“She must have heard the door opening and closing in the night; she produces a smile, warm conspiratorial, and I know what circuits are closing in her head: by screwing Joe she’s brought us back together.”
In the above sentences, I think Atwood has one more time emphasize the current problems of the Western civilizations. The idea of being others’ savior has been deeply implanted into everyone. She seems to even put it further and alludes that this heroic idea appears to be root from the sense of fairness that has been distorted by a misplaced sense of self-righteousness and physical tendency. In the stories, Anna after learning that the Narrator has refused Joe’s proposal has had sex with Joe and believe that she can save Joe and the Narrator’s relationship by doing so and judge that her course of action was a spot on by invoking the idea of retaliation/sense of fairness that she thought the Narrator also has a similar idea about that.
“Saving the world, everyone wants to; men think they can do it with guns, women with their bodies, love conquers all, conquerors love all, mirages raised by words.”
Professor Steele once remarked in a lecture that the thing that is most feared by western civilization is chaos. The ideas of conquering and being conquerors may serve the role to help establishing the systematic rules in society to restraint people. But would those ideas ultimately give rises to chaos? The Western civilization nurtured individuals from the early age to appreciate themselves and with that their self-belief in their judgments emerges.
Would the physical and violent tendencies of current civilization along with emerging sense of self-righteousness further distorted the sprit of fairness in civilization and lead to chaotic conditions, when people start to consider them above the laws and start acting beyond the social restraints?
If the idea of heroes is not correct, what could we possibly do to first protect ourselves and afterward help to fix the idea of conquerors that is at heart of current civilization?
Dr. Tran, I think this passage really reflects how Western society tends to merely prescribe quick-fix cures to deal with problems. Anna thought that her affair with Joe would solve Joe's and the narrator's relationship issues, and serve to help her own relationship. Also, the other quote used illustrates how the quickest solution to a disagreement is with weapons. The narrator illustrates by example that true healing and the true solution of problems is much more of a rehabilitory process rather than a miracle pill.
ReplyDeleteA concept that would be brilliant if adopted on a global scale would be the Seven Generations principle - an old school of thought practiced by the Iroquois. It essentially states that all major decisions must take into account and work to better the state of those who will be around seven generations from now. Practical? Probably not but, then again, the promotion of convenience has been a contributor to various global issues that are emerging today.
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