Monday, April 6, 2009
Destiny
In writing Last American Man, Gilbert is not attempting to turn everyone into Eustace Conway. She is not writing a book to spread the exact same message Conway is, although perhaps that is an added bonus to her work. Instead, Gilbert is trying to make the country realize that it has lost its ability to truly live, to experience life as those who have gone before us did. I don't know whether Gilbert is trying to save that concept, to carry on Eustace's traditions, or, as the title suggests, she is merely writing the epitaph to a dying concept. However, regardless, Gilbert is writing about the necessity of being an active participant in the world. The necessity of being self-aware, living life instead of sitting by and letting it flow around you. To achieve Gilbert's and I believe Eustace's in a small way, we need not live in the forests, but we must find our true calling; not the one society has thrust upon us, and pursue it with passion and drive. We must all become Men of Destiny in a way, feeling what we are meant for and actually going after it. We need not change the world, but we must follow our hearts, as the gardener did. Textual evidence for this lies in the paragraph straddling pages 82-83, where Eustace talks of his need to do "things" rather than talk about "things." He needs to feel alive, to experience the world, to exert himself. And, in the final words of the paragraph, he must follow destiny. Gilbert's message put simply is to follow destiny with all you have.
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2 comments:
Do you really think that the entire country has lost its ability to truly live? I think that Gilbert's message may be a little more hopeful than that, especially with the inclusion of Mr. Gardener Man. I think by the end of the blog, you capture what Gilbert is saying very well. One of the things I like the most is that she is taking Eustace's message and putting it into a context that more people can relate to.
I agree with the points you raise, though I must respectfully qualify the argument made in response to your blog. At the end of the book, Gilbert treats us to the tale of the gardener, most likely to add a touch of brightness to the otherwise doom and gloom atmosphere that is all-permeating nearer the end of the book. Eustace is worn out; the world is worn out; the man who thought he had the will and the means to change the world has all but given up on his lofty goals. Upon a first examination, this ending appears to signify a slight sea change in people's attitudes towards Eustace. But, we must realize the chronology of this event. Eustace and this individual came into contact when Eustace was at a very young age. It has become evident that Eustace has lost the power to effect people by the time he is 40 that he had when he was younger. Whether we can call this a failure is up to our own interpretation, I certainly do not propose such a thing. But if we take a closer look at what at once appears to be a happy ending, we can discover otherwise. Very near the beginning of the book, Gilbert describes how Eustace scoffed at the old adage that states "If you touch but one life, you have made a difference". Eustace rejects this idea, believing he can have a much greater impact. But we see by the end of this book, he has only truly touched one individual in the life-changing manner he originally intended. This represents a failure in his own views (though I personally would disagree) and creates in Eustace the tragic hero. It reminds me very much of a very prophetic and applicable quote here, one I will close with.
When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.
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