In every city and society there are different rules, norms and values. In Siri Hustvedt's 2002 essay “Living With Strangers” she describes these differences due to her move from rural Minnesota to the big city of New York in 1978. In the essay she examines a few things, which she later refers to as characteristics of the city. At first Siri Hustvedt is clearly challenged as she tries to settle in and adapt to her new surroundings. He witnesses many things he shouldn't have. To name a few examples, he hears a couple arguing and also sees two guys walking around wearing nothing but underwear. These things are considered private, and so Siri finds herself in an unusual position. The people around her, the New Yorkers, are nothing more than strangers to her at first, and once again she has to put up with them. Another thing that is quite new for Siri Hustvedt is the huge amount of people. In his hometown he greeted everyone he met as a sign of respect, but doing so in New York would simply be impractical due to so many people, so many strangers. To survive urban life in New York there is simply one rule or coping technique you must follow: the "pretend it's not happening" rule. How you follow this rule is what shows whether you are a New Yorker or an outsider. For starters, Siri doesn't like this rule because it seems unethical to her. But as time goes by, he learns that you should only mind your own business. This can be seen from the three examples, he mentions. The first example involves a woman who is not dressed appropriately in public. Wearing only his bathrobe, he makes a scene by shouting that he forgot something. (P... middle of the paper... let's say, I think New Yorkers are basically described negatively as selfish and uncaring people, while Minnesotans are described more positively as friendly and kind people. So, as Siri and her family live in New York, they adapt to the new rules, norms and values. This makes them become somewhat similar to New Yorkers, as we see them use the "it's not happening" rule multiple times , throughout the essay, can be subjective in her descriptions of New York and its citizens. Her view of the city and its norms, values ​​and rules certainly influences us as readers to the point of having the same opinion as her this essay, Siri shows us that every city has its own characteristics and it is up to us as individuals to judge whether these characteristics are good or bad..