Outside Reading Q3

It seems to me as though , in the novel Atmospheric Disturbances, there is a theme revolving around devotion. As the novel comes to an end Dr. Liebenstein has not found Rema. This is obviously frustrating to him, and he decides to go back and live with the simulacrum. We do, however, see a possible explination as to what happened to Rema. Liebenstiens thinks: "The 49 had perceived the actual weaknesses in my marriage, that Rema and I had been targeted because the 49 wagered that given the attenuated state of our relationship, I actually might not notice, or respond to, the swap” (200). We see a little bit of Liebensteins irrational thinking as he decides to accept this. He goes back to the fake Rema and talks about how he will remain with her. Still,  he remains devoted to Rema as he says: “And though all of this will be painful- it will be like losing her all over- I will at least know then, again, that I must find her, that I can only truly love the original Rema” (240). This shows the strength of Liebenstein’s love and the extent of it. It helps us see that he could never really love another, even someone who looks and acts the same way as Rema.

 The madness comes I mentioned in my last few posts, and is evident as Liebenstein accepts things far from the truth. It seems as though Liebenstein’s distress over his “missing” wife and patient Harvey led him to craziness and irrational thinking. Also, we see a final development in Liebenstein’s character as he goes back to the simulacrum, yet remains faithful to finding Rema. This helps develop a theme that although one may move on in their lives, they will always remain devoted to the one they love, even if it leads them into irrational thinking and insanity. 

Outside Reading Q3

   As we are nearing the end of the novel we are able to see the novel come together and begin to make more sense. Leo flies to Buenos Aires to track down Rema, comes in contact with Harvey and his supposed controller at the Academy, Tzvi Gal-Chen. It becomes even more evident that his difficulty lying puts him in several sticky situations. When Rema calls while he is in Buenos Aires he ends up telling her where he is, putting himself in a pickle. Liebenstein says: “ ‘When Magda cried, I handled that so terribly.’ That was a mistake, to mention Magda by name… ‘When did you talk to my mom?’ she said with a desiccating cornsilky voice. I felt suddenly evaporated and cold, even out there in the sun” (89). As Liebenstien panics and cannot handle lying to Rema on the phone he ends up in a dilemma. He then struggles to keep his identity hidden from Rema’s mother so he can continue his investigation.

   We also learn more about the changing character of Leo Liebenstein. We see one of his character traits that can sometimes lead him into trouble. Liebenstein reflects upon his relationship with Harvey and his feelings towards him. He says: “Of course he also wanted help from me. Harvey asked if he could share my room. He said he was out of cash. Naturally I accommodated; I couldn’t imagine any unpleasant consequences, and, honestly, I felt obliged toward Harvey, as if I had abandoned him, as if it weren’t he who had taken flight , or as if it had been my failures that sent him away” (171). This shows how Liebenstein can attach himself to someone when he feels sorry for them. He especially seems to do this when he feels like he owes them something, as in the case with Harvey. This can be both a positive trait and a negative one for Liebenstein to have. It sometimes causes him to get in to trouble by not being able to say no, but it also is good because it makes him liked by others. It causes us to think about how much sympathy is a good amount, and when does it become bad.

Outside Reading Q3

As the novel continues we see more and more distress in the character of Liebenstein, especially revolving around his wife, Rema. We notice how much he truly loved the real Rema, as he often recalls memories of their past together. Here he accounts the first time they met: “The first time I actually spoke to Rema: she was sitting right in front of me at the Hungarian Pastry Shop, and I had leaned forward toward that hair, and I actually tapped that shoulder, but then what was I going to say if she turned around? I had no plan” (65). These actions show how differently Liebenstein acts when with Rema. Around all other people he always seems to have a plan. He often seems to over think his actions before he takes them, which is why he did what he did with Rema. Again we see how his love for Rema causes him to do things he normally would not. He recalls: "Normally people's conflation of psychoanalysis with psychiatry irritates me profoundly..but when Rema conflated the two,I was not irritated"(Galchen 66). This is funny, because he admits the affect Rema has on him. He realizes how he is not annoyed by her as he would be if another person did the same thing. Liebenstein acts so differently, clearly, because he is in love. These quotes help us understand as the novel goes on why Liebenstein acts the way he does when he thinks about Rema and her supposed disappearance.

        Also we begin to see the irrational steps that Liebenstein is taking in order to try and understand his uncertainties. He tries to figure out his wife and Harvey’s disappearance, and the situation regarding “ The Royal Academy of Meteorology.” He starts overanalyzing all situations and spends a large amount of time thinking of solutions. Here he explains his “logic”: “I had not, however, abandoned my faith in experimental controls. I quickly wrote three more note cards: HERONS, WOOL PROCESSING, HEMOCHROMATOSIS. Those would be my red herrings. Maybe I’d chosen herons with that obscurely in mind” (75). This method that Liebenstein comes up with does not make much sense to us. We see how he begins to become obsessed with his research and starts to lose his logic.