“It passes time, gives us something to look forward to. I
close my eyes and put my hand on the map.
So many towns, so many cities to choose from. Some places are sure bets
but more than once I’ve gone with the long shot and been right. You can’t
imagine how many times I’ve been right.
Usually the
name will come to me fast, the way the numbered balls pop out during the
lottery drawings, but this time nothing comes: no magic, no nothing. It could
be anywhere. I open my eyes and see that Wayne is still waiting. Edison, I say,
pressing my thumb down. Edison, New Jersey” (139-140).
I thought
that the way the author ended the story was very fitting and provided the
reader with a sense of optimism. I was curious about why he chose to make the
main character choose Edison, New Jersey, and after doing a bit of research I
thought that this was actually a very meaningful choice and provided some
closure to the story.
Edison, New
Jersey is named after Thomas Edison. This just so happened to be the city where
he invented electricity, and the first street to ever be lit up was here. I
thought that this was interesting for several reasons. First of all, it seems
that Yunior is having a revelation of sorts at this point, that he realizes he
can change his life for the better if he wants to do so. Therefore, he has a
“lightbulb moment”, as we call it today, which is somewhat ironic. Another way
that the light could be a symbol at this point in the story is because up to
this point, Yunior has sort of lived a life in the dark. He has no real plans
or goals for himself, nor does he seem to be going in any particular direction:
it’s more like he just drifts along, as if he is roaming down a dark hallway
and dealing with things as he stumbles into them. However, now it seems that he
realizes he needs to change. He is no longer in contact with Pruitt, and him
and Wayne are off to a fresh, new start, which is exactly what he needs. There
is finally a light at the end of the tunnel for Yunior: a new life ahead, in
which he only worries about himself and creating the kind of life he wants to
live. This idea is confirmed when Yunior says that predicting where Wayne and
him will go next gives them “something to look forward to”. He needs something
to put his faith on, and this is it: while it seems small and insignificant, he
needs this.
Today,
Edison, New Jersey is the ideal place to live a good life. Rated the 28th
most livable small city in the United States, it has good school systems and
low crime rates, and picturesque living areas. This would, hypothetically, be
an ideal place for a person to start over and work on creating their ideal
life. Including Edison, New Jersey in the story definitely had an impact on the
way I viewed the ending, and gave me a sense of hope for Yunior and his future
happiness.
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