For me, the most powerful part of this novel was the ninth chapter when Joe reflects on the pointlessness of war, and since it sort of ties in with Trumbo's use of stream of consciousness, I figured I'd mention it in this thread. Chapter nine is probably one of the most poignant and most reasonable arguments against war I think I've ever read, and I've come back to it at least four times since finishing the novel. Here's a part that made me nod my head with furious agreement:
I know what death is and all you people who talk about dying for words don't even know what life is. There's nothing noble about dying. Not even if you die for honor. Not even if you die the greatest hero the world ever saw. Not even if you're so great your name will never be forgotten and who's that great? The most important thing is your life little guys. You're worth nothing dead except for speeches. Don't let them kid you any more. Pay no attention when they tap you on the shoulder and say come along we've got to fight for liberty or whatever their word is there's always a word.Just say mister I'm sorry I got no time to die I'm too busy and then turn and run like hell. If they say coward why don't pay any attention because it's your job to live not to die. If the talk about dying for principles that are bigger than life you say mister you're a liar. Nothing is bigger than life. There's nothing noble in death.
And coming from a guy who is little more than an brain and a torso, it's certainly hard to argue against that kind of logic.
But here's the thing - while this was one of the most powerful sections of the novel, it's also the place where Trumbo's stream of consciousness got a bit warbly for me. Steve was right in commending him for his ambitious attempt at carrying it throughout an entire novel, but this is the section where I felt Trumbo's voice creeping in, speaking through the puppet of poor Joe. It didn't bother me so much I guess, however Trumbo so seamlessly moved between Joe's memories and his present for the most part that when I came to this chapter - which I gathered to be the novel's basic thesis - it felt a bit tangential.
I'm not sure that this is a criticism as much as it's an observation. Other thoughts regarding our narrator's voice?
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I felt that the novel was flowing nicely until this part as well, and then I felt like I started reading a different book, but with the same subject matter. All of a sudden the light flipped on, and Joe finally had enough. He was patient for 7 years and then all of a sudden he doesn't know how any more? It just doesn't make sense. He also didn't want his family or friends to know his current predicament, so then why would he want to go on tour. I thought the next logical step was for him to ask to be killed because he didn't seem to like being a torso. I do give him props though for the smooth transitions between past and present.
ReplyDeleteI loved the stream of consciousness tone used throughout the novel. It was extremely effective at conveying the raw emotion of the situation to the reader. It was a strange book to read for me. On the one hand, the stream of consciousness and relatively simple prose let me blow through chapters at a time... but on the other hand, the contents of a few of the chapters made me have to set it aside for days at a time. The two that had the most profound effect were at the beginning and the end of the novel. In both cases I made the mistake of trying to read them in public. Not a good idea. In chapter 1, as he begins to awake, he has a dream/memory of his father's death. It was extremely hard to get through for me because it rang very true with my own experiences with my dad's death... the phone call that you don't want to pick up because you know what it's about, the frantic drive across town, doing your best to comfort your family as the ambulance arrives to take the body away... That whole chapter wasn't exactly something I wanted to confront over pad thai, but the reason it rang true was because of the full-on novel-length stream of consciousness. The other gut-punch of a chapter was the 2nd or 3rd from the end, when the New Nurse figures out how to communicate with him. Again, not a chapter I should have read over some pad bai gra pow (yes, thai, two separate times... odd) but the pure joy of Joe being able to break free from his shell was sublime. Here again, the stream of consciousness put us in Joe's head, which really allowed us to share in the triumph of "Merry Christmas".
ReplyDeleteThe other place it shined was as a tool to demonstrate Joe's (mostly losing) fight to maintain his sanity. At the beginning of the novel, as the extent of his injuries slowly dawns on him, his thoughts are feverish, racing, and horrified. As we pass into the middle of the book, where he comes to grips with his injuries, Joe becomes more measured and thoughtful, eventually even reasoning a way to count out his days trapped in his body. When he finally realizes how he can attempt to communicate with the outside world, he slips off the edge into madness again, and his consciousness gets more frantic... desperate. And finally, at the very end of the novel, his anger burns bright.
I'm with ya, Paul, on the stream of consciousness as the most effective way to help us readers empathize with Joe. I didn't find it too arduous because his memories, being told in a more linear prosaic fashion, broke up the chaos just enough.
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