“She Still Likes The Gorilla.”

I think the story of the 400 pound gorilla who escaped from his compound at the Rotterdam zoo is unusually rich in metaphor and mystery.

The gorilla, named Bokito, ran over to a 57 year old woman who had visited the gorilla nearly every day for the last ten years, and attacked her. He sat on her, bit her, and dragged her around. From her hospital bed, the woman has said she has no ill feelings toward Bokito, stating: “He is and remains my darling.”

My first thought was that this exemplifies that battered wife syndrome. Then I decided that it was a metaphor for every marriage. Know what I mean? A 400 pound gorilla attacks you, so to speak, but eh, he’s still your darling.

Now I’m wondering how the gorilla saw things. Was he mad because the woman wasn’t paying attention to him that day? Did he feel spurned? Or was he getting even with her for bothering him for ten years (often taking photos and even making videos of him, according to her.)   I need to know.

It also reminds me of a stupid joke my dad used to tell, with a Yiddish accent, about two old Jewish ladies. Sadie goes to the zoo with her friend Rose, and she’s attacked and raped by a huge gorilla! Rose goes to visit Sadie in the hospital a week later, and asks how she’s feeling. “How do you think I’m feeling!” Sadie exclaims. “It’s been seven days and he hasn’t bothered to call me!”