going after cacciato, no. 1

I have only read about a third of the novel. In my reading I was struck by one line. It comes somewhat early in the hunt for Cacciato, Oscar says, “We do what we do…No use thinkin’, just do it.” Honestly I am not completely sure why this line stood out. I think it may have been the apparent mindlessness that this, and probably all wars, required. I, of course, cannot speak from experience and do not want to pretend that I have any sort of comprehension of what war is, but I can try and imagine what it would take for me to fight in one. I like to think that I could not fight for an unjust cause, whatever that may be, and that if I were going to fight that I certainly would have thought a great deal about it. The more realistic scenario, however, comes through in Oscar’s words, “no use thinkin’, just do it.” The things carried out and witnessed during war are beyond my comprehension, and this quote leads me to believe that much of it may be beyond the soldier’s comprehension as well. They may not have wanted to comprehend, as that would have only made it more difficult, and the only way to ease their minds was to turn them off and “just do it.”

bildungsroman #6: the violent bear it away

The Violent Bear It Away is, in its own twisted way, a bildungsroman. Though it certainly contrasts all of the other novels we have read to this point in which the protagonist matures into a positive, better version of him or herself. Nonetheless, this novel still portrays a protagonist who is given a mission early in life, struggles through many adversities in opposition to this mission, ultimately accepts the mission as his own and then enters into society to carry it out. Flannery O’Connor seems to have written a negative bildungsroman. Instead of her main character finding guidance from outside characters Tarwater is lead astray by them. Instead of finding solace in some small community around him Tarwater is completely alone. Also, instead of facing challenges which help him mature and push him towards his ultimate goal Tarwater faces terrible acts of violence. Despite diverging from what may traditionally be seen as a bildungsroman, Flannery O’Connor still gives her readers a character that comes of age and meets the criteria to be considered a bildungsroman.

the violent bear it away, no. 1

I have not completely finished the story, but so far the idea/image that has most captured my attention is that of Tarwater’s uncle kidnapping people in order to baptize them. Religion and its practices seem to be a constant theme throughout the book and this image captures this theme well. That he would kidnap people so he could baptize them is ironic because the two ideas, kidnapping and baptism, are just such great contrasts to each other. One demonstrates a commitment to Christianity and is considered an act of obedience to God whereas the other is a crim and way to force people into fearful obedience. I was reminded of stories I hear of Baylor and the outlandish attempts made at converting someone to Christianity and the terrible and malicious things said in the name of God. Such things are mind boggling, and at times almost angering, to me as they are such distortions of what Christianity ultimately stands for. When I read about it in Flannery O’Connor’s story I laugh, but when confronted with it in my own life I have little tolerance for such misuse of the religion I profess to be a part of.

wilderness

The one question that lingered with me from our class discussion on wilderness was whether or not wilderness is that same thing for everyone. Could it be remote mountains for one person and a large city for another? I think that I have decided that wilderness must be found in nature. The argument for a city being wilderness was based on unfamiliarity. I understand this idea, but think that there is something more to wilderness than unfamiliarity. Sam Fathers, and eventually Ike, is extremely familiar with the area where they hunt. They know the location of specific trees and can find their way throughout it with ease. However, this familiarity does not make it any less wilderness. An area is not considered wilderness because it is confusing, overwhelming, or completely unknown to an individual. Instead, wilderness is classified by being remote and uninhabited. Ike could not have come of age in a city overrun with people. He had to be in area where his was all on his own, where he could not simply call for help. This, and only this, type of area is wilderness.

experience the situation

Beginning my reading of The Bear I was very intrigued by the scene where Ike goes into the woods without his gun and then leaves behind his watch and his compass. Applying this to my own life, the wilderness being my future, I cannot imagine walking into it completely unarmed. He did not go into the wilderness with a preconceived idea about what he would achieve or what he hoped to discover. Instead, Ike entered into an unknown adventure and encountered the wilderness on its own terms. He allowed himself to just be in the wilderness and to have himself absorbed in it until he finally found his direction. I cannot say exactly what Faulkner meant to convey through this scene, but I feel that he advocated taking situations as they present themselves and being changed by them not trying to change them.