Fearing the Unknown

Throughout many stories, whether they are written, spoken, or watched on a video screen, various aspects can be taken from each work and applied to our lives. In my life, I have always had a fear of the unknown whether it be the first day of school and facing unknown teachers, new potential friends, or enemies or sometimes even what the future would bring based on a single life decision. In House Taken Over by Julio Cortazar, the house is taken over by unknown assailants for reasons not given to the readers. In much the same this has happened to me where the consequences of a life-changing decision took over my house, so to speak, and in the long run, altered my life forever.

House Taken Over by Julio Cortazar is a short story written in the earlier 1900s features a brother who narrates the story, and his sister Irene. They live alone in the house taking care of each other. Their routine is very monotonous as they have a set schedule for their days, a set time for lunch, a very low-key life. On a very ordinary day, their world was turned upside down. A group of unknown assailants took over part of the house. When I returned to the states in 2016 after living outside the country I was plagued with the question, what now? Where do I go to school? What do I do for work? When I made my decision to forgo going to a university away from home and help out the family business my life changed forever. The unknown assailants took over my mental vision of what I was going to do, where I was going and the outcome of the decision that I had made. I was scared for my future. My vision had been shaken, and I was wandering in darkness. I felt very similar to Irene's' brother at the end of "House Taken Over" when he says "Did you have time to bring anything?" I asked hopelessly.

"No, Nothing." We had what we had on. I remembered fifteen thousand pesos in the wardrobe in my bedroom. Too late now. I still had my wristwatch on and saw that it was 11 P.M.. I took Irene around the waist (I think she was crying) and that was how we went into the street. Before we left, I felt terrible;” (Cortazar, 5) I was continually thinking about the things that I had left, the experiences that I was missing, the prestigious college that I was not going to attend and I, like Irene's brother, felt terrible.

The unknown is always out there, in every situation, in every circumstance there is an unknown consequence whether big or small that is hidden until it is too late. In the short story by Julio Cortazar, House Taken Over, Irene and her brother live a routine life without much interference. Though a group of assailants come and start taking over the house room by room, in House Taken Over the brother says "They have taken over the back part" she let her knitting fall and looked at me with her tired, serious eyes. "you are sure?"(Cortazar, 3) The assailants gave no warning, no note saying "surprise we are coming tomorrow!" When I decided to stay I knew there were going to be repercussions, but I did not know when or what they would be. In an instant, the consequences almost drowned me with a heavy weight.

I realized that the young lady I was dating at the time would also be affected by this life-changing decision. I feared that she would no longer want to be with me because we would not be going to the same college together, straining our already long distance relationship. Upon telling my parents, I gained a lot more responsibility at work demanding a lot more of my time. My plans for school changed drastically because of work as I had to mold them around my schedule and how to juggle all of it together. Room by room my life altered. I feared the change, I feared what would change, and in some cases of speculation, I feared what would not change. That fear in some cases helped me rise to the challenge and tackle it with all that I had for I had no idea what was to come from it. On the other side of that same coin in terms of my schooling, I went to a standstill for a little while because I feared choosing a career path and how I could apply it to the family business. What drove me to care so much about the "unknown" in my life? The answer is fear. Fear of what I did not know, nor understand at the present moment. It can drive humankind to succeed because of their fear of what they do not understand; it can force them to a standstill of nothingness for fear of moving in any direction.

As I conquered and combatted this fear, I became greater because of it in some aspects of my life shrank despite it, at least for a time. Cortazar depicts this perfectly "The first few days were painful since we'd both left so many things in the part that had been taken over." The first while was painful as the unknown became apparent and some of the outcomes became paralyzing. So much was lost and it was easy to dwell on that fact which prevented me from moving forward. The reaction to fearing the unknown is a primary factor that I deal with every day. Decisions are made every day that have unknown consequences, some great and some trivial. The fear of the unknown is always there for me and as scary as it is I have learned that because of that fear, I have more often than not rose to the occasion to stand my ground and confront the darkness till the light shines through at the end of the tunnel.

Works Cited

Cortazar, Julio. "House Taken Over." The Short Story Project, 7 Aug. 2018, www.shortstoryproject.com/story/house-taken-over/.