In Search of the Rib

Man is on a constant mission to recover his rib. And since the rib was originally his, she who dons it belongs to him. Nevertheless, if he feels he has finally recovered it, or she who dons it no longer possesses it, then he must seek it elsewhere. He suffers from a sense of ownership without possession, a type of impotence, because he cannot control that which is his. It is also essential that she who dons it, merit it somehow. But this only augments the difficulty, since the more she merits it the less he can control it. This, of course, is in keeping with the existentialist notion of master/slave relationships and the Hegelian Master-Slave dialectic.

Woman is also on a quest to find the original donor of her rib, but only he who will not rob her of it, gutting her and yanking it out in his final possession. Perhaps what she truly seeks is to recompense him for his donation, without giving it up completely. This is a type of exchange. But one in which men seek to take, while women seek to give, both guarding from each and resenting each step along the way, rather than ceding to its sheer inevitability. This, of course, while truly noble, would preclude respect.

MADAM, I AM ADAM