The Enormous Radio By John Cheever: People Do Not Change, They’re Wearing Masks

Famous Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami, once said that “sometimes it’s not the people who change, its the mask that falls off. ” This quote is about lies and the fake image people make in order to hide their true feelings, identity, or problems. This quote is very relevant in “The Enormous Radio”, a short story written by American author John Cheever. The story describes a couple who had the ability to see beyond the false personas of their neighbors and friends, leading to the discovery of her own mask. This story consists of lies, secrets, denial, and domestic strife. Ultimately, developing a theme that revolves around the belief in which everyone wears a mask and everyone tries to become what they pretend to be.

Although they may seem like an average, happily married, American couple living in an apartment building, Jim and Irene Westcott are accurate representations of two people that cover their true feelings and pretend things are okay.

The story begins on a Tuesday afternoon when the husband, Jim Westcott, surprises his wife with a brand new and more expensive radio after their previous one had broken. The radio disturbs Irene; she strongly dislikes the gumwood cabinet, “malevolent green light,” and “mistaken sensitivity to discord. ” The radio catches Irene’s attention by somehow picking up sounds from the elevator, nearby appliances, then eventually receiving the conversations of other apartments. As this is an extreme invasion of privacy, Irene continues to eavesdrop on her various neighbors’ financial, social, and sexual anxieties. She discovers that the residents she knows as happy and stable people are actually struggling financially, emotionally, or physically, “Mr. Osborn quarrels with his wife often, Mrs. Hutchinson’s mother is dying of cancer, Mr. Hendricks is about to lose his job, and everyone in the building worries constantly about money. ”

Once she is aware of all of these problems, she unconsciously makes them her own problems. Flooded with all of these problems, Irene begins to question her own marriage. Jim tries to reassure that they have a happy marriage and tries to have the radio fixed as soon as possible. After it is all said and done, he says that “the radio is probably the last indulgence the family will be able to afford that year, because things are going slowly at work. ” He begins to loudly express his concern about money and harass Irene for not paying her clothing bills. Irene begs him to quiet down because she is worried that their conversation will be overheard by the radio. Jim loses his temper and begins to yell at Irene about her wrongdoings in the past years, including stealing jewelry from her mother, refusing to help her sister, and getting an abortion. Irene is left in shock as she realizes she was presenting a perfect, blissful facade to cover her own dark secrets or immorality.