouenna's ghetto lifestyle, I highly doubt this childish, dependent Misha could survive there. If he didn't have money, I think Misha would be in a lot of trouble.
ReplyDeleteI think his passion for food and sex may be a byproduct of his rich life style that he never gave up. I also hope Misha matures so we don't get old of his childish ways , but i hope he still retains some of the inner child because a fully mature Misha is a strange thought.
ReplyDeleteI agreed with everything you said. Responding to Lars, I think Misha connects food with positive memories of his childhood. When he eats, he experiences these feelings. It shows his lack of self control which makes Misha very childish.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Aldis, I feel that Misha is definitely a character to be pitied. He is overweight and can't live up to his Papa's expectations. His "khui" is mutilated. Furthermore, he can't get a visa to live with the one person (aside from Papa) that he really loves.
ReplyDeleteI can't see Misha ever becoming a more mature person. He would have to be completely different from his current personality.
ReplyDeletePlus, does anyone else find his obsession with sex/extreme immaturity a bit disturbing?
John, I agree that Misha certainly enjoys his food, but it is more then that he has good memories from childhood about it. Honestly I was a little frightened at the first scene of him eating, he enjoyed it so intensely. "My little circumcised khui burning with the joy of release" is how it's described. That doesn't really sound like a memory from childhood.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Aldis, that it is hard to imagine someone who is 325 lb.s. It really isnt if you think about it, but in all the books we read, the main characters are fit or not entirely out of shape, the dream of humanity that the author wishes they were, and this choice by Shteyngart to have an obese grotesque main character kind of shocks us as unusual -- we usually want to strive to be like the main character of a book. maybe Shteyngart really wants to be 325 lb.s and who knows, i might as well by the end of the book.
ReplyDelete... k, not so much.
I guess you are right, Merrrt, it's not so much that I can't imagine a 325 pound human being, we see them all the time in our culture. It's more that it is very strange for the protagonist of a book to be 325 pounds. Personally, I can't say it makes him any more endearing to me.
ReplyDelete