"The Way We Live Now" and "Janus"

In the 80's the disease AIDS and HIV the virus that caused AIDS captured headlines everyone's attention. The lack of knowledge regarding how it was spread caused panic everywhere. The original belief was that it was spread through homosexual behavior, that was soon to change when more than just the gay community were HIV positive. Ryan White, a 13 year boy, becomes the face of AIDS, when in 1984 Ryan contradicted AIDS through a blood transfusion. He will be one of the driving forces for people to realized that not just gay men were at risk. Ryan White's case will change the laws regarding donated blood, in 1985 a law was passed that required all blood to be tested for HIV. New laws will also be enacted to ensure equal rights for people with AIDS, they could no longer be evicted or fired because they have AIDS. The 80's was also a time where women are showing up more in the workplace and commanding better pay than they had in previous decades. We were coming into our own, but sometimes money, prestige and a successful husband were not enough to fill our lives. We were looking for more, just have material possessions was not enough.


"Janus" by Ann Beattie is a woman who has everything but still feels empty, she obsesses over a bowl that is somehow the symbol of her life. This story is written in third person limited point of view. "The Way We Live Now" by Susan Sontag is the story of man dying of AIDS, the story behind the story is the gathering of his friends and how they feel about their friend, his illness, and their own fears about the disease. This story is written in third person omniscient, we get the insight from numerous friends, even some through here say.

The main character in "Janus" is Andrea, she is a successful realtor who is married to a successful stockbroker. They had been together since graduate school where times were tough, and as they both become successful they gathered many things to make up for when they couldn't. But the pleasure of owning new things was no longer there. The bowl was something the husband barely noticed and he was instructed to keep his keys out of it. She on the other hand is obsessed with the bowl, she brings it into her clients' homes when she is showing their houses. One time she forgot to take the bowl out of the house with her, she drove back to the house upset about leaving it behind. She compared it to someone leaving their child behind in a strange city.

She becomes so obsessed with the bowl she feels the only reason that she is so successful is because of the bowl. This bowl is always empty and I can't help feeling that Andrea is too, she has everything but has nothing. Where she once confided in her husband she now excludes him, she had a lover but he left her when he realized she was incapable of deciding what or who she loved. This story left me feeling empty, but I also pitied the main character because even though she had collected possessions and was successful her life didn't make her happy.

"The Way We Live Now" is the story of a group of friends gathering around their mutual friend who is dying from AIDS. While in the beginning they were able to put aside their differences in order to give a united front for their friend, soon old issues of jealousy come out. They are concerned about their friend's health but there is also concern about their own health. Stephen is obsessed with whether or not he had a good doctor, and if he was taking care of himself. Max ends up in the hospital with a complication from the virus, and the friends are concerned about telling their friend about Max's declining health. Quentin becomes the gate keeper telling people when they can come visit, even controlling when the man's mother can be there. The interesting twist to this story is how they all compete to be the better friend, like somehow it will make a difference.

The end of story brings us to the man's diary. Ellen picked up his diary to take a peek, she was alarmed not by what she read but how it was written. The diary starts with a strong pen but towards the end was less legible and drifted along the page. His life was fading like the strokes of the pen in this diary. Ursula and Stephen were only concerned with his being alive, if he was still writing in the book he was still alive.