Isolation (Places – Nathan Kaneshiro)

In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, there are two very opposite places: one is the bustling city life in New York City, and the other is a getaway that is imagined by the protagonist/narrator, Holden Caulfield. Holden is a very, very cynical and antisocial type person, and finds that almost everyone he encounters in the Big Apple is a phony and basically not worth his time or even a conversation. To counter this, he thinks up a nice wooden cabin in the middle of a forest while he is a deaf mute to ignore all of the stupid people that surround his cozy house. Obviously, the “deaf-mute” house is not tangible, but it is easy to imagine for such a character as Holden. NYC however, is a little more difficult to visualize, as popular as it is. The social scene and social culture there is not as spotlighted as the skyscrapers and cabbies.

NYC, being one of the more famous cities in the US, has weight to carry as far as its population is concerned. Being that it is so full of people, it seems that Salinger almost mocked Holden by placing him in such a social arena. Holden could have been just as easily placed in a small town in the southwest, but instead his cynicism and doubt kicks in almost every second he spends in the busy city. Being Holden, he creates an impersonal, impenetrable getaway in his mind which eliminates all contact from other humans, and thus effectively eliminating any risk of running into and interacting with phonies. This “deaf-mute” getaway represents Holden’s “deaf-mute” personality. However, although he rarely talks to strangers, he does seem to have a lot of judgmental thoughts of them and their actions. This relates to his “deaf-mute” personality in the way that he doesn’t want to talk or hear people, but he wants to be able to see them so he can make fun of them in his head. Notice, he isn’t blind in his getaway house.

Salinger’s complex settings and very thought out representations of the different aspects of character and personality definitely add depth to the novel. Holden’s way of thinking is very unconventional to most people, and adds that sort of interesting, curious, “what-if” point of view. Add a surrounding, stunning social life that New York City has, and a wonderful irony arises. Salinger’s use of a quirky character and his symbolic getaway house combined with his unforgettable cynicism make The Catcher in the Rye what it is: an amazingly beautiful avant-garde success.

Survivor: Apocalypse (Conflict - Nathan Kaneshiro)

***SPOILER WARNING: DO NOT READ THE LAST PARAGRAPH IF YOU WISH TO READ THIS BOOK UNSPOILED***

Set in post-apocalyptic rural America, and surrounded by ash and empty towns, the unnamed protagonist in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, is pushed to the edge of his moral and psychological limits. Trying to survive a journey to the coast as well as fighting off lurking cannibals and harsh weather, the man in The Road pushes past the deviant packs of survivors that impose insurmountable pressure to conform to their diabolical ways. He also seems to have an edge cognitively, thinking about consequences preemptively which usually leads to avoiding danger and death. As he and his son wander about the wasteland that surrounds them, they are the sole individuals possessing any sort of conscious way of thinking.

In contrast to the rambling group of surviving nomads, the man seems to resist physiological urges in an almost superhuman manner. For instance, while everyone around him seems to eat anything and everything that moves just to satiate themselves, the man tries to serve majority of his food and drink to his son, although his son refuses to be spoiled in such a manner. He is also adamant and makes very clear to his son that they are not cannibals and will never eat another human being whether it is consciously or driven by impulse. This is accomplished however, through the man’s meticulous manner of which he forages and scavenges for food, carefully avoiding spoiled or potent sustenance.

McCarthy’s description of the man in the novel portrays a very survival-savvy and well-educated character. The man’s inventive nature also aids in his and his son’s struggle for survival, despite multiplying odds in favor of their demise. In the book, the man ventures into many abandoned houses in search for food, but he often ignores many canned foods, but he explains to his son that they were not the first inside, thus remaining food usually remains for a reason. He is also methodical in doing as much as he can to ensure the survival of his son and himself, like when he gathers seemingly empty gas cans and drips out whatever remaining fuel is in them to use for their lamp. Such a nature leads to a prolonged existence, whereas the other “survivors” seem to react purely on instinct and physiological needs, eventually leading to a contradiction in the title “survivor”.

In the end, the man does pass away, not from any immediate cause, but rather from a previous growing condition. It is then left to his son to be the conscious superhuman in the midst of all of the mindless evil that surrounds them. It is through his son that his legacy continues, his lessons of life and survival, and his character which was pure and illuminated through the constant darkness.

Completed in: ~60 min :[

Fire & Brimstone (Symbolism - Nathan Kaneshiro)

The Road by Cormac McCarthy is different. It’s not a fairy tale in which there is a hint of conflict and then something amazing happens and everyone lives happily ever after. Instead, it is a morbidly depressing book about an apocalyptic time period with a father and his son trying to survive by finding food while simultaneously fending off ravaging cannibals. This novel, in all of its unpleasantness, possesses a beauty I’ve never before seen or read. Of course in contradicting my own perceptions, there must be an accompanying contradiction in the book.

The book, from beginning to the end, changes little and yet so much. The setting remains ever so stark but it seems to evolve with the characters in very subtle ways. The landscape is bland and desolate, yet the road changes direction and surrounding trees and foliage appear and reappear. The father and son go through very trying times and also have very relaxing, delicate moments. Although the book is very dark in nature, there is one very important and hopeful subject: fire.

In the novel, the father tells his son numerous times that they are carrying the “fire”. It is true that the father seems to carry flammable materials with him, as well as lights and lanterns, but the “fire” doesn’t seem to be a purely literal matter. In fact, he explains later that the “fire” is something that they hold on the inside. Also, the father explains that because they carry the “fire”, the “fire” gives them validity and that they are the good guys. With that explanation it seems to be that the “fire” could be a symbol or representation of their morality as human beings. Others that wander turn on each other for food or shelter, whereas the father and son seem to be the only ones with any sort of moral direction by caring and looking out for each other. Their obvious exhibition of love is caused by the fire in their hearts, where the cannibals seem to have gone dim and cold. The “fire” is mentioned again nearing the end of the book where the father is slipping away and he urges his son to carry the fire.

In this second mentioning of the fire, it brings upon a different representation for fire as a symbol. In this case it seems that fire is the symbol for the continuity of mankind. When the father urges his son to carry the fire as he feels himself getting sicker and sicker it is with a firm urgency and a little bit of desperation. Also, being that man invented fire, wanting the fire to survive could also correspond to the urging of the survival of mankind as well. In the end, the boy carries the fire as both a badge of decency as well as a sign that mankind will live on.