Critical Analysis Essay

Justin Kresevic
English 1110.02
Colleen Kennedy
October 10, 2012 Pleasure From Food, Not Love “Physical communication is as important as emotional communication in a relationship” says WedMD in an article called “Healthy Relationships”. In “Under the Jaguar Sun” by Italo Calvino, the narrator and his spouse have a struggling relationship, so they take a trip to Mexico with hopes of reigniting what the two of them used to have together. They do not connect to one another or cherish each others company as they used to in the earlier stages of their relationship. Their relationship has been restricted to mostly physical connection together. The Narrator is seeking an emotional connection with Olivia during their trip, but all he gets is a deeper sensual relationship with her which leaves him very dissatisfied. The Narrator and Olivia’s relationship is driven by sensuality which causes a problem in their relationship. The narrator wants one thing when Olivia wants something completely different. The narrator is looking to find the emotional side of their relationship, and Olivia is only focused on finding self satisfaction. The two of them seem to be so focused on and interested in everything around them, and not on each other. Olivia is far more interested in how her husband can satisfy her and bring her pleasure, rather than how the two of them can connect better emotionally for the better of their relationship. The narrator is constantly inserting himself into that position of being someone or something that Olivia would enjoy devouring. While he is doing this in hopes of getting that deeper connection with Olivia, he is not satisfied with what he is having to do for it. The narrator is on this trip to become closer emotionally to Olivia, but he finds himself more sensually focused just as Olivia is. The food that the narrator and his wife, Olivia, eat in Mexico is used to as a substitute for the pleasure of sex. During the couple’s trip to Mexico, they try and enjoy many different varieties of local dishes. The narrator and Olivia seek out different foods to change their emotional state in their relationship, and since their emotional relationship has been nonexistent they figure what better way to change that than to let food spark excitement between them. The food in Mexico works well in playing this role, as food in Mexico is a big part of the culture there. This allows them to enjoy the food in it’s local environment, a way they couldn’t with out actually being in Mexico. The food that the narrator and Olivia experiment with is the catalyst for seeking actual sexual pleasure. The narrator begins to metaphorically insert himself in the position of the Mexican food. He observes how the food that Olivia eats is satisfying her, and attempts to make sense of why their relationship is struggling to be emotional. The narrator is constantly watching Olivia’s every move, especially as she eats, putting him in the position of the food she eats. He imagines her devouring him, as she devours each dish that she tries. Notice how the narrator only describes what Olivia is doing, not how she is feeling. Olivia receives orgasmic pleasure from the food, and the narrator wishes and wants that pleasure to come from him. The narrator points out to the audience that he is afraid of just sitting there watching and spectating, and not enjoying the experience himself. He has been told by Olivia that he boring, that she is always the one keeping the conversation alive. Olivia even calls him insipid, with out flavor. This inspires the narrator to take action in becoming more involved in the food as Olivia is. The narrator decides that he as a person is not spicy enough for Olivia’s satisfaction, since the spicy Mexican food seems to be pleasuring Olivia. The narrator starts to be just as sensualistic with food as Olivia is, eating meatballs in a very sexual way and fetishizing the food he is eating. At one of the restaurants the

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