The Life of Ingrid Bergman

“She was rigid, and her concentration was like that of a man.” The narrator views Ingrid as an avid lover of skiing (prism 57). She does it so well that people love to watch her do it. From her mastery, the narrator knows her, but not her name this shows how good she is at this sport.  Ingrid is slim and has a fit body as the narrator suggests, ”She still has the body of an athlete.” Despite her smoking, which the narrator describes has made her faint and weak Ingrid is still able to continue with her sport.

Ingrid laughs quietly ”her chuckle is like pouring coke into a glass”. The narrator defines Ingrid‘s way of doing things. She loves the ocean thus her room is decorated in a manner depicting the ocean. Her bathtub has seashells, a mask, and flippers. She is also romantic as she put melon-scented candles that had yellow smoke and the coloured glasses on the window (prism 58).

Ingrid was on welfare that is she has social workers come to the house to check on the baby’s safety (59). This means she was not a good parent to take care of the baby herself. Mike has to hide his toothbrush so that there are no signs of a man living with her when the social workers check her house. Mike is the father of Mary, their daughter but Ingrid does not let people know about it. She even concealed her pregnancy and ”the next day she comes with a baby boy.” This shows that she is a very secretive person.

She is not lavish, because as the narrator says she is always careful with the small money she earns. She buys quality things that last. Ingrid is courageous; she learnt of her pregnancy and decided to keep to herself until she gave birth. She fights with her son’s father, Marcel. He is a drunkard and does not take care of the child. Therefore, Ingrid ”knocked his glasses he just blinked and became slightly sober”.

Ingrid is a homemaker; she cooks for the family that is the narrator and the children. She washes dishes and always organised her affairs. She was organized even when they were still living with Marcel” the narrator describes her. Although she was not good with Mary as a mother she has improved over time with her other children. This shows a responsible woman (60).

Ingrid is adventurous; it is at age sixteenth that she gets pregnant, through a one-night stand with Marcel (60).  The narrator is marvelled and ”does not understand how he sleeps with someone who is sixteen. ”This is a young age for a girl like her, who should be concentrating on her studies and other things.  She takes naked pictures, which Marcel hang in his room, and ”He makes sure he is not in the photographs.”

”I am afraid at some point in the future; she might not be as important as she is now.” The narrator is afraid that Ingrid might lose her romance and charm (61). Hence, she will be of no use to him. He notices, ”She was catching snowflakes on her tongue” during the winter season in November. This makes the narrator create castles and fantasise of their good time together. The way he mixes her with vodka, and it evaporates; the narrator depicts Ingrid as an irresistible woman.

Work Cited

Prism international. ”1992 Fictious contest.” 1993, https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/download/pdf/prism/1.0135320/0

accessed on 9 December 2018

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