Co-Dependency

The story told in the novel, "In a Strange Room," is one of a unhappy man who must keep traveling in order to feel he has purpose and to distract him from facing what he perceives to be his own miserable existence. However, an underlying theme throughout the story is the co-dependence that exists between various characters in the book.

In the first vignette entitled, "The Follower," the main character, Damon, is traveling by foot among the ruins in the Greek countryside. He encounters Reiner who is also a solo traveler. Later, the two meet up again to hike in a mountainous region in South Africa. Damon, who suffers from low self-esteem, is "the follower" in this story and Reiner is the domineering force. At first blush, one would think of Damon as co-dependent on Reiner, the person who makes all the decisions about their travels. However, on...