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.