Alternate Routes Please

One small story. Many small stories make a big story (Rose 179).

Richard Misrach’s photographs of the Katrina aftermath are disturbing. By this I mean that they provoke deeper emotions and thoughts about Katrina. In 1 Dead In Attic we have read examples of these signs, but having the visuals change how I personally read the story. This sign. Wasn’t that and isn’t that still the question for refugees and survivors of Hurricane Katrina? What now?

Chris Rose can only capture an extent of experiences that arose from Hurricane Katrina. It is evident in this book that Rose resides in a nice part of town but he remains empathetic to Louisiana the entire time. He is not ignorant to the segregation, racism, injustice, and abandonment that Katrina has highlighted. Despite most of the stories being from his perspective, Rose uses metaphors and symbolism to show that his anxieties are not isolated, they have spread like a disease to refugees around him.

The two columns that I felt spoke to one another were Songs in the Key of Strife and The Cat Lady. In Songs in the Key of Strife Chris Rose, still depressed from the sights and emotions in Louisiana, finds himself losing interest in his old hobbies. He continuously works around the clock producing articles about Katrina. He finds life in playing piano and is determined to purchase one on his day off, which his boss makes him take. Rose goes to a piano shop he finds in the phone book, only to discover that Bitsie Werlein’s pianos have “marinated for weeks in Katrina Stew” (197). Not giving up, Rose enters another musical store and instead of enjoying the piano shopping experience he finds a “sad song” (198). He sits at a piano listening to a broken customer telling his story about post-Katrina. The second article is quite different from the first and focuses on Ellen Montgomery, a loner cat lady. She remains in her house throughout the storm and survives with all 34 cats. Unlike Rose, Ellen remains in her sheltered world of reality and sustains a tolerable peace of mind. Rose reflects that she has not necessarily perceived the entirety of the Katrina wreckage and is out of touch with the world around her. The differences and similarities between these two articles critique the universal needs of escapism and resiliency.

Rose’s article about the piano experience shows that he is unable to escape his post-Katrina reality. Some through alcohol and medication and even suicide has achieved escapism, but Rose seeks a piano. The piano becomes the symbol of the broken house/family and a memory of the liveliness of Louisiana through music. Though he does not get his “groove back” he discovers that he cannot “escape the storm” because someone is always telling their Katrina story about loses and pain (Rose 198). This is what Rose believes everyone needs: a listener because grief is everywhere. His experience in the second piano store shows the rapidity and surge of stories that come his way, which he incorporates into his articles. Rose is so submerged in the world around him that he is easily consumed by intense emotions and writes other’s stories. Anyone that is need of living though a disaster needs to be resilient, but he cannot find a solid ground to stand upon. Even when he is trying to play his piano later he reveals that he is unable to think of anything but Katrina and cannot play a single tune. This story shows the affects of the entrapped soul without an escape route and how crucial this is to survive.

Ellen, unlike Rose, is able to escape the storm and society in general. She paints her own reality, figuratively and literally, to the point that she “vaguely” notices Katrina approaching (Rose 112). The two extremes of escapism made me question which one was more numbing. Ellen does not have to hear people’s depressing stories on a daily basis, or even go outside; whereas, that becomes Rose’s occupation and reality. Would Ellen be able to handle the new Louisiana if she was exposed to it like Chris? Would she too feel the need to reach out and connect and share her story? Ellen’s ability to spend time alone makes her “resistant” and resilient in dire situations (Rose 110). Yet, this isolation has given the opportunity to strengthen herself and her peacefulness. Despite her seemingly lack of awareness of current Louisiana, she is able to create beauty out of the wreck. Ellen takes roofing tiles made of slate from ruined houses to paint on. Of course, she may not realize the symbolism behind this, but she redefines loss through recreation. I think Ellen’s story provides a message of hope for those who are lost and seeking an alternate mental residence.