High Fidelity(4)

Summary
Laura gets Rob a DJing gig. He finds this out when he sees a poster with him name
on it. A woman named Caroline wants to interview Rob for a magazine article about why he decided to start DJing again. Rob falls for Caroline right away and offers to make her a mix tape and take her out for a drink. While out for drinks with her, he figures out that he doesn't like Caroline, he just likes the idea of a new girl coming along. He figures out that the only thing wrong with Laura is that she isn't a new thrill anymore, and that he isn't nervous around her, or constantly trying to get her approval. He later proposes to Laura in a very odd way and Laura sort of rejects him for marriage, but they continue on as usual.
Rob has his gig, and it goes better than he hoped. Barry's band plays during the intermission and plays a bunch of old hits and the crowd loves it. Rob has a great time and decides to start DJing again. The book ends with Rob playing a song that Laura had requested back when he used to DJ, before they had ever started dating.


I refer to Rob as a "socially awkward music junkie" because he compares events in his life to certain songs. I think because of how involved Rob is with his music, it's harder for him to relate to reality. I think it's better to only engage yourself in music and movies a little, and not fully because it's better to develop your own sense of reality instead of having it completely influenced by the media. I think a person becomes a dork or a junkie about their hobby when they can't get it off their mind, a good example would be when they start waking up thinking about it, or reference it all the time.
I think that both Laura and Rob settled for each other in a way. Laura didn't feel up to trying to find and start a new relationship with someone, and Rob is just too nervous to try and meet new women.
Tragedy can destroy a relationship pretty bad if the people in the relationship don't know how to work through it. Even if they do find a way to work through it and stay together I think it still has a negative effect on their relationship.
It really depends on the couple wheather they stay together out of convenience or commitment. I think as people get older they stay together more out of convenience because of money issues or they feel that they're getting too old to try and start something new.
My upbringing around romantic relationships has been that you should never settle for someone because of convenience, or because you're almost 30 and you still haven't found exactly who you're looking for. That waiting for the right person is worth the wait, and it's never too late to change your mind if you know that person isn't right for you. This has definitely impacted my view on relationships, not really romantic relationships though. I hate to see people who settle for someone just out of convenience, or because they're too scared to be without a significant other for a while.
In the end of the book, after Laura makes the gesture towards Rob's DJing career, and Rob plays that same song that he had played for Laura years ago, it leaves you with a feeling like maybe they do work well together and it is a good thing that they got back together. I think they ended the book in the best way they could have.