At what point does the narrator's life stop following a predetermined route constructed for him before he was even a part of it? When does he believe he's no longer a part of it? At any given point during the book so far, had the narrator been asked, he would have almost certainly said that he was where he was because of his own free will, and not really anything more. However, it's evident to me, as a reader, that this really isn't the case.
Starting from the very beginning, the narrator believed that the speech he had given was what ultimately led to him going to college, despite the fact that there were only a handful of audience members who cared at all about that he had to say. From there, he continued along the path where he made it through part of college before being dismissed rather suddenly by Bledsoe, where he seemed to be derailed from the set course. Still, the letters that the narrator carried with him only brought him onwards along this set trail, and he really didn't even become aware of it until Emerson showed him what the letter said.
Is this the point at which the narrator veers off the path of predestined fate? The narrator can't help but shake the feeling that it's not. Throughout the next few chapters, he becomes increasingly suspicious of authority, especially with Kimbro and Brockway. Even in the hospital, when he's talking to the director after his little visit, he asks if he knows Norton or Bledsoe, as if he's suspicious that even he is in on the little charade that has been put on for him for most of his life. Even though it would appear as though he's out behaving of his own free will now, I'll be very interested to find out if he ever truly believes it, or if maybe he's never left the predetermined route at all.
Yes I agree that the entire beginning to this novel was scripted for him. I found this turning point to be when he gives the speech a the eviction. This is the first time that he has actually created something important. He is heard by many people of the community, and he lands a job from this. His work with the brotherhood is clearly not what Bledsoe would have expected and it all started with the speech.
ReplyDeleteI always agree with the idea of predetermined fate when it comes to characters in movies or books. You know that the author has a purpose and path for them that they don't have a say in. What I thought encased (literally) his fate was the briefcase given to him at the battle royal. It is given to him as he is being told to go to college, and he does, until another authority (Bledsoe) sends him to New York. There he gets a job as Brockway's assistant, doing whatever he tells him, and then he joins the Brotherhood, who give me a controlling vibe. He carries momentos such as the black "Americana" coin bank that signify who people have decided he is, even though he believes he has been reborn and is taking control of his own life.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the narrator will accept his path as "fate," but I do think that, as he becomes more worldly and aware, he will realize that these people have been controlling and grooming him, acting as his puppeteers.
Even until the end of the book, I think the narrator is still following a predetermined path. It's obvious how his idea to "yes them to death" lead to his current position, but I think his destiny goes farther than that. Sure, he can put on a pair of glasses and a hat and become a different person, but anybody can do that. The narrator thinks he's invisible, but really he is still acting under the illusion of free will. Maybe, eventually, the narrator will realise that his life has been predetermined.
ReplyDelete