Wait

I find the story “Wait” very interesting because of its absurdity. There is a Bulgarian poet who cannot get his head out of the clouds. There are mindless airline personnel an all powerful voice over the loudspeaker. There is a meteor strike and a hot air balloon that saves the day when it falls from nowhere. Yet, as entertaining and laughable the absurdities of the tale are, they are all part of a metaphor about the ways of the world. I think this is an excellent way to tell a story because it is fun and fanciful but still discusses poignant truths.

One of the most interesting elements of the story is the mysterious men that prevent the passengers from leaving the airport. I wonder about who the author intended these men to be. Who are the police that prevent people from escaping their circumstances in today’s world? I also wonder about the three women who refused to reveal their nationality. When they were placed in the group “others” it made them very angry, and they refused to be labeled as “others” the next day. The author tells us that nobody listened to their complaints. Who are these people supposed to represent in modern society? Perhaps they are not meant to represent a single racial or ethnic group, but all the people whose voices are never heard. The section of the story which talks about the Cubans who plot a revolution and crash their airplane seems to be a cutting muse on Cuban history. Finally, I have been thinking about the way different people in this story try to get along and how it does not work in the end. Everyone ends up killing each other. At first it would seem that the author is a person who believes all the people of the world are doomed because of their inclination towards conflict, but the hot air balloon is a powerful symbol of hope and a wonderful way to conclude the story.