Weekly Reflection on Hemon's "The Lazarus Project"

"Attracted by the neon blaze like a moth, I ventured in that direction to get us some food and drinks as soon as we arrived." (Page 203)

This quote, like many others from The Lazarus Project, caught my attention because of the use of imagery. The first part of the quote "attracted by the neon blaze like a moth" uses so much detail and really allows you to imagine the situation in your mind where Brik is attracted to the lights of the supermarket. He seems amazed at all of the items in the supermarket and how you could find these items in American and Western European supermarkets. Brik probably did not expect Moldova to have all of these items and stocked up on very random things, being he was drawn to the food, including toilet paper and wine.

• ubiquitous: Present, appearing, or found everywhere

"Home is where someone might notice your absence." (Page 204)

I love this quote because it is so true! Brik seems to be speaking on a larger, international scale, but you can also relate this to your home or my home, like a small town where you always see someone you know. Going away to college teaches you a lot about where you are from, when I go home to visit I feel like a visitor within my town but within my home I feel comfortable and like I never left. Although I feel comfortable and like I never left, my parents definitely notice my presence and also my absence. When I come home, my mom has to cook more, my dad has to spend more, and my boyfriend has to plan more. Similar to the way Brik is feeling, he is well aware people see him as a foreigner and he also feels absent from his home and not comfortable where he is.

• acrid: 1. Having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell. 2. Angry and bitter.

"There were, naturally, currency-exchange booths, each stuffed with a clod-headed money-laundering thug in an Italian tracksuit." (Page 204)

This quote shows Brik's perception and the typical stereotype of an "Italian mobster," who love their money, assets, but may not be the brightest ("clod-headed'). Since Brik is investigating this murder of Lazarus Averbuch, I feel like he has strong emotions towards any stereotype and being that he is not religious he bases a lot of his opinions solely off of money and politics. 

• sprightly: Lively; full of energy.
• supple: Bending and moving easily and gracefully; flexible.
• atrociously: terribly: in a terrible manner;
• ineluctable: Unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable: "the ineluctable facts".

"I would embark upon ponderous monologues about, say, the ineluctable finitude of existence and her eyes would acquire a sheen of remoteness; she had no philosophical bone in her body, so I avoided boring her." (Page 205)

After Rora and Brik get into a petty argument, "I am not your wife. I don't have to listen to you, Rora said." Brik reflects on the relationship that him and his wife, Mary, have. It seems as if him and his wife do not have very much in common and did not really talk about issues that were important to one another because they did not want to bore the other person. So far in The Lazarus Project, the relationship between Brik and Mary has not been much to brag or fantasize about, at least for Brik, and when he talks about love he very rarely talks about the love they share but instead love stories between other people or things, like the story of the rabbits.

"And when I walked among the prettied-lip ruins and bullet-riddled facades, I saw what they used to be, not what they were now." (Page 208)

I would definitely have to say that one of Brik's weaknesses is the fact that he sees people in their past and not their present. Some could argue that is a strength for a reporter and writer because he can really dig into the root of the issue, but it can also drag him down in his personal and social life. Brik quotes, "And I had the feeling that if I could see what it really looked like now, I would forget what it was before," almost symbolizing a hurdle he has to overcome but also moving on from the past and pushing forward to a better future. In Brik's personal life he needs to see who people are now but in his research and reporting he needs to see who the people are now but he cannot also forget who they used to be, in order to write a really strong novel. Personally, I struggle with this issue myself, sometimes it is hard to "forgive and forget" but eventually you have to in order to move on and find happiness once again with that person.

• bulbous: 1. Fat, round, or bulging.
• mien: A person's look or manner, indicating their character or mood.

"One person's garbage is another person's commodity." (Page 210)

 I strongly am in favor of this quote in all aspects! I am a strong believer in recycling, reusing, sharing, and buying second hand! As Brik walks through the street market, he sees all of these items that he may not find interesting and see as junk but other people may buy these items and make them their own. He also seems confused when he sees the soap, deodorants, etc. because most people in America would not buy those items on a street market, and although I like to recycle I would not do that either! Here you see the cultures distinguish their differences in Brik's eyes.

• incalescent: Becoming warmer, heating up.

"I imagined them jealous and angry; I hoped they would assail Rora, punch him in the face, so I would have to run and save him and he would owe me and never be an asshole to me again." (Page 212)

This quote is pure comedy because Brik is hoping all of these awful things on Rora as he takes photo's of these women and he is then approached by two men. However, it backfires in Brik's face because the men actually approach Rora to take their photo too. Clearly there is a lot of tension between Brik and Rora and soon enough it will make them want to go their separate ways.

• preponderance: superiority in power or influence; "the preponderance of good over evil"; "the preponderance of wealth and power". 
• mirthfully: happily: in a joyous manner; "they shouted happily".