The Third and Final Continent

The encounters and experiences the narrator of "The Third and Final Continent" face eventually lead him to the state of happiness and contentment. The narrator's name is not stated in the story but we see him as a lonely character almost. He sheilds away from public noises, for he is distracted and discomforted by them. He moves to America to take up a job at Tech University in the library. This is the narrator's first state of change. He has to adjust from the British setting to the American setting. Everything is new to him. The text says, "Even the simple chore of buying milk was new to me; in London we'd had bottles delivered each morning to our door" (page 175). At first the character is overwhelmed by his new surrounding in Massachusetts but in the end comes to love it, for he desides to grow old there with Mala. Later after living in Massachusetts for awhile, the narrator finds a home to live in alone for awhile until his wife comes to America. At this home he encounters a very old woman at the age of one hundred and three named Mrs. Croft. Upon his first meeting with her, the narrator is slightly intimidated and overwhelmed. But after awhile the narrator becomes accustomed to Mrs. Croft's schedule and habits. The narrator begins to admire her age and marvel at the fact that she is a very special woman who has seen a good many number of days and events. Mrs. Croft is the first death the narrator mourns in America. She becomes part of his life. It says, "I barely recognize the buildings now, but each time I am there I return instantly to those six weeks as if they were only the other day"(page197). He is referring to the six weeks he spent with Mrs. Croft. The narrator's encounters with Mrs. Croft develope his growth of love and admiration that he finds towards his wife in the end. One last encounter is the narrator's wife Mala. It was an arranged marriage between two complete strangers. Mala is described as talented and skilled but not very attractive, for it was hard for her to marry. The narrator, upon Mala's arrival into America, is not accostomed to having her around the house. He isn't used to someone marking on his territory. They are very much awkward apon her first few days in America. That awkwardness soon blossoms into a love that is strong with an outcome of a child. His family is the main seed of the narrator's growth because they define who he is now. He has more than he has ever wanted and has found himself to be over satisfied and happy. The last line of the text reads, "As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination" (page 198). The narrater has found himself, after all of his life encounters, no matter how often they happen, happy and content in admiration.