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Mythic Mailer in An American Dream: Difference between revisions
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Rojack's battles occur on physical plains also. He strangles Deborah and beats up Cherry's former boyfriend. The mythic hero's spiritual unity must be accomplished through exertion of both powers. He is one of a long list of such heroes who have sought union with the cosmos through adventure. From Ovid's Orpheus through Wolfram Von Eschenbach's Parzival to George Lucas's Luke Skywalker, these heroes have ventured towards their goals. Threats from dragons, women, gods, or their own failed courage have imperiled their lives, and, thus, their transcendent pursuit of a higher consciousness. They must learn to trust in themselves in order to accomplish their quests. Only in their dreams do the subconscious voices become clear and are they able to tune into themselves in order to return to their mythic roots, their wellspring. | Rojack's battles occur on physical plains also. He strangles Deborah and beats up Cherry's former boyfriend. The mythic hero's spiritual unity must be accomplished through exertion of both powers. He is one of a long list of such heroes who have sought union with the cosmos through adventure. From Ovid's Orpheus through Wolfram Von Eschenbach's Parzival to George Lucas's Luke Skywalker, these heroes have ventured towards their goals. Threats from dragons, women, gods, or their own failed courage have imperiled their lives, and, thus, their transcendent pursuit of a higher consciousness. They must learn to trust in themselves in order to accomplish their quests. Only in their dreams do the subconscious voices become clear and are they able to tune into themselves in order to return to their mythic roots, their wellspring. | ||
Stories that concern mythic heroes on quests battling psychic darts, dragons, devils, and talking moons set themselves up for incredulous critics. Many of the critics who argue that ''<u>An American Dream</u>'' is not a realistic novel believe that it is an allegory. Myth is often intertwined with allegory. According to Frye, all myths incorporate some allegory because in our attempt to explain myth, we allegorize | Stories that concern mythic heroes on quests battling psychic darts, dragons, devils, and talking moons set themselves up for incredulous critics. Many of the critics who argue that ''<u>An American Dream</u>'' is not a realistic novel believe that it is an allegory. Myth is often intertwined with allegory. According to Frye, all myths incorporate some allegory because in our attempt to explain myth, we allegorize.{{sfn|Frye|1957|p=341}} However, allegory is a direct comparison which dominates the structure of the work and is intentionally moralistic. Frye maintains: "Genuine allegory is a structural element in literature: it has to be there, and cannot be added by critical interpretation alone"{{sfn|Frye|1957|p=54}}. | ||
Both myth and allegory employ metaphor. Allegory itself is often defined as an extended metaphor | Both myth and allegory employ metaphor. Allegory itself is often defined as an extended metaphor{{sfn|Holman|1980|p=10}}. Metaphor is used extensively throughout Mailer's work. Stanley Gutman emphasizes that "Mailer's essential medium is metaphor"{{sfn|Gutman|1975|p=129}}. One consequence of this aspect of Mailer's work, especially in ''<u>An American Dream</u>'', is that it could be incorrectly or incompletely interpreted as an allegory. Some scholars, such as Adams and Robert Begiebing, believe that the novel is an allegory, filled with complex yet reductive metaphors. Myth is naturally metaphorical, but Mailer is not trying to be purely metaphorical, and especially not purely allegorical. In an interview with Adams, he denies that such was his motive or his technique: "I don't believe a metaphorical novel has any right to exist until it exists on its ground floor. You know I never start with my characters as symbols"{{sfn|Adams|1975|p=210}}. Instead, Mailer intensifies his realistic plot to develop the mythic aspect of his narrative, and thus, the metaphorical strength of his characters. The characters are not allegorical personifications, but Mailer's idea of real human beings engaged in a very real battle between good and evil. In extraordinary situations one is forced to delve deep within himself, calling forth a stronger, more aware person in the process. In Mailer's private cosmology, it is universally important for each individual to emerge from the crucible of the subconscious for the better. | ||
A look at Mailer's cosmology helps to explain the basic thematic patterns of his work, especially the mythic patterns in ''<u>An American Dream</u>''. Mailer is often considered as having a personality which dominates and overshadows his writing or as "bursting with a passion too big for his pen" (Aldridge). His own personal quest transcends didacticism and emerges in the dialectic in his work. Although Mailer's philosophy seems intertwined with the mythology in ''<u>An American Dream</u>'', we must be careful not to confuse the two. Chase discusses this potential problem: | A look at Mailer's cosmology helps to explain the basic thematic patterns of his work, especially the mythic patterns in ''<u>An American Dream</u>''. Mailer is often considered as having a personality which dominates and overshadows his writing or as "bursting with a passion too big for his pen" (Aldridge). His own personal quest transcends didacticism and emerges in the dialectic in his work. Although Mailer's philosophy seems intertwined with the mythology in ''<u>An American Dream</u>'', we must be careful not to confuse the two. Chase discusses this potential problem: | ||