Macon's Journey?

Adam Mansbach's Angry Black White Boy is, if nothing else, a very interesting novel. With a seemingly normal(ish) start, as the novel progresses, the plot just gets stranger and stranger. Many loose ends are left with a very strange ending filled with many crazy plot threads still running wild, and while not too difficult to read language-wise, the novel is certainly hard to understand. 

The context for this class is to look at the Campbell model of a hero's journey. So, naturally, one of the many things I pondered throughout the novel was how to fit the journey into Campbell's model. While the novel seems to have elements of the hero's journey, however, I can't really wrap my head around how to view this as a full hero's journey.

Most of the elements of the journey are skewed and/or ambiguous. The main character, Macon, seems to go through several parts of the journey before the novel begins. He has his ordinary world in Boston, where he grows up under general white privilege. However, he renounces his white privilege, teaching himself as much as he possibly can about black culture in America. He then enters the unknown of New York, even though it isn't really too much more different than Boston, and he's essentially doing exactly the same sorts of things he did in his ordinary world. He goes through various trials at an attempt to shame white people for their privilege, and ends up in a confusing situation where he enters a different unknown of the south after having refused the quest once the going got tough from his day of apology, and then he dies in the final ordeal and nothing really gets accomplished. 

Overall, the story arc is confusing, and trying to fit the story into a hero's journey model is even more confusing. Part of the reason I believe that is is because I don't really know what Macon is trying to accomplish. Is his goal equal rights? Black separatism? Ending white privilege? Shaming white people for their privilege? Throughout, Macon also seems to be battling with these thoughts; he seems to be as clueless as I am as to what his journey is about.

Between how skewed the elements of Macon's journey are and how even he doesn't seem to know his end goal, and the fact that the end of the novel doesn't really accomplish any goals whatsoever, I have a really hard time fitting this into the paradigm of the hero's journey. Is anyone else able to fit this strange story into the model of a hero's journey? I personally just don't see it. 

Ma's Control

Looking at Emma Donoghue's Room as a hero's journey, I started to draw some parallels to the classic hero's journey, The Odyssey.  One of the first connections I made was to compare Jack to Odysseus, as they are both the main heroes of their respective journeys. Comparing the innocent 5-year-old to the muscle-bound war hero was amusing, though I did find a comparison I thought fit better.

Much of what happens in The Odyssey is a result of the goddess Athena's will. The story almost seems to be a game for her; she has control over every aspect that she chooses to. While reading Room, I noticed that Ma had a similar sense of control over the hero in that story, Jack.

Jack's entire world in Room is what Ma has made it to be; in that sense, Ma is essentially a goddess. All of Jack's perceptions of reality, as well as all of his actions on a daily basis, are dictated by Ma. The reasoning behind Ma's doing so was most likely necessity rather than desire, but all the same she has a superhuman control over Jack's life. Additionally, such control was most likely a comfort for her in Room, where she had no control over anything but Jack.

After leaving Room, however, Ma no longer has such control over Jack. She is still the boss of him, but she cannot define the world however she pleases like she could in Room. She is only a human, and not a superhuman. Life in the outside world does as it pleases. Jack's pictures being leaked, for example, when there was a contract explicitly stating that he was not to be shown at all, show just how little control Ma has over anything in the world after Room.

Ma's control seems quite obvious, but one part of Room really stuck out to me and made me think about the need for control Ma seems to have. Said part is where Ma tries to commit suicide. Initially, I saw her suicide attempt as losing herself under pressure and wanting everything to be over. However, she had spent 5 years in total control of someone's life. Now being thrust out into the regular world, suddenly Ma has no real control over anything, as evidenced both by the world not listening to her, but also by Jack's ability to disobey her in simple ways, such as taking 6 toys instead of 5. The one thing she has the total Athena-like control over at that point would be her own life. I'm not coming completely out of nowhere from this - I've heard of suicide attempts or self harm as being a way of feeling in control of something when one has lost all control. I find it very interesting how someone put in a position with seemingly no control is somehow able to find a way to control everything and grow accustomed to such control.

Oh my, more heroes?

In Room so far, Jack seems to be the most likely candidate for a hero. He follows a very clear hero's journey path, with most of the elements of a hero's journey present. While not denying that I see him as a hero, and not denying that what he did was very difficult for him and also very brave of him, I still couldn't help but think that Jack didn't really do all that much. All he really did was execute ma's plan, and then get extremely lucky to run into a person after getting spotted so quickly by Nick. Then again, Odysseus really just followed Athena's plan, and he's still seen as a very iconic hero. So, I have no qualms with calling Jack the hero of this story.

However, when I first reflected on my issues with calling Jack a hero, I started to look for other potential candidates for a hero. I ended up finding Officer Oh to be an interesting candidate for a hero. It doesn't fit nearly as smoothly as we discussed with Jack's hero's journey, and yet parts of it still fit.

As a police officer, the refusal of the quest doesn't really fit in at all, but there is a quite literal "call" to adventure with the police being called. From there, Officer Oh is faced with the trials of puzzling out Jack's world. Only Ma and Jack really understand his world, so trying to puzzle through his way of talking would be an ordeal, and also in a sense be in an unknown land. Each answer Jack gives is a different ordeal, until the final ordeal of zoning in on where Room is. I can also see the technology she uses to find Room as Talismen of sorts. Finally, after the job is done, she returns to her ordinary world, though perhaps not as a master of both.

Actually writing this out, it feels like a stretch to call Officer Oh's rescue a hero's journey. However, I still think that it has a lot of elements, and it is interesting to try to look for heroes that aren't the main character. I've been trying to use this hero's journey model on multiple characters, in and out of class, and it's actually interesting how well so many characters, even side characters such as Officer Oh, fit the model of a hero's journey.

Who is the Real Hero?

Looking Ernest Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying as following the Campbell's model of a hero's journey, I'm wondering who the real hero of the story is. At first, the obvious answer seems to be Grant, the narrator of the story. Many aspects of his journey follow the classic hero's journey in an unconventional, yet still accurate way. He quite clearly refuses the quest of helping Jefferson, and has to go through several trials to get to Jefferson's cell.

However, being very close to the end of the story now, I have found Jefferson to be a much more likely candidate for the hero of this story. His ultimate goal is to walk to the electric chair like a man, not saying a word; proof that he is more a man than any of those calling him a hog. He initially refuses this quest quite blatantly, but over time eventually accepts the quest, urged on by Grant. Grant I see more as "supernatural" aid: he has a college education, which is almost supernatural in his community, and he is the person who is mostly able to aid Jefferson in his mental quest. The unknown that he enters is one of deep reflection; he has to think about the world in a completely different way than he's used to. The radio, as well as the notebook and pencil, both are talismans, with the radio keeping his sanity while waiting in the cell, and the notebook allowing him to write down his thoughts. Everything fits together so well when matching the hero's journey to be a mental one with Jefferson.

The idea was brought up in class of there being two parallel hero's journeys with Grant and Jefferson, but I disagree. While Grant does match somewhat to the Campbell model, there are a lot of things that make more sense with Jefferson than with Grant. For one thing, I haven't noticed a real talisman for Grant, while Jefferson has at least two clear talismans. The main problem I have with calling Grant the hero, however, is the final ordeal. No matter who's journey it is, the final ordeal is Jefferson walking to that electric chair. I see Grant as a mentor figure because of this. Sure, Grant is doing what he can to make Jefferson a man before he dies, but it all ultimately comes down to how Jefferson walks to that chair - it is up to Jefferson. Grant is preparing Jefferson for this moment, supplying him with philosophical advice, requests, and objects to help him along the way. While Grant has his own journey to fulfill all of this, all of it comes down to Jefferson. Thus, I disagree with the idea of it being a parallel journey, though I do see the argument for it.

Epilogue

The end of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying leaves a number of loose ends open for the Bundren family. Dewey Dell's attempts at abortion were refused, taken advantage of, and finally destroyed with Anse's stealing of her money. Cash's leg has been broken at least twice in addition to whatever the cement and sledge hammer did to it, likely breaking it beyond repair. Darl has been sent off to the asylum in Jackson. Even poor Vardaman didn't get his toy train. All of this, and the family still has to somehow cram the new Mrs. Bundren onto their wagon.

A number of questions arise from this. The first is how on earth the Bundrens are getting home. Besides the issue of space, as well as the preservation of whatever may remain of Cash's leg, the bridge is still most likely out. It was hard enough to get across the river before, with Darl and Cash more able to help with the wagon. I don't see that wagon, seemingly about to break apart as it is, getting across the river. Best case scenario, I'd imagine the wagon being left behind (along with Cash's tools and anything else in there), and everyone somehow making it across.

Assuming the Bundrens get back home to their farm, then what happens? Darl and Cash can't work for obvious reasons, and poor Anse will die if he sweats. Vardaman seems too young, Dewey Dell most likely won't be able to work with her pregnancy, and I seriously doubt that the new Mrs. Bundren will be helping out with that sort of work either. Poor Jewel will, assuming he's still intact after the journey home, have to do all of the work. Anse might be able to get other people to help him; from what others say about him he seems pretty good at that. Or, they could move and try to pursue more reasonable opportunities. Except for the fact that humans were built upright, like trees, so there's no way the lovely pater familias of this family will let them do so.

And then, assuming that the Bundrens, who had a hard enough time with three able workers, are able to make due with one (probably unhappy worker without his beloved horse), there's still the issue of raising a newborn child. Dewey Dell was never able to get her abortion, and I doubt Anse will sell his teeth to try to pay for one, nor will the family have the ability to part with enough to somehow get one (assuming they can find someone willing to do the job). How is this family going to raise a newborn, on what meager supplies they have? And even if this child survives, what kind of a person will they end up growing up to be with this sort of a family?

I'm glad Faulkner ended the story where he did. Reading about what happens to this poor family after such a horrible journey would depress me too much. I guess that's just typical Anse.

Ulysses vs Odysseus on Ego

Throughout Homer's Odyssey and the Coen Brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou?, both main characters, Odysseus and Ulysses respectively, are shown to have rather large egos that often end up getting both themselves and their crew in trouble. Whether inducing the wrath of Poseidon by letting Polyphemus know exactly who it was that tricked and blinded him or leaving behind a trail of "Dapper Dan" products for the police to follow to keep his hair neat, both characters end up in tight spots from their egotistical antics.

It makes sense for the characters to have similar egos; O Brother, Where Art Thou? is based upon the Odyssey, and Ulysses likewise is based upon Odysseus. However, the difference between Odysseus's ego and Ulysses's ego is that Ulysses often has humor associated with the problems his narcissistic antics, while Odysseus in general has tragedy associated with his such antics. As a result, I ended up liking the character of Ulysses more than that of Odysseus.

Why is this? The two characters are extremely similar in terms of their narcissism. Both of them multiple times end up getting their crews into deep trouble in various ways, resulting in the death or injury of crew members. How is it, then, that I find Ulysses more likable than Odysseus?

At first, I thought that it was the comedic aspect of Ulysses. He is able to be a very humorous character to watch in spite of the trouble his selfishness causes. On the other hand, the Odyssey is not a comedy, and as such the trouble Odysseus causes is more epic than funny. As such, I could laugh my way through Ulysses's problems, while I was able to stop and think about Odysseus's problems.
For example, when Ulysses's need for Dapper Dan products gives the police a trail to follow and find them, I was too busy being amused at how they had been found to worry about how vanity had caused the downfall of everyone Ulysses was with. On the other hand, when Odysseus bragged about who he was to Polyphemus, there was nothing humorous about it; all I was able to see was the ego of Odysseus causing Poseidon's wrath to crash down upon the crew.

However, taking aside the humor, some of what Ulysses does is really stupid and detrimental to his "crew", such as baiting them with the promise of a nonexistent treasure. So, it cannot just be humor that makes me not mind Ulysses as much in terms of egotism. What I think pushes Odysseus over the edge towards being a character I don't like as much is the narrator. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is the only survivor of the events he talks about. As such, he is able to narrate them however he pleases. Therefore, there is a lot of room for doubt in his story, and his ego and ability to easily lie is offsetting for me. On the other hand, none of Ulysses's crew actually dies; he has sources that he can corroborate with. They can get mad at him, and we can see them getting mad, and we can see such fights being resolved. The humor in O Brother, Where Art Thou? along with the credibility of watching that story unfold makes the ego of Ulysses much more bearable compared to that of Odysseus.

A Reflection on the Development of Telemachus

The first four books of the Odyssey center around the character of Odysseus's son, Telemachus. In the beginning of the Odyssey, Telemachus seems rather pathetic. All he does is mope about while the suitors take advantage of his father's absence, while not actually doing anything about them. Then, Athena inspires him to go looking for his father, and to start taking more charge. He takes small steps towards taking charge by ordering his mom away, trying to tell the fathers of the suitors to get them to stop, and by going off on his own little adventure to find information about his father.

As the Odyssey goes on, Telemachus seems more and more in charge. He is able to successfully ask the people he meets about Odysseus, and when the time comes to go home, he is able to take full command of his crew to avoid the suitors, coming up with clever excuses. When he returns, he seems very much more in charge. He takes command with Eumaeus and his disguised father when he visits them, and is able to not only listen to Odysseus's plan, but offer his own input as well. Upon his return to the palace, he speaks much more confidently around the suitors rather than being completely passive. He's willing to fight alongside his father in the bloodbath of Book 22, and even has his own decision to do a mass execution for the unfaithful maids.

At first, this personal growth seemed unnatural to me. Homer is trying to get me to believe that Telemachus goes from being a passive boy to a man capable of performing mass execution in one week? Interactions from his homecoming made me especially skeptical of this. The fact that, after only one week of being away at sea, his nurse and swineherd show that much affection for his return? It was as if he had fought in the Trojan War himself! As said in class, it almost reminds me of a little kid coming home from summer camp for the first time. So, he clearly hasn't shown much maturity up until now. And yet, he's still able to go along with a slaughter and think to mass hang the maids?

I thought about this a little further, however, and realized that this might not be so unnatural. The reason I say this is mainly because of his parents. Both of them are very cunning and very smart, so some of that had to be passed down to him. So, he naturally has some cunning, but how does he go through such a transformation in such a short time? I'm wondering if maybe he's only making an external show of transformation. He makes several mistakes in spite of his supposed coming-of-age, clearly still showing that he has a lot of room to grow. Yet, he's trying to be stronger. Maybe having his father there also encouraged him; he has more of a safety net with him there. Overall, I'm not sure whether or not I fully believe how far Telemachus has come in such a short amount of time, yet subtle mistakes make me still believe that he could have gone that far in maturity.