Autobiography of Red

by

Anne Carson

Autobiography of Red: Chapter 25 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Geryon is packing. He’s now 22 and living on the mainland. Geryon’s mother calls to express her worries about this upcoming trip to Buenos Aires. He picks up the phone and talks to her, promising to be careful and call her when he arrives. He tells her not to smoke so much. 
One  may now look back and regard Herakles’s grandmother’s stories about Argentina as foreshadowing Geryon’s later trip to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. This indicates that Geryon’s relationship with Herakles continues to influence his decisions well after the breakup. Geryon’s advice that his mother shouldn’t smoke so much demonstrates his simultaneous desire for closeness and inability to connect with her. He wants to tell her he cares about her but remains unable to articulate this sentiment with language. As a compromise, he tells her not to smoke so much in a gesture that nods toward caring without explicitly revealing itself as such.
Themes
Identity and Creativity Theme Icon
Communication and Mystery Theme Icon
Time Theme Icon
Self and World Theme Icon