Evocative Object

Before I go on about my “evocative object” I feel like there is an aspect of evocative objects that is being left out that needs to be stated. Often times an object becomes an evocative one because we tie that object to a person or a memory that we a really fond of. Thus that object becomes a place holder for that person we don’t want to let go of. As was the case with the readings, the objects were often times tied to someone who has died or dying, giving the object the life of the lost person. The problem with this is that what begins to happen is that a person will start to love that object more than the person or memory tied to it and to lose that object would be the same as losing that person all over again. The real attachment to the actual person was never resolved and the mourning process was never completed. So what begins to happen is that people start substituting real relationships with people for material ones with things. This becomes a start to psychological disorders such as hoarding where a person simply can’t let go of any of their possessions because those possessions have become their life, tying emotional worth to objects rather than to people even if a person was the root to the beginning of that process.

Evocative Object: Wallet

The evocative object I chose is the wallet that I now use that use to belong to my grandfather when he was alive. The wallet is leather, worn, and darkened on one side due to years of use. It is durable and reliable, but the wallet itself isn’t what is important about the object. The importance of the object relies in its association to my grandfather, and in truth, he was one of very few people that I truly and sincerely respect. Much of his life and motives was associated with the goal of bettering the lives of others. This originates with when he served in the military as a medic, with such experience he intended on continuing on as a doctor but he had a change of heart. At first he had considered to spend his life saving lives, but what he committed his life to was the act of saving souls. He went on to be a preacher and an elder with his ambition set on pursuing that career. Even though I heard that he was once a hard and strict man, as he aged he became one of compassion and peace. He started and held an active part in creating a self sustaining preacher training school in India where he would travel 2 or more times a year even in poor and ailing health. He loved the people there and devoted the latter part of his life to them. A part of him died when he could no longer be with them. When he passed away, our grandmother was already in poor health as well and faced a difficult situation. My brother and I were already in the habit of spending our weekends with them at their house and continued to do so during the time we attended a community college. Before we had finished our time at that college our grandmother’s condition also started to worsen so we started to spend all of our free time at her house and it became a daily habit for us to come over and spend our entire day with her. This continued for over a year until just over a year her condition also turned for the worst. Needless to say, I have hope that both of them have found peace. I honor them both and respect greatly their faith. It is my grandparents that I am reminded of when I evaluate this evocative object.