The imagery in this chapter is both beautiful and sickening. The de-clotting of the pigs is gory like war, but in a strange way brings also brings the animalistic sense of life and adrenaline found in war. Perhaps that is simply the creation of my twisted mind, but something about it reaches a basic instinctual emotion that is unlike anything else in his manicured, cultured life.
Tim's indecision is understandable, but what makes this different is his perception of his indecision. Instead of glorifying war, he seems to idealize the anti-war movement. His obedience comes out of fear of being isolated. For him, the thought of kill other human beings and possibly being killed in the process is not nearly as terrifying as the vain fear of others not liking him. In a very tragic way, this shows his immaturity. Even though his is a few years older than many of his future fellow soldiers, he is still not ready for the intense damage of war. He cannot even cope with the idea of not being liked, so being thrown into into such a traumatic environment is almost ludicrous in a demented way.
The river seems to remind me of old myths and stories but I can't seem to exactly pick a specific one. I suppose the closest one is the Egyptians belief that rivers were transitory places between life and death. The river is also a transitory place for Tim O'Brien in this story. The eerie, quiet description of both the keeper of the Tip Top lounge and the environment lends itself to contemplation. The name of the lounge also seems to imply a precipice or turning point. When he is actually on the river with Elroy as his guide, he realizes that Canada is only a fantasy that he is too fearful of social persecution to achieve. As horrible as the prospect of war is to him, it is grounded in the society and background that he has come from, whereas Canada is a complete unknown that he would be forced to cut all ties for.
As a side note, I apologize for me thoughts being so disjointed thoughts. I suppose that is just the way my mind is working at the moment.
It is almost as if O'Brien doesn't even realize that the pig plant is preparing him for the gore of war. Is it immaturity to want to belong? Certainly it would take courage to turn one's back on all the people in one's life. I think most folks lack this kind of courage, but I'm not quite ready to judge them as I'm not sure what I would do in a similar situation.
ReplyDeleteI think your comments about the mythic quality of the river and Elroy are very interesting and would be fascinating to explore in more detail. I kept thinking about Hamlet's inability to make a decision as a read. But you're right, it is "his perception of his indecision" that is noteworthy. Hamlet is much less aware.
Your thoughts don't seem disjointed at all!