The Lobster analogy

Rating: 9/10 (5 June 2016)

As when we read Shirley Jackson's the Lottery or Animal Farm, we are taken to another reality with The Lobster. If our reality is that we must be in a relationship and the only relationship allowable is one where we have something in common with our significant other, then the rules of our society will reflect that certainty. If we are in opposition to that and are members of the underground fighting this reality then the opposite is true. There should be no relationships and the authority will discourage that. The reactions of the characters to different life situations reflects those certainties and their solutions to problems confirms their opposite dogmas. Spoilers hereafter. When the main character's brother (now a dog) is killed by his fiancé, her actions are logical in this new reality we are visiting. She must have someone with whom she has something in common. He has said he is heartless, so she tests him with the killing of the dog. The certainty that he must be heartless makes her test logical. On the other hand, those who have taken the opposite view must blind the girl who needs a near sighted mate. It's fun to go back to high school with a Lord of the Flies analysis. So, if this was an interesting challenge for you, it might just be that the Lobster will be your cup of tea.