Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Ishmael's Catharsis
After yesterday's discussion in class on the book Ishmael and the group presentation on the literary term catharsis, I would like to suggest a theory. Because the term catharsis was described and defined to be like a process of which emotional purgation and purification can occur, it occurred to me that the whole interaction between Ishmael and the narrator in the novel seems rather cathardic. If catharsis really is the process by which emotional purification can occur then the entire novel is cathardic in the sense that Ishmael is taking the narrator through his own process of helping him to understand his own creation myth and why things are the way they are. Ishmael takes the narrator through this process every day as he returns for his 'lessons.' Thus far in the story, I believe that some emotional purgation has already occurred. The narrator has been forced to think about life in a different way and through this has come to grips with Ishmael's theory about the 'Takers' and the 'Leavers.' Throughout the novel I believe we will see more and more of this cathardic process between Ishmael and the narrator and be able to recognize an even more thorough purgation of emotion.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Megan, I totally agree with you there. I think that the Socratic method and the dialogue contained in "Ishmael" lends itself completely with a sort of cathartic release, especially of commonly held notions and beliefs (man is a superior being, the world was made for man, etc). This also extends to the scientific, notably when Ishmael questions the facts that the pupil presents as the story of existence. He dismantles it through the dialogue, and then rebuilds it in his own way (defining a story, noting its mythological properties, etc. in parts 2-3).
ReplyDeleteThrough the narrator (who is also rebuilding perceptions with us) and Ishmael, the author questions our cultural basis and our human hubris which shapes our thought, much like what Sinclair had done in "The Jungle" with Jurgis. Whereas Sinclair brought to bear notions of inequality and inequity (not to mention iniquity) inherent in a capitalist system which the American dream promotes, Quinn goes even further down to what humans actually believe, what makes humans believe what they believe, and why humans believe it. We can already see that Sinclair brought us back up (leaving us "exalted", as the Catharsis group said, in hope for socialism), and that Quinn does through Ishmael, but in a more profound, philosophical manner.