Is Krakow smart? Do his feelings for Angela run deep?
Posted: May 30th 2004, 1:43 am
As to the first question: yes, he's smart, and not merely "book" smart (i.e. his brain allows him to do a lot more than just the regurgitate trivia). Recall his responses to literature in English class. Also recall "the letter" (which, though not sparkling prose, was impressive enough intellectually and emotionally for a 15 year old).
As to the second: again, yes. Most people believe that unrequited (i.e. unreciprocated) love is possible. How are we to distinguish unrequited love from mere infatuation? I think there are at least two important relevant distinctions--genuine concern for the other's welfare and knowing the other for who he or she is. Brian really does care deeply about Angela. And, although one can never completely know another person for who he or she is (one can never completely know oneself, either, though perhaps we generally know ourselves better than even our closest companions), it's clear that Brian is drawn to Angela in large part due to the actual depth of her inner life. This is why he wouldn't easily be able to redirect his attention to Sharon--it's not that Sharon's less attractive than Angela, or that he's unfamiliar with her, but rather that she doesn't seem to possess Angela's intellectual and emotional depth. To illustrate by way of contrast, Angela loves Jordan in large part because she thinks he possesses hidden layers. But the show's presentation of Jordan leads viewers to conclude that she's mistaken. Viewers know that Brian's idealization of Angela is far closer to the mark.
As to the second: again, yes. Most people believe that unrequited (i.e. unreciprocated) love is possible. How are we to distinguish unrequited love from mere infatuation? I think there are at least two important relevant distinctions--genuine concern for the other's welfare and knowing the other for who he or she is. Brian really does care deeply about Angela. And, although one can never completely know another person for who he or she is (one can never completely know oneself, either, though perhaps we generally know ourselves better than even our closest companions), it's clear that Brian is drawn to Angela in large part due to the actual depth of her inner life. This is why he wouldn't easily be able to redirect his attention to Sharon--it's not that Sharon's less attractive than Angela, or that he's unfamiliar with her, but rather that she doesn't seem to possess Angela's intellectual and emotional depth. To illustrate by way of contrast, Angela loves Jordan in large part because she thinks he possesses hidden layers. But the show's presentation of Jordan leads viewers to conclude that she's mistaken. Viewers know that Brian's idealization of Angela is far closer to the mark.