The idea of “the
way the past possesses the present” is composed of several different
dimensions. If one confronts this idea superficially, the historical past comes
to mind. Other dimensions include the psychological, religious, literary, and
mythological past. The course is titled Tracings
to infer that nothing is ever lost, but traces remain. Tracings from the past
can found in all our literary works, including John Barth’s Night-Sea Journey.
I
found the most evident example of the way the past possesses the present in the
sperm’s likeness to a mythological hero. The title alludes to a tale of
adventure and tribulation. The “sea” itself in which the sperm are swimming is
not enjoyable. The sea is described as dark and seemingly endless. The sperm
swim amongst millions of their fallen comrades in search of a fate that they’re
not even sure exists. The entire scene seems melancholy and futile.
In my experience,
many mythological, literary, and historical heroes started out as unlikely
subjects. As is often the introduction in fairy tales, the hero does not choose
the responsibility, but rather it is thrust upon him. One account that comes to
mind is the biblical story of David and Goliath. Young David, with only five
stones and a sling, kills Goliath, the giant Philistine warrior. Night-Sea
Journey also describes an unlikely hero. The narrator of the story has no
outstanding qualities that set it apart from the other sperm. The narrator even
states, “A poor irony: that I, who find abhorrent and tautological the doctrine
of survival of the fittest… may be the sole remaining swimmer! But the doctrine
is false as well as repellent: Chance drowns the worthy with the unworthy,
bears up the unfit with the fit by whatever definition, and makes the night-sea
journey essentially haphazard as well as murderous and unjustified.” The sperm
could be described as humble and pessimistic. It cannot believe that it, or
anyone for that matter, would ever be the one to reach the “shore” and it is
shocked to see that is the only survivor.
It is apparent
that the narrator seems unusually thoughtful. It constantly questions what it
may find at the end of the night-sea journey or if it is perhaps a part of
something larger. The story begins with a slew of questions running through its
mind as it is swimming: “Is the journey my invention? Do the night, the sea,
exist at all, I ask myself, apart from my experience of them? Do I myself exist,
or is this a dream? Sometimes I wonder. And if I am, who am I? The Heritage I
supposedly transport? But how can I be both vessel and contents?” The sperm
asks timeless questions about its origins and what will happen to it after it
dies. These are age-old questions that have spurred the concept of religion and
will probably never be answered. The presentation of these questions is just
another example of the past possessing the present in the story.
The exhibition of
the mythological hero on his traitorous journey to reach salvation is a great
example of the way the past possesses the present in Night-Sea Journey. The sperm, the unlikely hero, braves the
night-sea and along the way, contemplates deep, philosophical questions about
is existence. The hero finally comes out on top when it reaches the ultimate
destination: the egg.
I would like to know your thoughts on how the idea of a sperm transporting "doctrine" or anything for that matter is involved in the idea of the past possessing the present. Overall your points and your subject are very interesting, and I think it would be very interesting to hear your take on the sperm as the allegorical conveyance of the past into the future or the present. Perhaps you can offer up some thoughts in class tonight?
ReplyDeleteI would like to know your thoughts on how the idea of a sperm transporting "doctrine" or anything for that matter is involved in the idea of the past possessing the present. Overall your points and your subject are very interesting, and I think it would be very interesting to hear your take on the sperm as the allegorical conveyance of the past into the future or the present. Perhaps you can offer up some thoughts in class tonight?
ReplyDeleteJerrod,
ReplyDeleteI thank you for bringing that up because the thought had never occurred to me until now. It's important not to underestimate the importance of the sperm in the story. It contains something much bigger than itself. It carries the genetic information used to create a new human-being, which is much larger and more complex than the sperm could have ever imagined or experienced in the night-sea. In a way, the sperm is sacrificing itself for a great cause: so that a new person can be formed. When you look at it this way, the sperm almost resembles a Jesus figure. Jesus was sacrificed on the cross during the crucifixion to pay for people's sins so that they may receive eternal life. It is fascinating how sometimes things as significant as a human life are left in the hands as something as small as a sperm...