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Chapter 22: The Kindness of Strangers
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Reckoning, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Guilt and Legacy
Morality, Survival, and Perspective
Sexuality and Shame
Body Image and Publicity
Indifference vs. Feeling
Summary
Analysis
One day, two national broadcaster producers, Frank and Kris call Magda. Having seen Too Cool for Sandals, they want Magda on the show D-Generation. Although she likes D-Generation, Magda views TV as the propaganda of oppressors; she is afraid of the “straight world” and its deceptions; many geniuses, such as Alan Turing and Oscar Wilde, had faced public scorn. The producers try to persuade her, but a voice in Magda’s head insists, “stay small and you will be safe.” It is not until H-M assures Magda that the public has a short memory that Magda accepts the gig.
In shying away from TV, Magda prioritizes safety over change and greatness. With this priority, however, Magda would sacrifice the opportunity to change the “straight world” and the “propaganda of the oppressors” that she despises. Despite public scorn, Alan Turing and Oscar Wilde made unforgettable literary and scientific advances. Likewise, in subjecting herself to discomfort in the “straight world,” Magda could make the world of TV more inclusive.
Themes
When she goes to the famous Studio 31 to film for D-Generation, Magda feels out of place among the clean-cut cast. Rather than be herself, Magda sticks to accents and mimicry in her comedy sketches. When the writer decides he wants the cast to speak in Aussie accents, Magda is forced to face the barriers she has put around herself, particularly around her sexuality. Although Magda has told many friends that she is gay, she is ashamed around the cast of D-Generation. In order to cope, Magda starts to act straight. Even though the concept of sexual fluidity did not exist in 1968, Magda today still feels like a sexual traitor for her past actions.
Magda is comfortable with her personality and sexuality when she is around people who accept her; however, she is uncomfortable going against the grain of her community. And she finds that, in every community—even the gay community—labels are too narrow; what Magda seeks is the freedom to define herself in her own terms. While it has the potential to be liberating, acting—like TV—conveniently allows Magda to express herself without committing to a definition of herself.
Themes
Since good comedy comes from one’s true voice, Magda’s repression of her personality affects her writing, and the show doesn’t use any of her sketches. With Marg, a fellow cast member and former tennis partner of Magda’s, Magda improvises two sketches which Andrew Knight, the head writer, uses. Then, channeling a woman she once saw on a train, Magda acts the part of Lynne Postlethwaite, one of Andrew’s characters; Lynne’s success bolsters Magda’s self-esteem; what holds her back—her lonely childhood and her sexuality—are becoming her greatest assets.
Acting allows Magda to stop being ashamed of the things that make her different. For her entire life, Magda’s sexuality and unique childhood have made her feel estranged from society. In the world of performance, however, Magda’s uniqueness gives her an edge over other writers and actors. Magda finally has an outlet—albeit a disguising one—for the experience and feelings she used to conceal.
Themes
The next year, Jane Turner, a gifted actor, joins the cast of D-Generation. Although Magda and Jane have different rhythms, they get along well. When Magda moves in with an actor whom she used to dislike, Gina, the two become great friends. One day, Gina asks Magda about her love life and presumes that Magda is a lesbian. Magda blushes; although Gina is accepting of Magda’s sexuality, Magda still won’t come out to everyone. Homosexuality would not be decriminalized until 1980, so the fear of being beaten and jeered at is real.
Magda has managed to find a group of friends who accept her, but such acceptance is rare in the social climate during this time. There are social and legal consequences for being gay during this time. As a public figure, Magda has to tread carefully—not just to protect her emotions, but also to protect her livelihood.
Themes
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When Magda gets paid for D-Generation, she moves into the bottom floor of a house. One morning at 6 a.m., a loud boom awakens Magda, followed by howls and a man yelling “fire.” Looking out the window, Magda sees a nearby house engulfed in flames. Men emerge from the house, helping a naked woman; a man yells that it was a bomb and that the woman’s feet are “completely gone.” Confused and cursing her slowness, Magda calls the police. Running into the street, the eerie silence of her surroundings stuns her.
The woman whose feet are “completely gone” is reminiscent of the mutilated bodies in Peter’s books on the war. At the time, Magda was stunned by the mangled body, and her reaction here is no different. In contrast to Peter’s learned indifference to death, Magda’s unfamiliarity with scenes of this nature causes her to be overwhelmed and paralyzed with shock.
Themes
As Magda joins a group standing on the street, a flaming person limps onto the balcony of the burning house. The man asks calmly if the woman is safe. Magda reassures the man and then screams for him to jump from the burning balcony. Seemingly beyond pain, the man collapses back into the flames. Finally, fire trucks and television crews arrive. After going to work, Magda goes to H-M’s and cries. However, she feels hollow; only when Peter tells her tenderly that all she can do is move on does Magda feels better.
Magda does not know what to do with the emotions she feels after witnessing the fire. Her distress takes over and affects her ability to go about her work and daily routines. Peter’s advice is comforting to Magda because it allows her to let go of emotions that, while completely natural and even inevitable, are useless and distracting.
Themes
