Reading 10: "The Life of the Imagination"

How often do we use our imagination to escape reality? This can take the form of day dreams, movies, reading, and more, yet all of them provide an out. "The Life of the Imagination" by Nadine Gordimer seems to be a story in which an imaginative woman attempts to escape reality through an affair. One of the things that stood out most to me as I read was the ending. The woman's fears and thoughts, maybe even guilt from the affair, materialize themselves when she vividly imagines burglars coming in through the door her lover left open and killing her. Part of me wonders if this is the guilt materializing itself in her imagination, or if it's just that, her imagination. Taking the town news and gossip and visualizing it happening to her. Overall, this story disguises how imagination, though controlled by our own thoughts, can take on a life of its own; it's very intriguing.