Choice of discussion: Katrina

After reading Salvage the Bones, I was left with this unnerving feeling of desolation for Esch and Batiste family. There was no way they could have prepared for the events that would unfold. Hurricane Katrina was a symbolic harbinger of destruction that left millions homeless and helpless. At the same note, the beauty of the formation was iconic. Katrina was a category five hurricane that topped record charts like a european exotic model. A Hurricane of class and a true work of natural art. She exhibits the unrelenting power and majesty of mother nature. Katrina is both a creator and a destroyer. The feminine imagery doesn't stop there. The symbolic link between motherhood runs throughout the subtext of the play. Being a mother takes sacrifice. It's damaging physically and mentally on a women, let alone someone who is as young as Esch. On the same note, it's one of the most awarding experiences in life. Hurricane Katrina is the symbolic incarnation of motherhood and a mirror to the inner nature of Esch's psychology towards her struggle through pregnancy. One can say the same chase for China. Being a mother isn't all pretty, but the reality of the situation is simple. You can prepare all you want for having a child. The process of child bearing can be unpredictable at times, it doesn't matter. The birth can arise from out of nowhere. Action is the only cure through childbirth. After that it's a whole new ball game, reconstruction. Building a family and making sure that child is feed. The problems with Katrina lasted for years. Motherhood doesn't stop at delivery. Esch's job has only began. Hopefully throughout all the destruction left in the wake of Katrina, the Batiste family will find a way. Just like they have for hundreds of years before. To salvage a new life, a fresh beginning, after she took it away from them.