The Lesser of Two Evils

Both Heart of Darkness and Waiting for the Barbarians show the evils of imperialism. In two completely different narrative styles, each book portrays two main characters (Marlow and Kurtz; the Magistrate and Colonel Joll). Marlow and the Magistrate each symbolize a form of consciousness amidst the atrocities being committed. Kurtz and Colonel Joll represent the inhumane and power hungry aspects of imperialism. Heart of Darkness and Waiting for the Barbarians employ the African people as the “barbarians.” Both good and evil are juxtaposed and progressively more difficult to differentiate as each novel unfolds.

Personally, I found that the similarities ended there. While I believe that Conrad intended to write a powerful novel which would make the reader question their prejudices of “lesser” peoples, I found myself unconvinced and unmoved. I found his portrayal of the prevalence of imperialistic evil in the world unsuccessful. Given Conrad’s reputation for literary ability, I expected a more moving novel. His writing about a time filled with emotion and fervor was… well… completely lacking just that.

Having suffered through the Conrad, I may have been a bit skeptical when approaching the novel by Coetze. Comparing it to Heart of Darkness, I can clearly see that it is the lesser of two evils. While I think that there would be a more decorous way of revealing the universal immorality of imperialism, Waiting for the Barbarians succeeded in its mission and does it in a strong, effective manner. Periods of imperialism were dirty times in our history. Coetze’s work contains no shortage of evidence to that effect. He effectively portrayed the attendant undesirable personal characteristics in Waiting for the Barbarians.

In two lines, Coetze effectively states a central idea which Conrad failed to clearly conceptualize in his entire novel, “One thought alone preoccupies the submerged mind of Empire: how not to end…” (131)

Waiting for the Barbarians to Come to Bed

My first impressions of J.M. Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians are…well…hard to explain without sounding condescending (so give me the benefit of the doubt for a second). Thus far, we have been exposed to only one named character, Colonel Joll. The narrative has been exclusively about Joll's multiple methods of inflicting pain and the sexual conquests of the magistrate. Forgive me for missing the point, but the magistrate knows that Joll uses horrific methods of torture towards the “barbarians.” Yet, with that knowledge the magistrate chooses to spend all of his time in the bedroom? An inordinate amount of time is spent on the magistrate’s sexual life, which makes me think that this book has been improperly titled and should be called “Waiting for the Barbarians to Come to Bed.” It is painful to read about the magistrate's neglect toward people he cares about, the two “barbarian” women with whom he finds comfort. I can only hope that Mr. Coetzee has a plan to apply his literary talent to a subject larger than the magistrate’s night life.

On the other hand, I could hypothesize that by taking this approach, J.M. Coetzee could be emphasizing a main point; that people often refuse to take a stand against atrocities committed against their own race. This hypothesis could be illuminated by Coetzee’s absence of details, with no explanation of the names, time period, and exact locations.This lack of identity could be Coetzee’s way of insisting that there is no sense in naming these characters. There are all too many people who and places which fit these personas. If this is the statement that J.M. Coetzee is trying to reveal, then he has done so with excruciating detail and fervor.

Lissa Schneider’s Iconography and the Feminine Ideal

• Reveals the possible larger representative functions of the passage
  (p.24) with the blindfolded woman holding a torch to illuminate:
  
  1. “Mankind groping blindly through the darkness of his existence.”
  2. “The isolation of European women with the isolation of idealism.”
  
• Employed by the manager, the spy’s obsession with Kurtz’s discarded painting demonstrates the company men’s hunger for power over one another.
  
• The men’s inability to understand any of the imagery and symbolism in the painting illustrates their “limited understanding and mocks their grasping bids for power.”
  

Dilsey Sees All

Unlike many satisfying novels, Faulkner does not provide a neat, tidy ending to The Sound and the Fury. Instead, Faulkner leaves the reader with a desire for more information. Consistent with Faulkner’s style in the rest of the novel, information is presented in an indirect manner. Details are provided, but the reader has to decipher the meaning and put the puzzle together. In the final section of the novel, the reader can see that Faulkner uses many different characters to illustrate his concluding ideas about the Compson family. There is no possibility of a future for the Compson family. Their demise is shown through each of the surviving characters. It is most eloquently revealed by the wise and perceptive Dilsey. She is the only character associated with the Compson family who clearly sees their inability to function in the world around them. She continually reminds the reader that she has “seed de beginning, en now I sees de endin.” Dilsey is the only character who predicts the extinction of the Compson family. Throughout the novel Dilsey has been a reliable source of information regarding the Compsons. It is appropriate that she plays the role of the oracle.

Folklore in The Sound and the Fury

The JSTOR article I chose is entitled Faulkner’s Use of Folklore in The Sound and the Fury by Charles D. Peavy Learning about the folkloric ideas in the novel enhanced my understanding of the novel, particularly in the convoluted presentation of the Benji section.

Peavy cites numerous instances of folklore in The Sound and the Fury, but the one that was most enlightening was the Faulkner’s symbolic use of jimson weed. Benji comes in contact with jimson weed more than any of the other Compsons. Each of these contacts Benji has with jimson weed reveals something different and meaningful.

At the beginning of The Sound and the Fury, when Faulkner first describes other people’s interactions with Benji, he is crying. In order to divert his attention and make him stop crying, Benji is given jimson weed. It is surprising that Benji’s caretakers supply a mentally challenged child with a potentially dangerous substance; jimson weed is poisonous.

Faulkner’s use of jimson weed as a symbol of poison is reinforced in the last section, when Benji’s jimson weed flowers are stored in an old poison bottle. In addition, jimson weed has a distinctive smell. Throughout the novel, Faulkner shows that Benji is particularly aware of different smells, such as Caddy’s perfumes. Peavy’s explanations contribute another layer of meaning to Faulkner’s use of jimson weed. Folklore holds that jimson weed has been seen as a symbol of sexuality. Associating Benji with a symbol of sexuality highlights a dreadful disparity. Benji has been castrated.

Peavy explains the use of another folklore symbol which points to another disparity. At the time of the novel, the cornflower was also called “Innocence.” Faulkner describes Benji’s eyes as “corn flower blue.” Peavy argues that Benji is the only character who is untouched by good and evil, because he does not know what good and evil are.

On this point, I disagree with Peavy. Although Benji may not know Webster’s definition of “Good and evil,” he is definitely aware of when things are bad. Benji forces Caddy to wash after she has been with a boy. This demonstrates that Benji is aware that Caddy is no longer pure.

In the context of Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, I would make a distinction between the concept of “Unaware,” and “Blameless.” I would characterize Benji as aware, but blameless. And in this sense, Benji is innocent.

Before understanding the meaning of the folklore symbols in The Sound and the Fury, I was missing some of the richness and depth to the novel.

(422)

Faulkner's Use of Folklore in The Sound and the Fury
Charles D. Peavy
The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 79, No. 313 (Jul. - Sep., 1966), pp. 437-447
Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of American Folklore Society

Lose Yourself to Find Yourself

Lose Yourself to Find Yourself

In The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman describes a woman’s painful progression towards madness. Paradoxically, as the narrator slips away from the outside world and disconnects from society and her family, she gains a better understanding of herself. The narrator disconnects from her physical self and gains an uncomfortable understanding of her mental identity. She finds solace in the truth of herself.

The narrator’s excessively imaginative yet terrifying childhood dreams show her to be an extremely creative woman. The narrator’s creative energy is continually suppressed by her husband, a doctor, who equates independence of spirit with mental instability. The husband tries to cure his wife’s mental illnesses with complete relaxation. He denies his wife the liberty to express her desires, or write or explore the outside around their house.

Denied the exercise of her own volition, the narrator seeks refuge by focusing her imagination on objects such as the house and wallpaper. She is desperate to distract herself from the frustration caused by her total lack of autonomy.

The progression of disassociation with the world begins with the wallpaper in her bedroom/cell and is shown increasing by the writing in her secret diary. Both of these objects help to propel the narrator further into her world of fantasy and madness. The diary is the narrator’s solace in her world of mind-numbing boredom. The moment she starts writing in her diary her thoughts are concealed from all except the reader. From the beginning, Gilman uses a choppy type of prose to convey a woman losing her mind. The sentence style mirrors her increasing illness.

It is interesting that, at first, the narrator fails to see a connection between her and the imaginary woman that she sees as trapped within the wallpaper. The narrator initially finds it objectionable that the woman is trying to escape her imprisonment and believes that the woman intends to “tie her up.” The narrator eventually comes to the realization the she too is trapped within the wallpaper, a metaphor for the walls of her prison. The narrator empathizes with the women who are imprisoned by the narrow domestic expectations in their lives.

The most surprising revelation is at the end of the story when the narrator says, “I’ve got out at last… in spite of you and Jane.” Here the narrator refers to a previously unnamed character. Personally, I think that Jane is the name of the narrator. This is an extreme demonstration that “Jane” has become completely detached from herself. At the same time, the narrator is affirming the results of her introspection. By being focused completely inward, she has finds herself.

In order to untangle her life and break free from her situation, she had to tear herself apart. It was painful and fascinating to see a woman who is so “insanely” cut off from the outer world able to find personal revelation within. Insanity seems to rule out the possibility of coherent thought, yet Jane proves just the opposite. (500)

Truth in a Pig Pen

Anna Silverman
AP-1
738
9-15-08

Truth in a Pig Pen

“Revelation” by Flannery O’Connor is a short story about the nature and value of people. The main character, Mrs. Turpin, begins the story by musing about the individuals who are waiting with her at the doctor’s office. At first, Mrs. Turpin is smug about her own importance. She congratulates herself that she has property, knows how to20use and care for it and is generous besides. I got the feeling that despite what Mrs. Turpin thought about herself, that the narrator did not agree.

Even though Mrs. Turpin feels gratitude for her gifts (from Jesus), she is negative and judgmental. She looks down on a sick boy in dirty clothing. She mentally derides the person running the doctor’s office for not keeping the ash tray emptied. She holds herself above the thin woman who has to dress herself in the cotton that is used to package chicken feed. Mrs. Turpin takes an intense disliking toward a girl in the waiting room who is reading a book on human development. Instead of crediting the girl for trying to improve her mind, Mrs. Turpin pities her for her appearance, mentally referring to her as the “ugly girl.” And Mrs. Turpin keeps staring at her, thinking nasty thoughts. The “ugly girl” reacts negatively and stares back, but Mrs. Turpin does not take any responsibility for having provoked that reaction or the violent one to follow. Mrs. Turpin compares herself favorably to the white trash woman, feels superior to black people, and thinks that God favors her.

When I first read this story, I didn’t understand that this, God’s favor, was the key to understanding the changes Mrs.Turpin undergoes. Before I reread the story, I did not believe that Mrs. Turpin had any recognition of her significant flaws. I read a commentary piece by Karen Bernardo, which helped me with the religious component to understanding Flannery O’Connor.

I didn’t know that Christians believe that grace is a gift from God. The Bernardo piece helped me understand that everyone who “believes in Christ is entitled to his saving grace.” Although a strong criticism, I was surprised by the intense resentment that Mrs. Turpin felt about being called a wart hog from hell. It troubled Mrs. Turpin more than I thought it should have. It was her obsession over this declaration, that leads her to her “revelation.” At first, the crisis seemed to be the verbal and physical fight between the ugly, book-reading girl and the Turpins. But then I realized that the real crisis was that Mrs. Turpin had begun to question her belief that God valued people based on their class. Instead of feeling deserving and virtuous, she started questioning her own value. The story describes her being so wounded that she would not have been surprised to see her house as a “burnt wound.” She was so haunted by the girl’s criticism, that she saw the image of a wart hog when she lay down to rest.

At the beginning of the story, Mrs. Turpin is focused on the relative value of people. She puts herself to sleep at night by recounting her perception of the ranking of different social classes. But she reveals some small doubts, a crack in her armor of virtue. She wonders if being the right class is entirely associated with having property or being attractive? After all, there is a colored dentist with two red Lincolns. She credits herself with helping at church and having a “conversation” with the field help. But are these qualifications worthy of being favored by God? Even when you look down on people for their circumstances? Even when you hurt the old sow and are so careless and self-absorbed that you do not recognize its pain? But Mrs. Turpin is confused and in pain.

Mrs. Turpin goes off to the pigs as if she is going to battle with God. The time of day, dusk, and the quality of light, “mysterious” set the scene for Mrs. Turpins breakthrough. She talks to God. She hears an echo that is confused. Mrs. Turpin looks into the pig parlor and sees “the very heart of mystery.” In a religious vision, Mrs. Turpin takes in the revelation that all people are made by God and the people she reviles are going to heaven ahead of people like her. In the end, Mrs. Turpin sees that she shares their humanity.

Karen Bernardo, “Flannery O’ Connor’s ‘Revelation,’” .

Questions to Consider:
1. Why was the message from God delivered via a teenage girl?
2. Does the narrator’s attitude about Mrs. Turpin change in the story?
3. Why were the flattering comments from the farm workers offensive to Mrs. Turpin?

I missed the discussion during Thursday’s class because of the Occidental College meeting. Here are my observations on the story of Teenage Wasteland.

Initially, the characters in this story appeared unoriginal and simple. The mother, Daisy, is perpetually confused by her apathetic teenage son Donny, who does not appreciate his parents or education. All of this seemed clichéd until Calvin enters the story. Calvin swoops in and commandeers young Donny’s life.Hoping that Calvin will help Donny raise his deplorable grades, Daisy cedes control of Donny’s life to Calvin. Feeling optimistically apprehensive, Daisy hopes that Calvin’s appeal to the teenager would be the key to turning her son into a studious and responsible young man.

Unknown to Daisy, but obvious to the reader, are Calvin’s true intentions. Calvin empathizes, even identifies with teenagers and will act out a second childhood through Donny. Calvin will empower Donny by removing boundaries established by his parents.

Donny is an appropriately-confused teenager. But Calvin confuses Donny's age-appropriate chafing under his parent’s rules with his own feelings of oppression that he had experienced while he was married to his controlling ex-wife. This drives Calvin’s desire to liberate his clients. Under the guise of helping his student, Calvin regresses to the level of irresponsible and impulsive teenagers.

I was unprepared for the ending of Teenage Wasteland. I didn’t recognize the point at which Donny’s life became intolerable. The situation changed from less than ideal and uncomfortable to unbearable. The transition was so subtle that I didn’t think the story supported Donny’s drastic decision to run away from home. This must be an indication of how misunderstood Donny must have felt. Even the reader wasn’t aware of the intense pain he must have felt. So extreme that he chose losing his family forever.

On a completely different note…

In both stories, Everyday Use and Interpreter of Maladies, I was intrigued by the relationship between parents and children. In these stories, I saw parenting styles have unintended and misunderstood consequences.

In Everyday Use, the mother worked to create a better life for her children. Her children responded to her quite differently. One daughter, Maggie, appreciated her mother’s efforts, yet received the least benefit from her mother’s hard work. The other daughter, Dee, was given a good education and opportunity to rise above her circumstances. Instead of appreciating the church and her mother’s assistance, she is embarrassed. She doesn’t appreciate her mother’s love and sacrifice. She resents that her mother is poor and uneducated. The mother acted unselfishly by allowing her daughter opportunities that were beyond her own experience.

In Interpreter of Maladies, both parents were completely uninterested in parenting. Mrs. Das’ children continually begged for her attention and acceptance. This neglect causes the mother only brief periods of guilt followed by elaborate self-justification. The children are left feeling unloved.

The contrast between Mrs. Das and the mother in Interpreter of Maladies reveal the dramatically different approached to parenting and their respective results.

Summer Reading List

• Pride and Prejudice by: Jane Austen

• Bel Canto by Anne Patchett

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by: Mark Haddon

Bel Canto's Parallel Universe

Bel Canto by Anne Patchett chronicles a hostage situation in Spain. Patchett uses the hostage crisis as a plot device to both propel the characters together and create a separate world. This parallel reality, actually the house of Ruben Iglesias, the Vice President of Spain, offers the opportunity for the characters to reinvent themselves. As the novel progresses the hostage crisis becomes less central to the plot and becomes the backdrop to the relationships formed between the characters. Patchett’s real intentions come out when she proposes these questions, what happens when somebody’s normal life comes to a stop? Is one still the same person in a different environment? Can you reinvent yourself?
The characters begin as one dimensional people who are divided into hostages or rebels. They evolve and assume different identities as a result of the relationships that they form. Mr. Hosokawa, a wealthy business man, escapes from his life of long workdays and his faithful wife to experience the joys of a romantic relationship with one of his favorite opera singers. Each of the young rebels discovers the possibilities that come with sincere and trusting relationships. General Benjamin suddenly has the opportunity to use the hostages as bargaining chips to save his friends and relatives who were in jail. Mr. Kato becomes an accompanist to the famous opera singer Roxanne Coss. The Japanese translator, Gen falls passionately in love with Carmen, the young rebel. With one exception each of the character’s lives significantly increased in fulfillment and happiness while living in the confines of Iglesias’ house.
As the story line continued I found myself suspending disbelief. I accepted the possibility that the hostages and rebels could maintain their happiness. I believed that they could exist separate from the world without having to pay a price for their actions. It was a false sense of security. In the end the real world comes crashing in just as suddenly as the fictional one came in.
I found it fascinating that Patchett created a situation that might have been distressing, but instead made an attractive world. The plot itself was a hypothetical social experiment that morphed into something unpredictable and enlightening.
Once I finished Bel Canto I was surprised by how emotionally involved I had become with each of the characters’ well-being. Patchett successfully engrossed me with her characters perceptions. I was surprised and I am convinced that my connection to the novel is due to Patchett’s artful approach to describing the events which take place in her novel. Patchett’s melodic writing seemed to crescendo and incorporated the dynamic emotions that run through music and translate them into words.
I was swept away into the parallel universe of Bel Canto and have come out of it with a new perspective on the malleability of people’s identities (470).