As the title suggests, which I credit the structure of to Shakespeare, the real question is, “To ignore or not to ignore?”
In “The Enormous Radio” John Cheever portrays the seemingly ‘perfect’ American family. However, as time passes, we notice that this is not so true. Irene and Jim Wescott have problems just like everybody else, but they supress these problems by listening to classical music till their ears bleed, if I may say this in a rough manner. Basically, they ignore their problems by using the radio.
Unfortunately, as Irene learns the tenants’ dirty little secrets, she finds it hatd to ignore all the things that are wrong in the world, specifically in her own. Her restlessness eventually ticks Jim off, and they come to a point where they cannot ignore anymore.
In my opinion, one should never run away from his/her problems. Running away, which is ignorance, only causes more trouble, and it results in something much worse than the original problem itself. Ignorance is the equivalent of cowardice. Furthermore, just like a tiny snowball that builds up to be an avalanche, what you’ve been avoiding gets bigger and bigger to cause a huge disaster that might even ruin your life! If you need an example, just look at the Wescotts. We know that their marriage is never going to be the same. Moreover, if they lived in the 2000s instead of the late 1940s, their marriage might have ended with a divorce eventually!
Credit(for the picture): http://lailalalami.com/2008/the-enormous-radio-in-radio-form/
