An Essay on ”ghosts” by Naomi Wood

An Essay on ”Ghosts” by Naomi Wood

How fast does time fly by and how quickly do we grow old? Do we even remember to live in the now and enjoy the moment instead of always dwelling on the past and future? Time is the focus in the short story “Ghosts” written by Naomi Wood from 2012 that is set in London and our main character is a woman called Pia. It’s her 40th birthday and through her we get to think and reflect on a life already lived.

The setting in the short story is set in London and starts at a car park. Pia has finished her work and we follow her on her way home from work. The story mainly happens in her car where we get to listen to her thoughts through a 3rd person narrator. The story is seen from her point of view and is focused on her experiences in life while she listens to the radio.

Pia is a woman who has just hit the age of 40. She is having a midlife crisis and can’t believe that she is already middle aged. She feels old and she really wants to live her whole life again, knowing what is to come so she can enjoy her life that much more. She loves her boyfriend but she might be starting to have some problems on the sex front where she is starting to push away her urges but she doesn’t know why. Her husband seemingly loves her back and they have been together for a while. Pia shows signs of depression and seems to have become bored of her life, every day feeling longer than it is in reality and nothing exciting happening anymore.

The title “Ghosts” is referencing the radio program she listens to where they have discovered a new speed. But in reality the title is probably referencing her type of lifestyle and how she feels almost like a ghost now. That she is a shell of her former self and that she is not in the present anymore, not caring about her current life. Also when she crashes with her car, she has a near-death experience where she is on the verge of death where you could call her a ghost.

The short story tackles the problems with growing older. It goes through the problems aging men and women may face with themselves. It describes time and tries to explain it in some way. And maybe even tries to come to the conclusion that time cannot be explained. That time is just to be accepted and you will become happier in the moment that you do. Like when her boyfriend Daniel tells her that “Time waits for no man” is a conclusion to her feelings after she has kissed him. That you have to enjoy time when you have it, even though you have already lived a long life.