Yet this sense of unknowing is undone when Aciman commits Find Me’s biggest crime: actually reuniting Elio and Oliver at the end. In the final part (called “Da Capo,” an Italian musical term that translates to “repeat from the beginning,”) Elio and Oliver now miraculously live together in Italy several decades after separating, in the same house where it all began. That house is also occupied by Elio’s aging mother, her caregiver, and Elio’s father’s youngest son (with the woman from the train), “Little Ollie.” (Mr. Perlman, unfortunately, has died.)
Aciman doesn’t provide much context for the complexities of this new arrangement, and thus, it comes across as an overly neat conclusion. Even Little Ollie — who was, of course, named after Oliver — is claimed as their son. “The child was our child. The two of us knew it,” Elio says.
I remember reading Call Me By Your Name for the first time. In the middle of the book, I would have given anything for Elio and Oliver to unite in holy matrimony. Their love seemed so pure and I had a tremendous desire to see them end up living happily ever after. But in the end, when they didn’t end up together, I also remember feeling strangely satisfied — albeit in a different way. Not everything is built to last, I remember telling myself. I, too, had recently ended things with my first real love, and I saw myself in Elio. We would both have to grow up and move on, I thought, and doing so would not at all nullify what we had experienced.
In the final pages of Call Me By Your Name, when Elio meets up with Oliver again, they reminisce on what could have been. Oliver presents the idea of “parallel lives,” which Elio compares to a coma he only awakens from in Oliver’s presence. They don’t end up together, but they validate each other’s ongoing feelings. It’s a beautiful coda.
But with Find Me, the metaphor of these parallel lives becomes fact. Here, they do come together again, which, though “happy” in some ways, seems lazy — too easy. At the end of Call Me By Your Name, Elio and Oliver represented something more than just a fairytale couple. Their love was neither doomed nor tragic, but it resisted easy definition. Now, with the new ending presented in Find Me, they risk becoming stereotypes. In theory, seeing two lovers come together again after a lifetime spent apart may seem sweet. But is a happy ending worth the sacrifice of good storytelling?
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As someone deeply immersed in literature and a keen observer of narrative structures and character development, I find the discussion surrounding André Aciman's "Find Me" to be both intriguing and thought-provoking. My extensive background in literary analysis and a nuanced understanding of storytelling principles allow me to shed light on the various concepts woven into the fabric of this controversial conclusion.
The author's decision to reunite Elio and Oliver in the final part of "Find Me" indeed challenges the expectations set by the earlier narrative in "Call Me By Your Name." The use of the Italian musical term "Da Capo," meaning "repeat from the beginning," adds an interesting layer to the storytelling device. In music, a Da Capo indicates a return to the start of a piece, and in this context, it signifies a revisit to the origins of Elio and Oliver's relationship.
One cannot overlook the symbolic significance of the house in Italy where the reunion takes place. It's not just a physical space; it carries the weight of memories, emotions, and the passage of time. The inclusion of Elio's mother, her caregiver, and "Little Ollie" introduces a new dynamic that raises questions about the complexities of familial and romantic relationships. The absence of detailed context leaves room for interpretation, emphasizing Aciman's deliberate choice to leave certain elements open-ended.
The concept of "Da Capo" and the reuniting of Elio and Oliver after several decades speaks to the idea of parallel lives becoming intertwined. This transformation of a metaphorical idea into a tangible reality is a bold move that challenges traditional narrative conventions. It prompts readers to reconsider the nature of love, time, and the consequences of choices made by the characters.
The article questions whether this reunion, despite its apparent happiness, compromises the depth of storytelling. It delves into the risk of turning Elio and Oliver into stereotypes by succumbing to the allure of a conventional "happy ending." The exploration of parallel lives, presented as a metaphorical concept in "Call Me By Your Name," takes on a different dimension in "Find Me," potentially altering the essence of the characters and their journey.
In essence, the analysis of Aciman's work raises broader questions about the balance between narrative satisfaction and the authenticity of storytelling. The tension between the desire for a fairy tale ending and the appreciation of the nuanced, unresolved aspects of love and life becomes a central theme in evaluating the impact of "Find Me" on the legacy of Elio and Oliver's relationship.
