"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Going into this short story, I had preconceived ideas and notions about it. I have seen the movie with Brad Pitt in it, so I already knew the premise of the story of how he is born old and his age and life is in reverse. However, I had never chosen to go deeper simply because I thought I knew what happened.

But because I read it and the class discussed it, I was able to see beyond the surface and beyond what the movie portrayed. While reading, I viewed it as a "carpe diem" story. I saw the hurt and sadness that surrounded him his whole life. He was almost always considered an outsider and looked down upon. Therefore, I saw the story as one that said to appreciate the life cycle we're given and to live life to the fullest because one day, you won't be able to.

However, yesterday's class really intrigued me in that this story was about how we treat the elderly or others who aren't quite the "social norm." In America, we do throw away those that aren't moving at our pace or engaging in life really quickly. As Professor DeBorde stated, "Just as his father shut Benjamin up in his room when he was an old man, we too, do the same with our elderly." We tend to hide behind the phrase, "out of sight, out of mind." These different people are to be cherished and appreciated since, after all, they are still human, just with more experience.

Another point a fellow student brought up is that when we put them in nursing homes or assisted living houses, those don't necessarily protect the elderly because there are cases all over the news about nursing home abuse. People take advantage of the elderly. It's just sad. No wonder people are fighting for Euthanasia. If that's how they are going to be treated when they become incoherent, then why stick around? It's so sad.

The elderly sometimes have the best stories and advice. They have lived such full, rich lives but because they cannot operate at a certain speed, we push them aside. I want our generation to take the time to get to know their grandparents and to really listen to what they have to say. Along with that, I think, if we walked and lived at their place, we'd enjoy and appreciate more what this world has to offer.