Signs and Symbols... Symbols and Signs

Well, it was another exhausting work week for me, and unfortunately, I have more to do this weekend as well. On the way back from a very late dinner at Cracker Barrel (no judgment!), my partner and I listened to the New Yorker Fiction Podcast of Mary Gaitskill reading Vladimir Nabokov's "Symbols and Signs" (or "Signs and Symbols" if you call it by the name Nabokov intended). I have listened to a number of these podcasts over the last couple of weeks, and though I have found the stories interesting, I have not been inspired to blog about another until now. This podcast is one of the older ones, originally released June 2, 2008.

I think my desire to blog about this particular story stems from the awe-inspiring way in which Mr. Nabokov presents the existential crisis that is humanity through parallel views. The story opens on an elderly couple attempting to visit their son in the sanitarium where, due to a severe derangement, he resides. As the story unfolds, you learn more about this cou…