Taking Flight: A Deeper Look at ‘Fly Already’ by Etgar Keret

Earianne Jayne Ogatis

Great things take time, but I would be lying if I said waiting is not draining. Etgar Keret’s short story, Fly Already, examines two approaches to life: progress or surrender. Indubitably, life is full of hurdles, and it is up to us how we would overcome them. That said, the death of a family is an unavoidable event, and the guilt could weigh someone down. As a result, our resiliency gets tested. In the father’s case, he overcame the burden of remorse from the car accident, which killed his wife. Conversely, the man on the building was in a state of despair when he lost his partner. He opted to terminate everything rather than continue because he was too overwhelmed by the emptiness and grief. 

With different pairs of eyes, we see life in different ways. The father knew what the man was about to do right away, but his son misinterpreted it and mistook him for a superhero. As memories flooded the father’s head, he felt remorse for the past and rushed to stop the man. Same as the man’s vision, the world became black and grey in the father’s eyes, contrasting his son’s colorful perspective. Regrettably, the father arrived a split second too late to save the man. Seeing someone die in front of your eyes is more painful than it appears. Regret and disappointment will consume you, burdening and resurfacing old memories. Grief, once again, produces its weather. Although it sounds cliche, there will always be someone who will save and help us from this distress. Someone will listen to us and empathize with our feelings. It seemed as if the red-headed woman’s sudden appearance was heaven-sent. She empathized with the bewildered parent, calming him down as he collected his thoughts. She diverted the father’s attention away from his intrusive thoughts as he tries to move on from the horrific occurrence. Wistful is how the woman sees the world. Despite being quite distinct from the other characters, she has gone through the same scenario. 

Life is complicated, and we may never be interested in what is going on in the minds of strangers. Yet, we are emotional beings. Our ideas and emotions can have a massive impact on how we react and behave, whether anxious, angry, disappointed, or dissatisfied. It is not natural for us to look for a silver lining or the best alternative in an arduous scenario. To maneuver our way around the hurdles and curveballs that life throws at us, we must work hard and put forth a consistent effort. Take a deep breath, examine yourself, and then make a decision. In this fight, you aren’t alone.

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Earianne Jayne Ogatis is a 17-year-old STEM student and a passionate youth advocate from the Philippines. She highly values volunteerism, research, awareness about societal issues, and her ice bear plushie! As an aspiring surgeon, she had her goals set straight: “To gain the most experience while she can.”