One Amazing Thing

Cameron’s inhaler allows him to breathe; it is, for him, a lifeline. When the earthquake hits, he has five doses left in his inhaler and he thinks, ruefully, of a full inhaler waiting at his home. Each time he doses himself with the medication, he is essentially one step closer to running out of life. These doses coincide with the situation spiraling out of control in the basement of the Consulate—passageways being blocked, water rising, the ceiling collapsing. At the end of the story, Cameron has used his last dose. It is not just his life which is in jeopardy, but the lives of everyone in the group.

Malathi’s sari represents her culture, womanhood, femininity and station in life. For the sake of the survival of the group, the fabric is a necessary resource to bandage wounds. When she gives up the sari and dons a sweatshirt donated by another member of the group, she seems to lose her touch with her cultural identity. Although to the eyes of the others she is far more covered (decent) than before, she feels exposed without her sari.

Various members of the group hoard cigarettes, alcohol, or pills—cigarettes by Mr. Pritchett, a bottle of Wild Turkey by Mr. Mangalam, and anti-anxiety pills by Mrs. Pritchett. Although these objects serve a very real purpose for their daily lives, they also represent the hidden aspects of each of the characters. Essentially, in telling their stories, each member of the group is revealing a secret or a vice. It is only when these secrets and vices come to light through their stories that the teller can be released of that particular burden.