Madness! Madness! Madness!

Because of the Mobile Passion Play that I am indentured - er, happy to participate in, this blog will be kept brief. I would merely like to mention the influence of Fyodor Dostoevsky in The Second Coming. We have discussed in previous classes how Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov leaked into Percy's fiction. Lancelot, in particular, featured strong allusions between the lead character and Ivan Karamazov, and distinct echoes of The Grand Inquisitor scene were made clear through the narrative style. The biggest similarity that I've noticed between The Second Coming and Karamazov is the fallacy of the insanity argument. Dostoevsky was very suspicious of the notion of insanity, suggesting in his writings that most cases of insanity are spiritual in nature, not mental. Ivan, for example is driven mad in the end of the novel not because of some genetic neurosis but because his own spiritual vacuity finally collapses in on itself and he can no longer bear his divided consciousness. Will is a little better off in that he recognizes the vacuity in himself and in everyone else, yet his actions make him look like a madman to everyone else. His questions, his erratic behavior, his ultimate decision to seek God and find the apocalypse - all of these appear to be the actions of a madman, yet his determination to absolve the tension in his soul may be the first rational set of decisions in his life. Through it all, whether he succeeds at his ultimate objective or fails, he may just free himself of the madness of complacency that has seemingly gripped everyone else in his life.

Perhaps it could be said that all madness is relative, but some breeds of madness are worse than others. Which is better: to recognize the vacuity of one's life and take drastic, even violent measures to change it, or to continue in one's own rut and refuse to recognize the sickness for what it is? Think of it this way: If Christ is indeed the wounded surgeon, how can He heal you if you can't begin to tell Him what ails you? Dostoevsky and Kierkegaard understood this, Percy does as well.

The Ignorant Armies that Clash by Night

Out of all the Percy novels we have read thus far, I find The Second Coming most interesting. Allison's struggle to articulate, to find meaning in words, brings back the question asked in class last week: what can restore language? Can it get so far gone that it loses its meaning, so that words like Jesus and grace spiral out into nothingness? If so, if it has already, is there anything one can do?

I think Allison is searching for that answer; maybe we will find it with her.

I can't tell exactly the nature of Will's search yet. I like the contrast of the two situations; one who cannot remember a thing about herself or the world, the other who keeps seeing more and more in everything they do. Neither seem like actual mental illnesses (if there is such a thing). They just can't handle the world around them and more importantly their self. The focus seems to be spiraling in on understanding just that. Is their response working in the direction that Dover Beach suggested, where they should be true to one another? As Will's father says, "You'd be better off if you were one of them...The ignorant armies that clash by night." That isn't really true, though. Maybe it means you wouldn't have tried to kill yourself and your son--but it also takes away the possibility of the search. It seems that a crucial part of Percy's search is having the questioner and the responder. It's like the Grand Inquisitor... As long as there is someone to target your questions to, to seek answers with, even the most miserable man is doing better than the everyday ignorant man.

Percy's use of culture/pop culture in Lancelot

            One of the interesting aspects of Percy’s stories that I have found is his use of pop culture. A few instances that can be found in Lancelot would be the girl that was singing Me and Bobby McGee outside Lancelot’s cell, when Lancelot talks about what he thought about “falling in love,” and when Lancelot was referring to why everyone was interested in the news when he first Margot.

            Two questions that rise from the uses of pop culture are: why? And how are they used? I believe the purpose for this use is to: A) to help create the setting of the place that the author is placing the characters, and B) to either describe an event or to foreshadow an event that will take place in the following chapters.

The case for A can be seen when Lancelot talks about why everyone had been keen to watch the news during the time he met Margot, and when the girl was singing Me and Bobby McGee. The song was written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, but originally performed by Roger Miller, to which his version was released in 1969. Another version of that was popular was Janis Joplin’s version which was released in 1971. What we have by those two points his a time period of where Lancelot is at in the present. When he talks about meeting Margot, he references another assassination that might take place. Given what we know about the estimated present year, we can figure out that he was talking about John F. Kennedy’s assassination (November 22, 1962), Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination (April 4, 1968), and Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination (June 5, 1968). This gives us a relative time period that the setting is in and helps us to think about where America was out during this period.

The case for B would be the girl singing Me and Bobby McGee. This could be placed here as a way to foreshadow an immediate event, Lancelot about to start talking about how he lost Margot, or an event that will come to past in the following chapters. If you knew the song, then we can see some correlation between it and the story. If the reader was to continue past what the girl was singing, they would sing, “Feeling good was easy Lord, when Bobby sang the blues/ Feeling good was good enough for me/ Good enough for me and Bobby McGee.” In the story, Lancelot comments about how he was at peace with Margot and how, as with the singer of the song hints at, was going through motions with his girl. Earlier in the song, we have, “I took my harpoon out of my dirty red bandana/ And was blowin’ sad while Bobby sang the blues/ With them windshield whispers slappin’ time/ And Bobby clappin’ hands we finally/ Sang up every song that the driver knew.” This could be a heads up to the reader for to take notice of the sad tale that Lancelot is going to tell, with Bobby/Margot “clappin’” and singing the blues. Later on in the song, the singer talks about letting go of Bobby and thinking about her every once in a while. Again, this could be a foreshadowing of what Lancelot is/had done with Margot.

We can see how Percy strategically utilizes these different sources from the culture/pop culture to help him set up the setting of the story, and foreshadow the events that will take place farther in the story.

The Senior Undergraduate - English Major

Self's Relation to World: Transcending, with intact elements.

Self's Relation to Other Selves: To his fellow students and peers, an elite status as a veteran student with aspirations for a doctorate in his chosen field, making him part of the aesthetic pantheon known as "academia". To his family and non-academic friends, a intellectual disconnect in both acquired knowledge of the humanities and conventional wisdom regarding the more practical aspects of life. Fully aware of the absurdities present in both the transcendent and immanent spheres of life, he maintains a healthy if not ironic sense of humor about his circumstances.

Identity of Self: A high degree of correspondence between self's habitual mode of existence as transcending self and actual here-and-now life, e.g., being able to gain a sense of the numinous and the beautiful in human nature while simultaneously having to work with bureaucracies and sociologists to secure a fruitful career path for himself.

Motion of Self vis-a-vis World: In the process of transitioning from one mode of routine (undergraduate studies in his private, liberal arts university in a city with people he has become familiar with) to a slightly different and subtly more difficult one (doctoral studies in a public, research focused environment in unfamiliar territory in living conditions that he must afford for himself without direct aid from his parents). Practice of Christianity, regular fellowship with good friends, and general mood of self-effacement soften his reentry.

Placement (Mood) of Self: Excited for new beginnings in graduate school and the completion of his former studies, yet hesitant to see how exactly things will pan out for him. Feels like a man caught in the tunnel between the airport terminal and the plane that will soon depart - did he leave any luggage or items in the terminal? Does he actually have a seat saved for him on the plane and is actually going where he wants to go? Will they serve peanuts and scotch on the plane and if so, how much will it cost?

Existential-Semiotic Self-Profile : The Biology/English student

Self's Relation the World: Uncertain, feels out of place with the world as a general being but gains understanding from frequent travels and the love of travel. He appreciates nature and animals more than other humans; he also has a passion to preserve the world at all costs.

Self's Relation to Other Selves: He depends on mutual loyalty with those he considers part of his pack (i.e. family, closest friends, lovers). Values friendship greatly, even to the point where those who betray him will always have malice aimed their way. He opens up once he gets to know someone well enough.

Identity of Self: Highly-organized in method of existence; seeks to utilize time in the most efficient manner possible. In a constant state of observation, he only takes action when the situation demands it. He always thinks before he leaps and trusts his instinct more than anything else. His spiritual life if considered Christian by nature but he has liberal tendencies and an open mind. Other's opinions outside of his pack matter not to him.

Movement of Self vis-a-vis World: A wanderer and traveler by nature, he doesn't mind picking up his roots and changing locations if need be, as long as he has contact with his pack or is relatively close to one of his pack members. Home is where he can be with those close to him. If the situation calls for it, he will wander off alone for the sake of reflection and meditating upon the self. The world is too big to stay in one place forever and he cannot expand his understanding of the world by rooting himself in one spot. Sometimes the most tranquil place is being where he can be alone for a while.

Relationships

     This week I was fortunate enough to watch the movie Silver Linings Playbook for the first time. Prior to this, I had never read the book and I was not entirely sure what it was about, all I knew was that it was supposedly wonderful. It was. Right after I experienced the wonderful movie, I went home and picked up the Moviegoer again. While reading, I noticed some striking similarities between Silver Linings Playbook and the Moviegoer. Both of these stories feature some very dysfunctional people who eventually get into dysfunctional relationships. However, although this sounds like something entirely negative, it is not. Both of these stories are incredibly real and more relatable than most romances that are so popular. Of course, a lot of people do not suffer with any kind of mental illness, nor have many experienced great, shocking trauma like these characters. These characters are real, the have problems just like the audience. It does not matter how extreme the problems of the characters are, it is just significant that they have problems that real people have too. Both of these authors use this. How dysfunctional the characters are is what makes the stories beautiful. Yes, there are times when we all cringe, turn our heads, and try and pretend that we did not just read/see something that awkward; but there is a beauty too these stories that redeem them. All of us are a tad bit dysfunctional, or maybe just quirky, in our own ways. The fact that these characters really do not try and hide their dysfunctional selves, and find common ground with each other in regard to their flaws is very different than most “love stories.” However, it is so much more like real life than the perfect love stories that are so popular. This is a much better way to show romance. This is how it happens in everyday, honest life. 

I am on the Train.

When reading the first section of "Man on a Train", the illustration of the man watching the scenes he knows so well, yet knows not at all was incredibly familiar to me.  As a person who spent at least 20 hours on the interstate over spring break, I well know this feeling of seeing, yet not seeing.  A friend of mine and I joke that we "Know every exit down the entirety of Interstate 10".  However, when reading this I realized:  I am, essentially, the illustration of the man on the train.  Riding in a car, watching things pass in a blur, acting like I know them when in fact, I don't know them at all.  Even when riding in a car, I am quite often guilty of what Binx in The Moviegoer despises about cars, that one loses one's individuality when in them and is no longer viewed as a person, but as a thing.  I just watch the objects around me through my perspective of them as nothing more than that: objects to be observed, to be known, to be recognized, and then forgotten, for I never actually knew them at all.

"What if the Bomb should not fall?"  This thought too hit home.  Lately, it's been incredibly apparent that our society, especially the Christian society, is very focused towards the end days.  However, what will we do if the Bomb doesn't fall in the next 10 years?  What if the world doesn't end quite yet?  What if we continue running along a path that is blurred from our speed of racing towards the finish, rather than taking the time to stop, get out of the car or train, and understand the things around us?  I don't know what this would look like, or if it's even possible to come fully out of an area of alienation, but it would be interesting to see this done maybe on a small scale, in the little things.