I was intrigued by our conversation in class on Tuesday regarding Mr. Hero’s conversation with Archie about his wife, Clara. As he stumbled over his words and justified his motives, her beauty secretly arouses Mr. Hero. He is quick to cover his bases with disclaimers and stands up for others opinions of the situation, but it becomes pretty obvious that he is disguising a true desire for something “off the table”. I think that very often we desire so much what we cannot have, simply because we cannot have it. The truth is, she is beautiful. To a point he acknowledges that. I think this passage brings out a point that is so commonly relatable in all of our lives in some way or another. We want what is different, unusual, and unknown to us. Something slightly against the rules (not totally off the table) intrigues us. Some of us rebel and deny any sense of these desires, and others long for it. We do not want anyone to know that we want it, and we do not really want anyone to tell us we can have it. The fact is, what is off limits is often what excites us! Mr. Hero said, “The men don’t like it ‘cos they don’t like to think they’re wanting a bit of the other when they’re sitting down to a company dinner with their lady wives, especially when she’s…you know…they don’t know what to make of that at all” (p. 61). These sorts of situations make us uncomfortable. We do not want any one to know that we are being tempted in any way, while at the same time we are spurred on by our desire. My point is not that it is always specifically a sexual desire, but simply a desire to have what is unknown.