The Glitz and Glamour of the Ritz

We begin with the mysterious Mr. Gatsby, who everyone seems to know and not know at the same time. Gatsby is almost an enigma; Nick Carraway observes the coming and going of visitors on party nights, yet sees Gatsby stretch his arms lovingly towards the bay. There are several points in the conversations that Nick hears rumors that Gatsby was a German spy or murderer, and Owl Eyes is thoroughly surprised that the books are real, even though the parties seem like stage tricks. Although Nick finds his company pleasant, he questions whether or not Gatsby is "real", because of his refined manners and almost "searching" glance during parties. Despite the glamorous people who pass in and out of Gatsby's parties, Gatsby seems not to know anyone personally, a mere spectator and mastermind in his elaborate performances.   

I visited New York City, the backdrop to the novel, for Thanksgiving. I wanted to see this "West Egg" and "East Egg", to better understand the novel. Unfortunately, I didn't really know where it was (though I suspect it was at the tip of Long Island), but I could understand Nick Carraway's reaction to the city. It was fast paced and flashy, crowded with people waiting for the parade; however, there was an empty feeling to all this material wealth, as if the people were pining for something else. I pictured Gatsby's mansion as sprawling, much like Breakers in Newport, and a hollow shell. I envisioned Gatsby as a clean cut, lonely man broken and sorrowful inside--despite his charisma and self-confidence--with a wistful look directed across the bay. Perhaps material wealth can't buy everything, and we will never be satisfied; at the same time, we are always waiting for something to happen, pawns in the grand scheme of life. 

Sanctum

We are the result of our heritage and culture. Despite what we act like on the outside, we will always turn towards our native roots and cherish the past, however painful. What's more, we are all related to each other (which reminds me of the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon I learned in math the other day). 

In Nikki Giovanni's Sanctuary: For Harry Potter the Movie, she shows us that we are are connected in some way. Even though Harry Potter lives in a magical world, and whose parents died saving him, we are no different. In the poem/allegory, Giovanni links Harry to the baby elephant from the beginning, showing the instinctive efforts of the parents and herd to protect the child. The herd wants the baby to remember and pass on their history, much like how African slaves sang gospels of their native lands, and how Native Americans expressed their culture through folktales. It's the reason why Harry Potter refused to call Voldemort "He-who-must-not-be-named"; he understood the power of letting go. How simple would it be to conceal the past and go alone with everyone else? While we may be connected to each other, we are made unique through our heritage.

This reminds me of the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. The key theme was remembrance, even though the Holocaust was a tragedy. Survivors were urged never to forget, and to teach their children and others about the Holocaust. At first I felt it was slightly sadistic to irritate old wounds and to expose these traumatic events to the next generation, but I quickly realized that trying to bury the past only made pain and anger fester deeper. Through becoming educated and coming to terms with what happened in the past as well as our inborn nature, can we prevent things from happening in the future. We must embrace our cultures and pass down what has been bequeathed to us so that we may live on in memory. 

Road to Perdition

Sin and wrongdoing follow us forever, but we can choose to defy social expectations and set standards. Regardless of how we deal with the guilt or suffering, it remains a part of us, and can define our characters or break them down. This is best exemplified in Hester Prynne and the continuous return to her crime.

Hester Prynne is at first defiant and proud of her sins, yet later carries an air of quiet dignity about her as she retreats from society's hypocrisy. Her fall from grace is similar to that of Eve's banishment from the Garden of Eden for attempting to gain knowledge. Immoral and unacceptable in the eyes of her fellow townspeople, she is cast out. Although she is initially lonely, she has Pearl as a companion, the embodiment of her scarlet letter and sin; Hester begins to "speculate" about her society and realize that there are flaws while beginning a self-course of repentance. Hester is able to soften the townspeople over a span of seven years, and the stigma attached to the 'A' fades away. Hester is able to escape the Puritans in part because she refuses to conform to their beliefs, and in part because she feels stifled after the death of Dimmesdale.  

The Scarlet Letter was an amazing book. Somehow, everything was symbolic in its own way, and the descriptions of the dark, severe Puritan town casts a shadow over the novel. Hester was able to defy the Puritans and their misguided belief system--she ends up punishing them by forming her own thoughts about the 'A', and remains as dignified as the day she stepped off of the scaffold. Even after she migrates to the birthplace of her sin to die, Hester's grave remains separate from that of her cowardly lover, Dimmesdale, who buckled to pressure and guilt. While Hester changed society and maintained her pride, Dimmesdale was tortured to death by it.  

To sin or not to sin

How should sinning be punished? Even though the individual must face up to personal guilt, is it acceptable for society to castigate them for a single slip? When people's conscience shines through, they can choose to amend their wrongdoing and follow a different path, or self-destruct. This choice between evil and good is seen even today, where people are thrown into jail and hardened, regardless of whether their crime was severe or not. 

The Scarlet Letter is one of those books that tears me between sympathy and anger. Hester Prynne is ostracized for adultery, banished from the society and forced to wear a scarlet 'A' on her clothing at all times. At first, I feel no sympathy for Hester. Adultery is unacceptable and immoral, and should be punished. However, I relent once I find out that Hester must care for a child by herself, and that her paramour takes none of the responsibility. (This is also why I cheer on Chillingworth every time he tortures the cowardly Dimmesdale, who I despise.) Should Hester take on the burden of that by herself, just for a single sin? She changes over the seven years time span, growing grimmer yet more caring. Her "correction" is evident when the council people wonder whether or not her scarlet 'A' should be removed or not. 

Moreover, the society is incredibly hypocritical. It consistently makes use of her service as a needle-worker, yet never thanks her. The destitute accept clothing fit for kings and food, and sneer at her for thanks. Honestly, I don't understand why Hester doesn't just curse them, but in the end, she is reformed and slowly assimilated back into the society that cast her out. It still leaves me feeling unsatisfied though; did the society do good for her by being hypocritical and making her see her errors, or were they the ones acting unreasonably? I have yet to find out.

Civil Disobedience or Obedience?

We always have to ask ourselves whether government is effective or not, and what we can do to change it. Even though a basic government upholds the law, establishes safety, and creates educational opportunities, we should still be well-informed citizens and actively participate in the decision making processes, seeking change as opposed to mindlessly following unreasonable rules. Yet, while a destructive government ought to be reformed, it is still better than no government and absolute anarchy. 

Henry David Thoreau, out of a fit of anger, tells us all that we should have no government at all, that the current government is corrupt and we are all mindless powder-monkeys. Is his statement valid just because he was jailed on the grounds of not paying poll taxes for six years? As a transcendentalist, he states in Civil Disobedience that he would like everyone to stand up against government. I have no problem with that part; as long as the reason for civil disobedience is well grounded and peaceful, it is excellent to participate in policy-making. However, his statement that the whole government ought to be done away with is going a little too far. Man has not advanced to the point where he can live in peace with his fellow citizens, so sooner or later, someone will undermine the whole utopia and take over control. Instead of waiting for that moment, it is better to maintain a government system that serves its people.    

The political treatise written by Niccolò Machiavelli questions Thoreau's statement that we should not have government at all, and that we ought to govern ourselves. According to The Prince, there must be an effective leader at the head of his peoples in order to rule fairly. Although politics are amoral, it is up to the prince to make good decisions and do whatever is necessary to maintain power, even if it means being a feared leader than a beloved one. How does this connect to Thoreau though? After all, Machiavelli did come several centuries before Thoreau did. In essence, it is crucial to have a government of some sort. If there is no effectively ruling government (or there is and it is floundering) a dictator or higher power will rise up to the helm. It would be in the best interests of America to keep a Democracy instead of turning to Anarchy or Communism (which is still not necessarily equal). 

You can run, but you can't escape from Appeals.

Appeals are incredibly persuasive, and almost no one can resist it's allure. Whether it's to make you buy merchandise, choose a side, or change your mind, appeals work without fail in tugging at your heartstrings. While some people shun it as being deceiving, I disagree because it essentially adds flavor to any argument and is not so much deceiving as incredibly exaggerated. All in all, it's a very effective mode of persuasion.

The Crisis by Thomas Paine is an excellent example of writing loaded with various logical, emotional and ethical appeals. Every time I read "These are the times that try men's souls" I can almost envision freezing, hungry men that are huddled around a campfire reading this pamphlet. With the continued praise of their hardiness in such poor times, I picture them as glowing with pride, and then rage at the "summer soldier and the sunshine patriot" who are too scared. Paine uses logic to tell the soldiers that while the battles may be lost, they will certainly win the war. He goes on to appeal to ethics and emotions by picturing the British as a cruel, heartless people, and the patriots as courageous and bringers of liberty. By the end, I should think that the soldiers are screaming and cheering, ready to take on the British. While The Crisis was effective propaganda, I'm sure that some of the facts were twisted around, and that the British had a similar pamphlet with completely different arguments.

I think all of us are incredibly impulsive creatures. Almost every week my family goes through the dilemma of impulse shopping; my dad has a predilection for sweets, my sister likes accessories, and my brother is obsessed with technology. I too am a hypocrite, for while I preach against the evils of impulsive buying and excessive spending, I still succumb and end up buying things that are too cute not to be bought. On another note, we as humans do lots of television watching; sometimes, the media can be a little biased, and the commercials and news segments might try and influence us by bringing out starving children, skewed statistics, or other heartbreaking news. Earlier, while I was on the edge of considering whether or not to donate to the Kony 2012 rage, I did a little research past the sob story and realized that a small percent actually went to the children, so I opted for UNICEF instead. Even thought some of the ads and appeals we see may be trying to get at a real point, I think it is best if we all try and take on a more critical mindset and weed out fact from flowery language. It doesn't hurt to have an appeal control us once in a while, but we shouldn't completely rely on these appeals and advertisements for a straightforward truth.

Just Say No!

Saying no to social norms is extraordinarily difficult, especially if people expect a certain behavior from you. In hindsight, we may look upon a situation as incredibly silly and obvious, perhaps even getting overconfident as to declare that you would never be a passive player. “If I were in that situation, I would…” we may say, but in reality it is a lot easier said than done. What does it take for us to step out of our bounds and actually go against something?

In the case of Kitty Genovese, over 38 people witnessed her slaying, yet no one bothered to offer deliverance by reporting the crime or getting involved. These people were not bad; they were decent citizens much like you and me. Later, they felt overwhelmed with guilt, much like Reverend Hale from The Crucible, for not helping out or even reporting the situation. To an extent, even Judge Hathorne and Danforth realized that their proceedings were ignoble, yet they went on with the show. From all of the good people in Salem, only a few decided to call out the Church and denounce the “witchcraft”. It must be understood that the mob mentality controls the lives of these people, and once caught in the tide, shifting to the other side is difficult. 

I witnessed a case of bad fellowship myself, and unfortunately, was one of the passive spectators. During summer, I visited the Upper Peninsula. I was walking up a hot hilly dune that led down a bluff to the water. As I took pictures, I noticed a boy next to me lying in the sand, unresponsive and breathing shallowly. At first, I wanted to bend over and shake him to check if he was okay, but I thought that with the over fifty people present, it would be best not to interfere. No one else really cared, so maybe he was just resting. So, instead of doing what I thought was right, I walked on. Later, when I walked back, there was a large group of people surrounding him and giving him water. He was carried out on a stretcher for heat exhaustion. I felt glad that someone cared, but miserable about being so passive. I also realized how hard it is to step out of the crowd and actually do something, because of our unconscious fear of being wrong or placing our own lives in jeopardy. It certainly takes the strong-willed to be good Samaritans.