The story “Battle Royale” and our discussion on it was something that really stayed with me all week. I have been turning over what the grandfather said and how his grandson took it. This was a point of contention in our class. I think I may have another interpretation of it. Maybe by humiliating himself, delivering his speech, and accepting the scholarship, the grandson was perfectly in line with his grandfather’s advice. The character’s uneasiness comes from following his grandfather’s advice, which does not always seem to him like a good idea. By accepting both the humiliation and the scholarship to a segregated college, the narrator is showing deference to the rich white men. However, he actually comes out looking a lot nobler than any of them (for example, his treatment of the “exotic dancer” is much more humane). His deference is meaningless if he actually propels himself to a higher moral and intellectual ground. And even though the white people applaud his accomplishments, he is actually living proof that the theory that he supposedly believes in is wrong. His very existence also undermines their theories on race. I admit there are a couple of holes in this theory: for one, the grandfather’s statement in the narrator’s dream makes it seem as though he is laughing at his grandson’s foolishness. Nevertheless, it may be that the grandfather is laughing at his grandson’s foolish intentions: through his good intentions, the narrator has kept the white people on their toes, prompting them to dream up ways to contain him, separate him, and humiliate him.
For my short story reading I read one by Chuck Palahniuk and one by Christopher Buckley. I picked these two authors because they have both written novels that I liked. The Palahniuk one was very interesting, most notably because it was absolutely repulsive. I enjoy the “off-colordness” of his books, it makes them unique and I believe is supported by the fact that he has legitimate (or at least entertaining) beliefs and ideas to get across to the reader. This story was no exception, but it was so repulsive that I do not think I could write a successful paper on it: I could not quite stomach the plot enough to discuss its overall significance. The other short story, By Buckley, was a vast departure from his colloquial style in Boomsday. I found it extremely boring and found myself thinking “so what?” after pretty much every paragraph. Anyway, I will keep searching for a story that would interest me more.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
The Crazy Clairvoyant and the Dull Demon
The Crazy Clairvoyant and the Dull Demon
In his story “The Five-Forty-Eight,” John Cheever constantly shifts both the reader’s and the character’s perception of the people to whom they are introduced. He is able to do this so successfully by showing the depth of seemingly one-dimensional characters.
Blake and Miss Dent are people who can be approached from many different angles. Physically, Blake is described as “undistinguished in every way,” (11) and Miss Dent as “small” and “common” (63). In other words, if you ever saw either of them walking down the street, you would not even pause to notice them, despite the fact that one is crazy and the other is diabolical. At the beginning of the story, Blake seems like a victim because he is trying to escape from a stalker and potential killer. However, the reader quickly learns from Blake’s own thoughts that he is an evil man dedicated to cheating on his wife by scamming insecure girls into sleeping with him. Because Miss Dent is stalking Blake, we originally see her as crazed. Then, when we hear why she is stalking him, she appears more rational (during the course of a day, the guy exploited her and then fired her, so even if she is trying to kill him, her reasoning is solid). Finally, we see that she is in fact certifiably insane (or else a completely successful, if not somewhat misunderstood, clairvoyant). Blake himself is a judgmental man, as evidence by his intense dislike of Mr. Watkins, who has been presumptuous enough to have “long and dirty hair” (14). Also, the character’s perceptions of each other shift. Blake originally sees Miss Dent as quiet and meek, a stark contrast to the crazed women we later meet. Miss Dent views Blake as a god before she realizes what a pathetic and evil man he really is. Blake even has flashes of a happier, more fulfilling childhood with “gone summers and gone pleasures,“ (60) which hints that he may not be as despicable as he appears. Over the course of the story, the reader is presented with an ebb and flow of perceptions: we are led to believe that character traits are not as rigid as they first appear.
The atmosphere that Cheever portrays in his story is filled with isolation and conformity. On the five-forty-eight, when Blake is in danger, he needs to quite literally reach out to his neighbors, and yet he is unable to do so. Considering the many hints throughout the story that Blake is a reasonably wealthy man, it can be said that his attempt and failure to connect with others who live in his community is an example of the quiet desperation of upper-middle class American life. Miss Dent also notices how lonely and unfulfilling this life can be when she comments that she didn’t expect where Blake lived to “look so shabby” (57). No one on the train stops to notice Blake’s predicament, and one can imagine that Blake himself had often times waited to be picked up without making any meaningful connection with his fellow commuters. When the last man leaves him to face his fate, Blake even feels a deep sense of regret for the “unwanted parting of the spirit and the heart” (57). It takes a gun pointed at his belly for Blake to even attempt to make a connection with fellow human beings.
As the above paragraphs show, Cheever’s overall goal in this story is to illustrate how upper-middle class life boxes people into one dimensional personalities that do not entirely fit them. Even though we see that Blake and Miss Dent are complicated characters, they are living lives that, “like the rest of us,” (11) appear conventional and dull. In this way, the five-forty-eight is a microcosm of all upper-middle class life: everyone is searching for fulfillment by trying to conform to a tired stereotype that precludes any sort of human connection. (657)
In his story “The Five-Forty-Eight,” John Cheever constantly shifts both the reader’s and the character’s perception of the people to whom they are introduced. He is able to do this so successfully by showing the depth of seemingly one-dimensional characters.
Blake and Miss Dent are people who can be approached from many different angles. Physically, Blake is described as “undistinguished in every way,” (11) and Miss Dent as “small” and “common” (63). In other words, if you ever saw either of them walking down the street, you would not even pause to notice them, despite the fact that one is crazy and the other is diabolical. At the beginning of the story, Blake seems like a victim because he is trying to escape from a stalker and potential killer. However, the reader quickly learns from Blake’s own thoughts that he is an evil man dedicated to cheating on his wife by scamming insecure girls into sleeping with him. Because Miss Dent is stalking Blake, we originally see her as crazed. Then, when we hear why she is stalking him, she appears more rational (during the course of a day, the guy exploited her and then fired her, so even if she is trying to kill him, her reasoning is solid). Finally, we see that she is in fact certifiably insane (or else a completely successful, if not somewhat misunderstood, clairvoyant). Blake himself is a judgmental man, as evidence by his intense dislike of Mr. Watkins, who has been presumptuous enough to have “long and dirty hair” (14). Also, the character’s perceptions of each other shift. Blake originally sees Miss Dent as quiet and meek, a stark contrast to the crazed women we later meet. Miss Dent views Blake as a god before she realizes what a pathetic and evil man he really is. Blake even has flashes of a happier, more fulfilling childhood with “gone summers and gone pleasures,“ (60) which hints that he may not be as despicable as he appears. Over the course of the story, the reader is presented with an ebb and flow of perceptions: we are led to believe that character traits are not as rigid as they first appear.
The atmosphere that Cheever portrays in his story is filled with isolation and conformity. On the five-forty-eight, when Blake is in danger, he needs to quite literally reach out to his neighbors, and yet he is unable to do so. Considering the many hints throughout the story that Blake is a reasonably wealthy man, it can be said that his attempt and failure to connect with others who live in his community is an example of the quiet desperation of upper-middle class American life. Miss Dent also notices how lonely and unfulfilling this life can be when she comments that she didn’t expect where Blake lived to “look so shabby” (57). No one on the train stops to notice Blake’s predicament, and one can imagine that Blake himself had often times waited to be picked up without making any meaningful connection with his fellow commuters. When the last man leaves him to face his fate, Blake even feels a deep sense of regret for the “unwanted parting of the spirit and the heart” (57). It takes a gun pointed at his belly for Blake to even attempt to make a connection with fellow human beings.
As the above paragraphs show, Cheever’s overall goal in this story is to illustrate how upper-middle class life boxes people into one dimensional personalities that do not entirely fit them. Even though we see that Blake and Miss Dent are complicated characters, they are living lives that, “like the rest of us,” (11) appear conventional and dull. In this way, the five-forty-eight is a microcosm of all upper-middle class life: everyone is searching for fulfillment by trying to conform to a tired stereotype that precludes any sort of human connection. (657)
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Baba O'Riley
This week, I think we had a really interesting discussion on Teenage Wasteland, a story I enjoyed immensely. When I read it, I noted that Daisy was often times at least partially responsible for Donny's difficulties. I originally thought that this observation was insightful and unique, only to discover that everyone else in the class took for granted the fact that she was often at fault. In fact, although we touched upon Calvin and Donny himself as sources of Donny's numerous problems, we spent a significant portion of the time discussing Daisy. So, I will add one more note about Daisy that I have thought about since the discussion before moving on to Donny himself. I think the trouble with Daisy is she wants to "solve" Donny. Because, as so many people pointed out, she thinks of Donny as a reflection on herself, she is sure that if she works hard enough and searches far enough, she will come up with the right "solution." This goal is laughably quixotic. Donny can not be solved, no human can. Instead of trying to find one permanent catch-all cure (such as severe discipline or Calvin's severe freedom), she should focus on helping her son deal with the individual obstacles he faces.
One more thing that occurred to me since last week's discussion is Donny taking responsibility for himself. After Calvin goes on a tirade about how the school is to blame for Donny's sad lot in life, Daisy asks, "Doesn't Donny ever get blamed?". Realistically, Donny is just responding to his environment. With Calvin, he knows he can get away with anything, so he does. When I first encountered Donny, I thought he was going to become the stereotypical powerful teacher. I wanted him to step into that role. After all, the reader is introduced to him as though he is a miracle worker. One can tell that Daisy, with her all-or-nothing mentality, also senses that Calvin's the one to reform Donny. And yet, instead of helping Donny help himself, Calvin lets Donny go. He practically gives Donny permission to get away with murder, and then rationalizes it for him. Alas, all along their were clues about Calvin's negligence. The first time we meet him, he declares to Donny "we'll see if we can show that school of yours a thing or two." It isn't the school Calvin should stand against, its Donny he should be standing with. (407)
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