In the essay, “Bumping into Mr. Ravioli” Adam Gopnik writes “busyness is felt so intently here because we are both crowded and overloaded. We exit the apartment into a still dense nineteenth-century grid of street corner and restaurant full of people, and come home to the late twentieth-century grid of faxes and e-mails and overwhelming incompleteness” (Gopnik 158). This quote from the essay tells us a lot about that the main theme of the essay. From this quote, audience can infer that New Yorkers make no time for their loved ones or a decent conversation. Gopnik realizes, through the example of Mr. Ravioli, that in order to like New York City, he has to become one of them and adapt to their lifestyle. Likewise in “Speaking in Tongues” Smith…show more content… Gopnik proceeds to saying that he wants to remain in the busyness for as long as possible. “We want to go on bumping into Charlie Ravioli for as long as we can” (Gopnik 160). Bumping into Mr. Ravioli refers to the bump and run aspect of city living. Bump and run is where two individuals are lost in their responsibilities and forget to actually enjoy themselves and engage in meaningful conversations. Instead they bump into their acquaintances by chance decide to grab lunch and go on their busy ways telling the other “text me” or “call me”. It is the cultural aspect that separates New York from a majority of other areas. New York is coined the city that never sleeps because of its constant movement which some may prefer over a quiet country substitute. A quiet life where one may take a car to work instead of the subway, lives in a house rather than an apartment, and is not haunted by busyness. The suburban life offers a hushed lifestyle where the constant beeping of car horns and loud sirens may not be as common. Others may find this peaceful lifestyle appealing but Gopnik does not. Mr. Ravioli allows Gopnik to appreciate his everyday life, because his discovery prompted Gopnik to look into the way he lives, and in the
