Route of Meeting
Pablo Neruda and How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) are two immensely independent and stunning pieces of art, created years apart. Though they appear to be two separate entities, they were fans of each other’s work, and found a way to bring their concepts together – through a route of meeting.
Pablo Neruda was a Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet, who wrote his poetic works about love, existence, and life. His verses are deeply connected with the themes of death and love, immortalizing life and its moments. On the other hand, HIMYM was a television sitcom created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, which ran from 2005 to 2014. This show featured the lives of five friends, who had unique qualities and life situations.
The route of meeting between Neruda and HIMYM began when the show’s protagonist, Ted Mosby, spoke out a line by the renowned poet – ‘Like he said, it’s love, it’s life and it’s the things that makes us want to keep going’. In reality, this phrase was taken from one of Neruda’s works- ‘The Dead Woman’ (La Muerte).
Direct Interactions
Throughout the show, references to many of Neruda’s works have been made. For instance, in season 6 episode 19, Neruda’s ‘The Captive’ (La Prisionera) was used to depict Ted’s unhappy relationship with Zoey. Several other references to the poet can be observed in the show. Moreover, in season 4 episode 20, the title was ‘Manny P.I’. This was a pun on the title of one of Neruda’s books – Memoirs (Memorias).
Additionally, the writers of HIMYM took the concept of Neruda’s style of writing – that of one being narrating to another person. This style was again used in HIMYM by Ted, where he narrates his story to his future children – as a device to tell his stories in its entirety.
Moving Forward
The contributions of Pablo Neruda to HIMYM went beyond the show’s narrative into the lives of fans as well. Neruda’s romanticism has inspired many people for decades and his works are still influential today. Similarly, HIMYM has made a lasting impression on its fandom. The show gifted a fresh perspective on love, relationships, and life in a way, it had not been seen before.
Today, many Twitter accounts, blogs and Facebook pages are dedicated to HIMYM, expressing nostalgia and reliving the show’s best moments. Similarly, Neruda’s poetry is still admired and cherished by many, both online and offline – allowing his verses to out last generations.
Connection of Concepts
The meeting between the two forms of art created an interesting dynamic. Through selected references, the show was able to revive the essence of Neruda’s works. This act of written literary and visual mediums uniting in one place, resonated with many viewers.
HIMYM was a critical and commercial success, which was met with immediate attention. Similarly, Neruda’s work has had a long-lasting influence on society, due to its deep romanticism and lyrical beauty.
The Impact
In the modern era, many lovers have found comfort in the words of Neruda’s verses. In HIMYM, too, the show utilised the sentiment of Neruda’s romanticism and portrayed it in their characters.
Through HISYM, the memorable traits of Neruda’s words flew into the minds of viewers, along with stories of the lifecycle of love and relationships. The two forms of art created an atmosphere of love – merging together heartwarming experiences, which are related to life and death.
Exploration of Themes
Through the specific references, HIMYM was able to bring Neruda’s works and ideas to life. As the show progressed, so did its exploration of different themes. Each character in HIMYM brought a unique perspective on love and life, thus creating an extremely realistic TV family.
The main character Ted’s journey through love, marriage and parenthood, at the same time, allowed for Neruda’s paintings to blend in seamlessly. In all the hardships, there were moments of profound beauty and sadness. Moments that allowed for each character to have a real connection with each other.
Social Awareness
HIMYM also brought forward conversations of beauty within pain and grief that audiences could relate to in various ways. For example, in Season 8 Episode 7, the show introduced ‘The Pineapple Incident’ – a storyline involving a serious discussion between two broken-hearted individuals, leading to greater understanding and awareness.
Apart from giving individuals the opportunity to express emotions, HIMYM’s blend of conversations and positive outlooks allowed for audiences to stay in sync with their moral code.
Adjustment of Expectations
Ultimately, it might not always be about the ‘happy ending’, as much as it is about living life to the fullest. Taking advice from Neruda’s words, HIMYM taught many lessons, from romantic relationships to hearty friendships, including expectations around happiness and what it truly means to be happy.
It taught viewers to have their own unique voices and remain true to themselves. Over the years, HIMYM has demonstrated successes, as well as different struggles that each character faced. These battles allowed for viewers to be conscious and in touch with the gloriousness of life, as much as its harsh sides.
Love and Connection
The show encompassed many of the profound contents of Neruda’s verses and showcased how one person’s perspective can influence another’s. It also revealed how love, friendship and relationships go beyond the traditional notion of gender roles.
HIMYM taught its viewers that how we live our lives should not be always determined by society – which speaks right to Neruda’s poems – and that ultimately, a life truly lived is one that is comfortable and true to oneself, with or without one’s partner.
Conclusion
The connection between Neruda’s words and HIMYM has remained strong throughout the show. Even though one is through visual means, and the other is through verbal, the two found solid ground in each other’s works.
The combination of Neruda’s themes and HIMYM has created profound impacts on society, which has been used to move conversations forward – from love, to life, and beyond.
