2.

I was deeply struck by the perspective Don DeLillo revealed in "Baader-Meinhof," and the complexity of this very delicate subject. It was so strange and sad, because this woman struggles, like many of us, to understand the events which took place, now viewed through the lens of this artist. On one hand, she knows that these people commited attrocities, but on the other hand she feels a fascination towards them, almost a curious compassion.
Connecting this story to post-9/11 New York is in some ways difficult, because the factors which connect the two events are broad, such as terrorism, interpersonal relationships, and one's approach to strangers.
What seemed the most relevant to me was the exchange with this man. After sharing such a complicated experience in the gallery, their conversations afterwards take on a whole other light. In the back of our mind, aren't we, as readers, filled with hesitation as she invites him into her home? It seems that in a world where these acts of terrorism can happen, suspicion and an element of fear color every day life. In the scene in the bedroom, she debates over whether or not to lock the bathroom door, how to make him leave without provoking him, fearing rape. However, in the same way that the paintings present two different sides of these terrorists, and of terrorism, in the same way that there is a murderer dying, but also a young girl who has not yet become this older, hardened version of herself; in that same way that there is a cross, or perhaps just stray brushstrokes, this woman feels an affinity to this man, an instinctive pull. There is fear, fear of being misused for one's trust, but also loneliness, humanity, and compassion for someone who has the potential to do you harm.