I read Aimee Bender’s “The Case of the Salt and Pepper Shakers.” The story involves the investigation of a mysterious murder of a married couple. The investigator becomes fascinated with the couple’s strange obsession with salt and pepper. I feel that the overall message behind this story is that opposites are a lot more similar than they appear, or, that opposites, although completely unalike, may essentially cancel one another out.
Glimpses of this idea come up throughout the story. The wife and husband thought of salt and pepper as a connotation of their relationship, with she as the one who “intensified the existing flavor,” and he as the one who “added a new kick” (178). Each component, although entirely different, actually complete one another. Plus, every thing as an opposite, and without that opposite the other thing could not exist. This is revealed with the irony of their death and the circumstances surrounding it. Although the wife loved salt, it eventually took a toll on her body just as the pepper did on the husband’s. Oddly enough, the couple ultimately switched places. She was forced to use the pepper that she hated, while the husband would have to use the salt he so ever detested. This may reveal that hatred and love are one in the same, or, that these supposedly opposite emotions are interchangeable.
Perhaps what is most significant though is the chef’s comments about salt and pepper. She states how “a good chef must let go of the salt/ pepper ratios” (180), for an excessive amount of either is not necessary. What is interesting though is that while the chef is saying she mustn’t worry about this too much, her phrase is written as that she “simply Can Not” (181). The expression was most likely written in this way to emphasize the juxtaposition of the word “cannot.” Although the words have opposite meanings while separate, when put together they form a single meaning. This idea also goes back to the couple, because they were initially seen as opposites who completed their relationship, then as opposites who hated one another, yet finally ended up in the same place.
Absolutely loved this story! Aimee never disappoints:)