Weiran Liu Assignment 1

A theme present in Ludvigson's "Inventing My Parents" is the human tendency to avoid unpleasant situations. It is the refusal of acceptance of the reality of things through ignorance or purposeful evasion of the topic. Ludvigson juxtaposes serious issues such as the war and the harmful nature of the American Dream - "its shadow sweeping every town" - with the light mannerisms of the couple in the cafe who are "lit by ideas" and shrugging and smiling to represent this idea.

To further contribute to this theme, Ludvigson utilizes a quote from Donne's "Canonization": "For God's sake hold your tongue, and let me love." In this quote, the speaker has endured misfortunes, but no longer wishes to suffer through it; he chooses simply to indulge in this love. In parallel to the theme, the speaker seeks an escape from his crumbled reality through investing himself in his affection to his partner in means of blurring out the truth that awaits him. The couple in the cafe do the same. They get lost in their fantasies that they forget their reality - so much so that "their coffee's getting cold but they hardly notice." These repeated instances demonstrate an evasion of reality that all work together to contribute to the overall theme of the poem.