Elephant

William does not write bestsellers or biographies of some of the greatest and most famous people in the world. His books are being sold for 1,99$ pr copy in record shops. His supject is the small time singers still alive even though he had wanted more "William would have preferred the film stars (male, golden age of cinema) but those had been claimed by someone quicker off the mark, and so William made the best of what he had been given." He now he is not one of the big guys in the business he just have to take what he can get.

While writing he has created relations to his subjects and to in special. Christine: "Christine was his favourite, the sassy gospel singer who'd made it big; who was delighted by her own booty and sang songs about pride and God." As the quite says she is William's favourite. He had enjoyed to write her biography more than any of the others. In my opinion he sees her as a kind of light in the dark. In his eyes she is the smile and happiness he misses. "He pulled the curtains even tighter together..." he is sitting in his study with the curtains pulled which creates a dark atmosphere with Christine as his guiding light. William's feelings for her through his writing is also shown at the end of the story: "He wanted to give Christine something she had never had, something important of himself." in the biography of her he wants to do something special for her something the others will not get. He gives a blue elephant just like he got. An elephant which symbolysis his happiness and joy. Some of the best things of himself.

There is a parallel between William and his wife. He cannot finish his book and she cannot get pregnant. And while they have sex in the story it says: "His inability to write disturbed him, made him feel blundering and awkward, but he was practised now in the way this had to be between them, and he succeeded in that he finished within the time he had, despite all the distractions on his mind." He have a lot on his mind but maneges to complete. He finished within the time he had which is what eventually happens with the biographies. He finishes them even though he skipped the middle. He wants to reach the goal line and he find a way.

As the story progresses he realises that he is not living his life to the full. He is sitting in a dark room with an empty page which should be full and he cannot get a child with his wife. The blank page may symbolize his empty life with no content. "and her old biographer finally got to put himself out to grass and to idle away the rest of his pointless life" This is the story of his life written in one sentence. When he is done writting about the Sandie and the world has lost intrest he will continue with his pointless life the same way he has always lived.

After William wrote the fake end of Sandie's biography he lets him self loose and writes ends to the other biographies where they all die. Except of Christines biography. "To put an end to something - to write the end, instead of these interminable beginnings that never went anywhere, that drifted over and over, reinventing themselves and yet always the same." He wants to end it all instead of use time on the beginnings which no matter what always will be the same. He want to change the end and to finally finish something for good. But Christine's biography cannot just be ended afterall she is the beacon of his life. As i wrote earlier he gave her his elephant. He wanted her to live on with her young and beautifull life and continue being the light for other as she was for him. "He wanted to give Christine something she had never had, something important of himself. He wanted to give her something that would keep her safe in a brilliant future that would last for as long print survived on paper, something she could hold onto long after he had vanished from the face of the earth." He wanted the very best of things for her and he wanted her to have everything he never had. A life with a meaning and a purpose. All that together with love and happiness he gives to her symbolized in the blue elephant.
William is the unsuccesfull writer who spends his time in his dark study writing biographies about young female musicians still alive. He suddenly cannot write anymore and as the story progresses he find that he lives a life with no meaning. He has not achieved any of his goals and his happiest moment was when he got a blue elephant by his mother. One of the girls he had written about represents what he wanted to have. He rewrites the end of her biography giving her the blue elephant he got and with that happiness and everything he has to give in order to transform her life and future into what he had ever wanted.