The Theme of Control- Response to Zach's Post

After reading this first act and the blog postings, the theme which interested me the most was that of control.  Much of Zach's blog focuses on the aspect of control in terms of the main character, Gallimard, and the ways which it has affected his life.  Gallimard's obsession with control as I see it, and also seen in Zach's post, can be traced to his first sexual encounter and the way in which he was under the complete control of the woman, Isabelle.  Due to this first jarring and powerless experience with sex, Gallimard is transformed into a controlling male figure for the rest of his life.  As Zach points out, Gallimard attempts to gain control in every situation after his encounter with Isabelle.  While it is noteworthy that he married a unsatisfying woman, in his opinion, Gallimard controls his marriage by lying to his wife about his relationship with Song.  Toward the end of Act I, when questioned by his wife about his interaction with Song, Gallimard vehemently denies it, establishing control over the relationship with the possession of knowledge which his wife does not know.  His efforts to control most aspects of his life is furthered when he refuses to answer the letters Song writes to him, each increasingly desperate and pleading for his acceptance.  Because Gallimard does not answer the letters, he establishes the control in their relationship for its duration.  While Gallimard does try and succeed in controlling most aspects of his life due to his first powerless sexual experience, it is interesting to note that, while telling the story, he is in jail.  The exact antonym of freedom or independence would be living in jail, a place where your every activity, if any, and basic will is fettered to the judicial system.  While Gallimard is telling this whole story spanning a sizeable chunk of his life, most of which is based on control, the fact that he is jail and essentially locked down is an interesting ending to his life.  This lack of freedom and independence could be foreshadowing the downfall of Gallimard's control over his own life and his female acquaintances.  Therefore, while I agree with Zach's posting on control in that it is an important aspect of the text which perpetuates from Gallimard's first sexual experience, I believe that his control over situations is due to change drastically due to the fact that, at the end of his life, his is in jail.