Life of Pi (vol. I)

Yann Martel describes the story in the author’s note as one “that will make you believe in God” (x). Throughout the novel, I had this tagline in my mind as I searched to find the moment when it all came together. However, I found it so subtle that I nearly missed it entirely. Pi tells two stories to the investigators from the Japanese Ministry of Transport: one with animals and one without animals. At the end of the second tale, Pi asks the investigators which one they think is better story. When the investigators respond that the story with the animals is the better one, Pi replies, “Thank you. And so it goes with God” (317). Reality can be a terrible place filled with pain, loneliness, fear, suffering, and hopelessness. In such a world, a purely rational examination of the facts might lead us to believe that our existence is devoid of any higher meaning. Pi suggests that this is one of the reasons we need the notion of God and the supernatural: to give us hope so that life is livable. If I can believe that there is a higher purpose to my life, that death is not the end, then I might have enough hope to hold on. But without God, without the idea of something beyond our current suffering, we can easily lose our souls to pain and give up on life. I think we can rephrase Pi’s question to the investigators in this way in light of his response: Do we prefer a universe with God or a universe without God?

Going After Cacciato (vol. III)

While I enjoyed reading Tim O’Brien’s Going After Cacciato, I personally would not consider it a bildungsroman. A bildungsroman must contain an essential element which Cacciato does not have: the growth of the main character. Paul Berlin experiences a great deal in Vietnam, both real and fictional, but he himself is never truly shaped by these events. The character Sarkin Aung Wan identifies his problem when she remarks, “Thinking…You are afraid to do…All your fine dreams and thinking and pretending…no more thinking, Spec Four” (297). Paul Berlin is terrified of death and of the idea of facing his own demise. Indeed, Berlin wishes to face death only when he is old and feeble (167). As a result, Berlin constantly uses imagination as an escape from the harsh realities of the war. During the night march with Lt. Martin, “He [Berlin] was pretending he was not in the war…he was pretending he was a boy again, camping with his father in the midnight summer along the Des Moines River” (209). Berlin’s escapism is never something he overcomes or matures out of. In fact, even after he is taken off of patrol duty and given a position on the observation post Berlin still uses his imagination to escape into another world (287). Although he is a likeable character, from his first patrols to his last shift on the observation post, Paul Berlin remains throughout the novel as a character fleeing from fear.

Going After Cacciato (vol. II)

I found Pr. Randal O’Brian discussion about man’s terrible love of war particularly fascinating. Indeed, one might easily few the rise and fall of civilizations throughout history as an expression of humanity’s desire to conquer. Humans possess a terrible lust to extend their dominion over everything. Anthony Hopkins in the movie Instinct says, “We have only one thing to give up. Our dominion. We don't own the world. We're not kings yet. Not gods. Can we give that up? Too precious, all that control? Too tempting, being a god?” The desire to control can lead men to create Hell on earth, a state we refer to as war. In war, human relationships are torn apart and the evil which exists in all men is clearly displayed. Perhaps it is in these moments that hope is most necessary and that hopelessness is so easily fallen into. In war men must either choose to life in a state of escapism (seen in the rampant drug use during the war) or attempt to muster the courage to face the evils. O’Brian was able to choose the latter because of his ever-deepening faith in God. I found it a great testament of his discovery of hope in a dark night of humanity and the insight that perhaps it is precisely then that a man truly understands what it means to cry out for deliverance.

Going After Cacciato (vol. I)

In his work, Going After Cacciato, Tim O’Brien explores the issue of fear and heroism in the character of Paul Berlin. O’Brien writes, “The real issue was the power of will to defeat fear. A matter of figuring a way to do it. Somehow working his way into that secret chamber of the human heart…for the exercise of courage” (81). Throughout the novel, Berlin struggles against the paralyzing force of fear. In the midst of battle, fear rises to place a strangle hold upon the helpless Spec Four. As a result, Berlin collapses into himself in a futile attempt to escape the fear. Berlin counts, focuses on an imaginary marble, pretends to be home…he does everything but confront his fear. Berlin’s inability to deal with the realities of war turn him into a runaway of the mind. He flees the harsh times of marching, the long hours of the observation post, and the problems between soldiers by escaping into his imagination. Perhaps in many respects Berlin may be looked upon as a coward who cannot face life with courage. But perhaps Berlin escapes into illusion as a defense mechanism, as a way to save something which the war attempts to take. As a safe guard against becoming cold, hopeless, and without sympathy, Berlin daydreams. But in his attempts to save his soul he never finds what he truly needs: the courage to face life in war and keep moving forward.

The Violent Bear It Away (vol. II)

Flannery O’Connor’s work is most certainly the most difficult I’ve had to evaluate this semester. Unlike the other works, the reality here is purposely distorted and the characters not simply living in a magical world. When we think of a bildungsroman we typically think of a work which follows the positive growth of a young protagonist. However, if anything, O’Connor’s work is an example of a negative bildungsroman. Francis is set on a course of inevitable destruction because he has two forces at play in his life ripping him into pieces. On the one hand, Francis must wrestle with the pulling force of the mad faith of Old Tarwater. On the other hand, Rayber’s cold, emotionless reason attempts to drag Francis to the opposite end. I refer to Old Tarwater and Rayber as “forces” because that is truly how they function, there is no acts of love to win over Francis but only the hope to pummel him into submission. Each is attempting to create a boy in their own image, the force of which ultimately tears the boy apart. As a result, reading O’Connor’s work is much like watching a car accident take place. Francis is set on a course of destruction (getting drunk leads to burning the house which ultimately leads to murder) because he is placed in a world in which love is an idea that people speak about but are unable to express. In a loveless world, neither true words nor nice acts can save a boy who is tragically bound to develop into a psychologically devastated individual.

The Violent Bear It Away (vol. I)

The Violent Bear It Away contains many interesting characters, but none as fascinatingly influential as Uncle Tarwater. The lives of young Tarwater and Rayber stand in the shadow of the life of their crazed Uncle. And while the two despise the ramblings of their Uncle, both of the characters cannot help but be drawn to his energy. “He [Uncle Tarwater] would look as if he had been wrestling a wildcat, as if his head were still full of the visions he had seen in its eyes…these were the times that Tarwater knew [that he would answer the call from God]” (8). Uncle Tarwater instills in Rayber and his cousin a spirit which the two with wrestle with for the entirety of the novel. But what is the “spirit”? The spirit appears to be “love that appeared to exist only to be itself, imperious and all demanding, the kind that would cause him to make a fool of himself in an instant” (114). The depth of true love is terrifying to Rayber because it challenges all the mastery his self-will has fooled him into believing, love challenges the intellectual control he has obtained over his life. Indeed, love is a force which makes people do foolish things, become like Uncle Tarwaters. But if we deny love, deny passion in order to gain control we become simply mechanical men. The battle between intellectual control and the untamable passion which dwells within the characters is fought throughout the novel.

The Bear (vol. III)

Faulkner’s The Bear is certainly a bildungsroman. The work begins with Isaac McCaslin as a young boy setting out for his first hunting expedition in hopes of killing the legendary Old Ben. On his first hunt, Ike is unsure of himself and filled with fear at the prospect of encountering the bear. However, under the mentorship of Sam Fathers, Ike matures into one of the most skilled hunters in the group. But the development of Ike is not simply in terms of hunting ability, but he is also instilled with the virtues of pride, humility, and courage which are instilled in him by the wilderness. His encounters with nature help Ike to develop a sense of identity and provide the virtues which will guide his future decisions. The work then shifts to Ike’s revelations concerning his family’s troublesome past and Ike must now wrestle with the legacy left to him. It seems that like most young adults exiting adolescence, Ike understands who he is but now must decide whether his future will follow in the footsteps of his family or if he must brave a new path entirely. Ike comes to grips with his family’s past and decides that who he is and will become will be set apart from the sins of his fathers.