[Why] Everything Is Illuminated [(through) Things]

As I said in class, the first connection I made between our readings and Everything Is Illuminated was Csikszentmihalyi’s essay, Why We Need Things. Jonathan is piecing himself and his relationships together by collecting material evidence of his identity. The objects he collects “reveal the continuity of the self through time, by providing foci of involvement in the present, mementos and souvenirs of the past, and signposts of future goals” (23). This quote explains Jonathan’s collecting perfectly – his collection allows him to focus on the present as he picks up things to save, and those mementos of the present then become reminders of his past. The amber pendant, photo, and chain represent his future goal (at the beginning of the movie) of trying to understand his grandfather’s past, which is also his own. Jonathan’s collection also gives him “concrete evidence of [his] place in a social network as symbols of valued relationships” (23). He builds an understanding of his relationships by collecting evidence of them. In the same way, Augustine’s sister uses objects to remind herself of her own past and the relationships she lost in the war, and her “Just In Case” box gave her a future as she waited to understand what Augustine meant by that phrase and saving her ring. Once Jonathan understood his past, he was able to give up the objects that symbolized his goal of reaching that understanding. He leaves the pendant, which becomes evidence of Augustine’s sister’s past rather Jonathan’s future, and he leaves the photograph and chain with Alex. I think that Jonathan’s leaving the pendant with Alex is very revealing because it symbolizes that Jonathan and Alex share a similar past, and Jonathan has reached peace with his past while Alex is only just beginning to understand his past. I know there are more parallels and connections that could be drawn with our reading and this movie, but I just loved this essay when I first read it, and I loved its manifestation in this movie.