Outside Reading Q3

            As we pick up where we left off in Atmospheric Disturbances I come to realize a new aspect of Dr. Leo Liebenstein character. Since the start of the novel Leo Liebenstein’s wife seems to have been replaced, one of his patients, Harvey, has gone missing, and he gets a call from "The Royal Academy of Meteorology” which supposedly does not exist. All of these things obviously, place much stress on Leo. It becomes evident that Liebenstein is one who makes up what he does not understand in order to feel better about the situation. When his wife Rema seems to have been replaced Liebenstein thinks: “Walking, finally, home, I comforted myself with the likelihood that I would very soon seen Rema, that she-the selfsame girl I’d picked up at the coffee shop years before-would be right there at home…” (35). Through Dr. Liebenstein’s thoughts we see how things he does not grasp, he makes up solutions to. In this case, his solution to his problem that the real Rema is missing, is to continue thinking she will come home.

            Also, we see a continuation in the theme that in ones efforts to help another, one can become pained and troubled themselves. To expand on this, we can see how when one is surrounded by chaos, they can begin to go mad themselves. Dr. Liebenstein thinks to himself: “But I couldn’t find my way out of the crisscrossing thought: either I tell her she’s not really Rema and she thinks I’m crazy, or I tell her she’s not really Rema and she doesn’t think im crazy, because she already knows she’s not Rema, in which case why should I let on that I know? (64). Liebenstein’s thoughts become more irrational and twisted as he strains himself thinking about his wife, Rema, and his missing patient, Harvey. As the character of Liebenstein begins to change after he is surrounded my more confusion, we see how when once is surrounded my chaos, they can begin to lose their rational thinking. 

Outside Reading Q3 Blog

As we get further into the book Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen the characters are further developed. It becomes evident that Dr. Liebenstein himself seems to be not thinking straight after dealing with so many psychiatric patients. After becoming obsessed with finding the “real” Rema and Harvey, he seems to be going a little mad himself. He says: "I walked over to Broadway, went underground, boarded the number 1 train heading downtown. Each time new passengers came on, I watched expectantly. Near the bottom of the island, I exited, ascended, crossed the street, redescended, waited, and reboarded the subway going uptown."(33). In this primary investigation of where Harvey is we already begin to see him going slightly crazy. We cannot help but wonder what he will be like as time goes on and he continues his search. This may help support a theme in ones efforts to help another, one can become pained and troubled themselves.

Continuing in the novel Liebenstein is further developed. We see how he often becomes very uncomfortable in certain situations. Rivka Galchen tells us:  "In order to avoid saying thank you, upon prompting, for things I wasn't truly thankful for,I would bury my face in my mother's skirt"(22). This memory from Liebenstein’s past helps us see how the uncomfortable feeling he gets is something that has followed him throughout his life. Galchen writes: “It was very bad, the acoustics inside of me. I wanted, suddenly, to leave. I ordered a coffee to go-“(33). The awkwardness that Liebnestein frequently feels may be something that causes his problems later in the novel. These traits are things that also seem to make it hard for him to lie easily, as mentioned in the last blog. 

Outside Reading Q3 Blog

In the book Atmospheric Disturbances  by Rivka Galchen we meet the character of Dr. Leo Liebenstein. Dr. Liebenstein is a physiatrist whose wife, Rema, seems to have been replaced by someone who looks and behaves almost exactly the same. He relies only on a notion that this new wife is not the wife he once lived with. The author writes: “It was a little uncanny, the feeling I had, looking at that look-alike. I was reminded of how I used to feel before I actually knew Rema...”(28). Liebenstein has no proof that his wife is not the same person, yet he continues to pursue that idea based solely on a feeling he has inside of him. Galchen tries tells us to trust our own gut feelings sometimes in life. It makes it clear that we often do not know what we are being led into, yet we have to continue on and trust what we believe deep down.

    Galchen further develops the character of Dr. Liebenestien as one filled with honesty. We hear the words of Liebenestien: “I don’t think of my honesty as moral value, since I think of morality as involving choices, and I’ve ever particularly chosen to be honest, have simply never been able to be otherwise, feel rather predetermined to fail at lying” (22). Through these words we see Liebenestien’s views on morals and a large part of his character. It seems as though lying will not be a good choice for him to make, as he has had little practice and seems ‘predetermined to fail.’ This may foreshadow to us his success , or lack thereof, in trying to deceive one of his psychiatric patients, Harvey. This may result in disaster or the demise of one or more of the characters in the novel.