The inevitability that life shall end in death is a baffling, often depressing topic. The author of “Happy Endings” has the courage to point out the fact that, due to the monotonous nature of humanity’s eventual end, it is not the conclusion which is important, but rather what comes between the beginning and the end which matters. This inevitability and, consequently, critique of free will, is evident and manifested within the short story “7C.” The culmination of the story, the destruction of the known universe (or at least of the world on which we find ourselves), is not a mystery to the narrator. What is a mystery, though, is precisely how he got there. I’m going to digress a bit here, but this forces me to recall the idea that, if one reads the final page of a book without first having read each page which leads up to the conclusion, one has somehow ‘ruined’ the book. On the contrary, I would argue that reading the ending is often (but not always) a method through which one might garner a better understanding of said book. By holding knowledge of the conclusion of a plot, one is freed from the tedious (okay, I’ll admit, exciting) process of attempting to predict said conclusion and, subsequently, to specifically look for and focus on those elements within the plot which either prove or disprove your prediction. With knowledge, one is not reduced to a narrow field of focus involving plot elements, and is able instead to focus on broader, more enlightening subjects such as themes, both underlying and specific, character development, and even (gasp!) writing style.
Alright, so perhaps reading the ending before one has read the bread and butter of the literature is a bit depressing. Maybe, though, we might reconcile the joy of plot with the joy(?) of deep, thorough analysis through one of two ways. Our first option is to develop two separate reading methods: one for pleasure and one for College level English. Allow me to elaborate. When reading for pleasure, feel free to focus only on plot, but when reading for class, be sure to discount your own emotions from the process and search for what your teacher wants. The second option (and in my opinion the one which is far more practical and, more importantly, applicable to post-college years) is to hybridize your pleasure with your work. I use the term hybridize very loosely, as I believe this method in no way decreases your enjoyment, but actually magnifies it. When you are able to reach a level of reading on which you are able to both interpret a text in terms of theme and undertone as well as take pleasure in the more basic elements of plot, your enjoyment of the literature will increase at least two-fold. You will have achieved at the very least what a major in English is meant to instill, but more probably you will have gained a life skill which will ensure success (at least as a literary critic).
Sunday, October 5, 2008
7C
I definitely agree with Barry and Dante. The obsession of astronomy is what drove the narrator to insanity. In Dante's blog, this was one of the questions that he asked and it was not answered, but through the story everything that happens deals relates to his astronomy somehow.
In the beginning of the story, the narrator explains himself as having obsessive-compulsive disorder. From the way that he explained his disorder we know that this diagnosis was completely correct. The narrator questions the diagnosis, researches the diagnosis and then completely rejects its, stating that he will not receive the help he needs until he disproves the diagnosis. After reading the story, the questioning of the diagnosis did not seem like a bad thing after all.
The desire of knowledge for the narrator, which is a much nicer word that insane, ultimately leads to his demise and his best friend's demise. To have to thought of drugging your friend and questioning him about astronomy is insane. To do all of this, after catching your friend in bed with your wife is another thing. I may be only person to think that this was the point in the story where his insanity peaked. But to catch someone in bed with your wife and the only thing you want to do is question him is not insane, I'm not sure what is. I guess scientist do really go after their questions.
In the beginning of the story, the narrator explains himself as having obsessive-compulsive disorder. From the way that he explained his disorder we know that this diagnosis was completely correct. The narrator questions the diagnosis, researches the diagnosis and then completely rejects its, stating that he will not receive the help he needs until he disproves the diagnosis. After reading the story, the questioning of the diagnosis did not seem like a bad thing after all.
The desire of knowledge for the narrator, which is a much nicer word that insane, ultimately leads to his demise and his best friend's demise. To have to thought of drugging your friend and questioning him about astronomy is insane. To do all of this, after catching your friend in bed with your wife is another thing. I may be only person to think that this was the point in the story where his insanity peaked. But to catch someone in bed with your wife and the only thing you want to do is question him is not insane, I'm not sure what is. I guess scientist do really go after their questions.
Understanding 7C
The entire plot in the short story "7C" seems to be about existentialism from a sociopathic standpoint. The narrator, who spokes directly to the reader as if he or she is the neighbor, comes to an understanding of the end of the world. Dealing with issues about understanding why the universe is, the narrator also begins to notice that he and the people around him have certain scars that become more prominent wounds as time passes. As the story continues on, the author makes a point about how the light we see from stars is so old that by the time the light reaches our eyes, the star we were looking at has already been dead for millions of years. In the same way, the wounds begin to reveal the fate of the characters and the narrator comes to terms with this.
Trying not to die alone, after figuring out the impending doom of the world, the narrator attempts to remove his friend from the spot next to his wife. Not necessarily caring that the man has had an affair with his wife, the narrator cares more about being with someone when the time comes for everything to end. He does everything in his power to remove the man, but it doesn't seem to work. Eventually, he comes to a realization that everything is predestined and that he must "go with the flow." The author finishes the story in interesting way where we become the person who the narrator dies with. Not only does this affect the reader on a psychological level, involving them in the insanity of the plot, but it also helps the reader to get a sense of the pain inflicted on the man both physically and emotionally.
Trying not to die alone, after figuring out the impending doom of the world, the narrator attempts to remove his friend from the spot next to his wife. Not necessarily caring that the man has had an affair with his wife, the narrator cares more about being with someone when the time comes for everything to end. He does everything in his power to remove the man, but it doesn't seem to work. Eventually, he comes to a realization that everything is predestined and that he must "go with the flow." The author finishes the story in interesting way where we become the person who the narrator dies with. Not only does this affect the reader on a psychological level, involving them in the insanity of the plot, but it also helps the reader to get a sense of the pain inflicted on the man both physically and emotionally.
Getting crunk with the Oxford English Dictonary
After reading the Best American New Words of 2006 it got me thinking about how a word become an official word. It seams that from looking at the list of new word that a word must have practical usage. More specifically many of the new words look as though they are related directing to a specific field, weather it is medical, science, or even music. The word that pops out to me is crunk. While I’ve used it in my everyday speech, and heard it used I was surprised to see it that it was included in the Oxford English Dictionary. The usage that is defined in the Oxford version of the definition is different than the traditional meaning of the word on Wabash’s campus, however seams to be a valid one nonetheless.
This brings me back to my original thought how does a word become part of the Oxford English Dictionary. Is there a set of criteria that must be met? Is it something as definable as the criteria for statehood? If not, who then decides what makes a word a part of the OED? Does being a part of the OED make it ok to use in formal paper? How do they decide what definition is to go with the word? What happens when the new words become words? Is there a new version of the Dictionary printed each year? If not how often is the dictionary updated and printed. Also if words can become new words, than can old words lose their “wordhood”? (I think that might be a new word for consideration in 2008 Webster) I know that language is ever evolving but can a word ever become extinct or does it reactive a full word tenure, never to be removed for the dictionary, no matter how useless it becomes? Whatever the answer to these questions, it would be interesting to know if the first person to say one of these new words, really intended for it to mean what it does today, much like the way that literary scholars assign a meaning to words of literature.
This brings me back to my original thought how does a word become part of the Oxford English Dictionary. Is there a set of criteria that must be met? Is it something as definable as the criteria for statehood? If not, who then decides what makes a word a part of the OED? Does being a part of the OED make it ok to use in formal paper? How do they decide what definition is to go with the word? What happens when the new words become words? Is there a new version of the Dictionary printed each year? If not how often is the dictionary updated and printed. Also if words can become new words, than can old words lose their “wordhood”? (I think that might be a new word for consideration in 2008 Webster) I know that language is ever evolving but can a word ever become extinct or does it reactive a full word tenure, never to be removed for the dictionary, no matter how useless it becomes? Whatever the answer to these questions, it would be interesting to know if the first person to say one of these new words, really intended for it to mean what it does today, much like the way that literary scholars assign a meaning to words of literature.
Reply to Barry's 7C
I feel that Barry’s notion that the narrator of “7C” is crazy is quite accurate. I found myself contemplating throughout the entire story over the question of whether he was actually crazy or just a little too obsessed with scientific premonitions; but after the ending I obviously sided with insanity. Drawing from his compulsive demeanor, I was able to gather that something was not quite right with the narrator, but I just couldn’t pinpoint what. When we finally learn that he is the only one who can really see any of the scars and fears an impending mass catastrophe as their result, it became clear that something was obviously wrong with the narrator. Could his obsession with scientific explanations driven him mad? Or was it the fact that he may have known that his wife was cheating on him with his best friend? Although we never find out the true source of his insanity, I would probably bank on a combination of both of these factors playing a role in the narrator’s eventual demise. He may not have been initially completely crazy, but when you add the fact that your wife is cheating on you to a heap of other problems, you are sure to teeter on the brink of insanity. I also like Barry’s point that the narrator’s obsession with work has largely consumed all his emotions, leaving him an almost lifeless being. Although he is monotonous in his routines it is clear that he is only going about them because it is so ingrained in his persona. He has no love for his work but almost a desire to apply it in any way possible to everyday life. This mixture of work and reality obviously did not work out for the narrator because we see him eventually moving toward death at the end of the story.
Human Rejection: Lusus Naturae
I found it very interesting to see how human rejection was a very prevalent theme in "Lusus Naturae." In the natural world today, rejection is a popular trend that people follow quite often. If someone or something is not to their specifications, they are most likely outcast from society as "freaks" or some other derogatory term. In the story, the main character is labeled as a "freak". She can not control her physical appearance, which causes her a lot of emotional distress and pain. Throughout the story, she becomes more and more awkward, causing people to outcast her so much that her family even performs a fake burial for her, so that people would think she was dead so she could live in peace. Then, as people began seeing her, they thought she was some kind of monster. In the end, she became a lonely, outcast creature that had nowhere to turn. I feel that our society as a whole does this to people who do not fit the definition of normal. We have all created different classes of people such as nerds, goths, freaks, dorks, brains, geeks, jocks, beauties, cheerleaders, etc. Everyone has a certain vision of what a person from any one of these groups looks like. Although it is a natural tendency to put people into these groups, it is not right.
The perils of being an astronomer
We talked about predestination in "7C", about how everything, including past, present and future, is unalterable. It certainly seemed like a logical point, especially when the narrator found it impossible to kill Harlan because the latter was destined to die in bed with Eun-Ha.
The other avenue that we didn't explore, the one that we've been exploring all semester long, is, naturally, insanity. It's possible that the narrator is unreliable and batshit insane. His wife and doctor are initially adamant that the narrator's facial gash is an inflamed old scar, and at one point, he is suddenly able to see all the death wounds of those around him, and he appears to be the only one to see them.
His doctor thinks he is obsessive-compulsive - a sign that perhaps the narrator's been too absorbed into his work that he sees his work in his everyday life, and imagines that some catastrophic cosmic event is about to wipe out all life. But how could an astronomer, working with a bunch of other astronomers, miss such an event of impending doom in their observations? His work has consumed him, and his life revolves around his work such that he feels no emotion, no jealousy when he finds his wife in bed with his best friend. Harlan sees the madness in the narrator's eyes: "please/you need help/please/delusional".
Yep, he was plain nuts, just like most of the protagonists in all our stories. I suppose that's why he won that Poe award; Poe, too, was fixated with madness. It's just bizarre that a mild profession like astronomy could drive someone mad, and I'm no expert, but I do have a 99.6% grade in my Astronomy class right now, and it's the most serene class I've ever taken, especially when our professor dims the lights and plays a documentary of the night sky, and we all take a 5 minute nap. It just goes to show that you should never underestimate your nerdy best friend and sleep with his wife, just in case he goes nuts and finds you in his bed.
The other avenue that we didn't explore, the one that we've been exploring all semester long, is, naturally, insanity. It's possible that the narrator is unreliable and batshit insane. His wife and doctor are initially adamant that the narrator's facial gash is an inflamed old scar, and at one point, he is suddenly able to see all the death wounds of those around him, and he appears to be the only one to see them.
His doctor thinks he is obsessive-compulsive - a sign that perhaps the narrator's been too absorbed into his work that he sees his work in his everyday life, and imagines that some catastrophic cosmic event is about to wipe out all life. But how could an astronomer, working with a bunch of other astronomers, miss such an event of impending doom in their observations? His work has consumed him, and his life revolves around his work such that he feels no emotion, no jealousy when he finds his wife in bed with his best friend. Harlan sees the madness in the narrator's eyes: "please/you need help/please/delusional".
Yep, he was plain nuts, just like most of the protagonists in all our stories. I suppose that's why he won that Poe award; Poe, too, was fixated with madness. It's just bizarre that a mild profession like astronomy could drive someone mad, and I'm no expert, but I do have a 99.6% grade in my Astronomy class right now, and it's the most serene class I've ever taken, especially when our professor dims the lights and plays a documentary of the night sky, and we all take a 5 minute nap. It just goes to show that you should never underestimate your nerdy best friend and sleep with his wife, just in case he goes nuts and finds you in his bed.
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