Metamorphosis

Society, from the start, has dominated based on a set of invisible and unbreakable rules. It is erroneous to denominate its members as  individuals since they are, in reality, the exact opposite. More properly labeled, its conformers live by the rules never questioning them or even being aware of their existence. Nevertheless, from time to time a rare case of metamorphosis occurs where conformers transform or attempt to transform into individuals. Such is the case of Edna Pontellier from The Awakening and Chief Bromden from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest who "apprehended instinctively the dual life- that outward existence which conforms, the inward life which questions" to recognize their identity. (36)

Both characters begin their transformation by distinguishing the tension between the outside and their inside. Edna's experience began when "an indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some  unfamiliar part of her consciousness, filled her whole being with a vague anguish." (22) Bromden's began when he created the theory of the Combine by sensing the evilness in the machine manipulation. They both had their ways of reacting to this recognition by isolating themselves from the other conformers. Mrs. Pontellier participated the least possible in social gatherings and kept her distance from other people. Chief Bromden put on an invisible cloak by pretending to be a deaf-mute. They both did this as a way to purify their identity by reducing contact with society's rules.

Another common factor in this metamorphosis is finding someone who acts as the incentive to speed up the transformation. Robert is Edna's incentive since he is the one who pulls her away from her societal role of a house wife. Whenever duty called her as time to go because "the sun will be gone in two hours", Robert is there to advice her to "let it go" always reminding her that no one really cares. (79) McMurphy works on the Chief as a model for hope by showing him that acting against society is possible. McMurphy is the person to whom he opens up because he is able to identify him as an individual. These two incentives have both been in contact with the transformation and have even been able to coordinate their outside with their inside. They are mentors to the two other characters who inspire them to let their identity break free.

There is always a situation that pushes the almost-individuals harder towards their conversion. For Edna it was Robert's departure because it took "the brightness, the color, the meaning out of everything" giving her an objective panoramic view of life and off course society. (91) For Bromden it was the unfair meeting they had concerning the TV for the baseball game because he realized the ongoing immorality. Grasping society's flaws made them value themselves as individuals discovering each time more how strong their identity really was and how easily the tension could be eased. 

Identity is the key to happiness because it is the only thing that will give you peace of mind between the outward existence and the inward questioning. Mrs. Pontellier rebelled against her strict role of a house-wife and Bromden freed himself from the ward's torture. Again, it is extremely weird to find this cases but it is still extremely relieving. This is because it assures you that identity can fight society's rules and make you a satisfied individual inside and out. 

Performing Low to High

Around the world Hamlet has been interpreted in different ways depending on its location, cast and director. After listening to the podcast "218: Act V" of The American Life, I realized the importance of the interpretation. The podcast talks about the production of The Missouri State Penitentiary who, based on the intimacy the actors (inmates) have on the material, produced one of the best interpretations ever. The actors, are really criminals who have committed violent crimes and play the roles of men who execute crimes as well. It is this situation that makes the production sincere because its actors identify with their roles while meditating on society and morality.

Performing is an art of expression. The  Missouri State Penitentiary production is a literal representation of this statement. Character in the play are more realistic because of their similarity to the actor. Johnson, one of the Hamlet's interpreters claims to relate with the character's "Idea of wanting to hurt someone." Others like Word who plays Laertes are naturals at playing the bad guy because it is what they have been doing throughout their life in order to impress people. However, perhaps the most striking moment of the play was Evan's confession of Claudius' murder since it was an actual apologetic "speech to g-d." Relating to their characters' situations gave the actors an advantage over any professional in the world. They had, like no other, experience to guide them when performing. This type of advantage is rare, but it is what makes true artists legitimate. 

The process of the play as a whole worked as a therapeutic session for the inmates. It showed "Big Hutch" that he didn't have to always be the "Big Whale." He got the role of Horatio who is ironically a "guppy" who assists and follows others. Even though he got a small part, his performance of a single line was the highlight of the night. Likewise, he learned that small parts in life (like Horatio)  can have a monumental impact. The prisoners ego and power ambition was immediately lowered by the relative humiliation they experience in acting. Edgar stated that participating in the play made him "makes us feel human." Jones' life conception was also altered by "taking him to be insane for a day." This type of insanity can be related to Hamlet's where its sole purpose is self protection from society. Changing perspectives opens the inmates' minds to other alternatives in life. It shows them another way to live and think where manipulation and aggression for power are not included. 

Despite having to deal with different crisis, following the prison's procedures, and  horrible steamy weather, the production was a great success. Not only as an entertainment but as a positive influence to the group members. Its prosperity is displayed in the example of Manuel, an inmate who had been released 2 weeks before the presentation but decided to stay until the end. As tempting as freedom is, the production's influence was more impacting. It proved to the inmates that there is a possibility of moving from the "lowest point in life" to the "highest" with a simple change of perspective. 

Intertextuality among Hamlet and The Love Song of Alfred Prufrock

The Hollowest In the End

Characters tend to add literary value through their personalities. Eliot manages to specifically describe his character J. Alfred Prufrock through an intertextual comparison to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. By calling out on a popular tragic hero, Eliot makes Prufrock easy for the readers to judge and understand him. Both Hamlet and Prufrock share parallel characteristics revolving around incompetence, fear of standing against society, and most importantly indecisiveness.

Both of these tormented characters evaluate themselves as incompetent beings. Prufrock claims to have measured his “life in coffee spoons” (51) hinting his pessimistic thought of a meaningless existence.  In Act IV Hamlet demands more of himself by wanting his thoughts to be bloody. However, he is aware that violent thoughts go against his nature.  Their low self-esteem encourages them to think that they are not capable of fulfilling their desire; this is why they keep on procrastinating. Hamlet accomplishes his murdering deed until the last minute. Nevertheless, worrying on what others think of him stops Prufrock from achieving his goal.

Society’s cynical judgment has made it hard for people to express themselves as individuals.  Prufrock is threatened the most by society’s judgment. Scared of acting out of his regular routine, he questions himself by saying “Do I dare disturb the universe?” (46).  Hamlet has suicidal thoughts by thinking that “to die, -to sleep-no more- and by a sleep” (68) he will end all troubles. This directly implies society’s judgment by labeling him with madness. Although he fears the consequences that murdering Claudius would bring, Hamlet expresses his madness openly with the soul purpose of relieving his grief. Prufrock is more aware of the labels and intends on pushing them away by hiding his personality. 

Indecision is a predominating trait in both Hamlet and Prufrock. It plagues Hamlet from the first ghost apparition. He questions whether it is better “To be, or not to be”(64), dead, or killing Claudius. In Act III, scene 3 he has the chance to kill Claudius but his indecision on whether or not it would send the king to heaven stops him.  Prufrock wonders “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?” to act upon his will and assume the consequences. He also inquires “And should I then presume? And how should I begin?” (68-69) being unsure on how to act.  All of this questioning slowly leads them to a worst ending than the consequences by themselves would create.  Hamlet faces a disastrous finale where more lives than intended are avenged. Prufrock’s indecision leads him to regret and eventually an empty death.

In the end, Prufrock proves to be hollower than Hamlet. The man claims that he is “not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be” but “an attendant lord.”(111-112) Hamlet at least died as a tragic hero and had people`s attention. Prufrock demonstrates that he underestimates himself more than Hamlet by neglecting an important role in life. He hides his individuality  by ranking himself under others and reassuring his incompetence. Finally, unlike Hamlet who at least killed Claudius, Prufrock does not complete his goal of taking risks and opportunities. This degrades him to a more pathetic level because despite of his weaknesses, he does not attempt to give his life significance at all . 

"The danger of a single story: Chimamanda Adichie"

This summer I attended a 3- week Summer Program at Columbia University. Surrounded by highly educated and global population of students I didn't expect them to underestimate my nationality as much. I went to a store with girls from my dorm and took out my Amex card to pay. One of them just kept staring at it and as soon we stepped out she took a hold of  my arm and asked with utter surprise, "Do you have American Express in Colombia?" I stared at her in disbelief and noticing my reaction she justified, "I thought it was called Colombian Express." At first I wanted to punch her in the face, but then I remembered that Colombia as well as the USA have their single story. 
As a start, for Americans they are the legitimate Americans. Each time someone introduced their nationality as "American" a small irritation would linger in my mind when I thought that being Colombian classified me as an America due to its geographical location. Americans think of Colombia as an extremely underdeveloped place where the only function id drug production. Based on this single story they would judge me and the rest of Colombian teenagers as a drug consumers. The truth is that neither me or most of the people I know have tried drugs. In contrast, most of the Americans I talked to had tried or used drugs in parties.
Single stories change perspective of others and lead to misjudgments. I too was mislead by a the single story of Americans' bad skills of dancing. I was surprised to see some of them salsa in Noche de Sabor. When this type of deceiving judgements occur, we should try to push away the irritation and share a different story that will in effect open a new perspective.

Marlow's Dark Fog

Madness goes hand in hand with isolation. Society, skeptic as aways is the real cause for this relationship. The morality of madness has been a central issues in various literary works. In Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Chief Bromden demonstrates that madness is in fact a protective method against society's oppression. In Heart of Darkness Marlow, like Chief Bromden undergo a change in their reality due to an extreme detachment from their original and respective one.

Men are nurtured by experiences to become what they are. Their life is shaped by who, how and where they live. "We live, as we dream- alone..." (pg 95) Each reality and life is different, but usually tends to be monotonous. This changes however when either the how, who or where are changed. Bromden's who was a major impact on his reality because he went from a native American tribe with family to a place full of lunatics and control freaks like Nurse Ratched. For both the change in where was contradicting. While The Chief was transported from a more primitive and natural place to a more urban one, Marlow left civilized cities to live in a "prehistoric earth" (pg 105).  The how changed for the Chief by taking away his freedom because of a strict routine, Marlow's freedom was cut off too because he had to follow the company's orders and morality.

Routines are dominant in men's lives. They obviously change when one of the three previously discussed factors change. Still, some are more harassing than others, and those tend to happen when change occurs. Most of the times, routines are stimulated by a powerful institution. The Chief's was manipulated by The Combine and Marlow's by The Company. Both of them tedious and recurrent. Everyday the same time.consuming thing is done, pulling them away from the reality. "When you have to attend to things of that sort, to the mere incidents of the surface, the reality- the reality, I tell you-fades. (pg 103)

After a while of going over the same routine, the institution has them under control by dehumanizing them. Soon they are like zombies and follow orders like having "...the appearance of being held there captive by a spell." (pg 104) It is at this point, where one's identity is lost and reality is fading that you are caught in a "fog". This is the term Chief Bromden associated to this state, and Marlow is trapped in "fog" as well. The difference is that under this state one was being tormented while the other was tormented. The Chief was blinded to the oblivious mistreatment in the ward. Meanwhile Marlow was helping to torture people unfairly. "The inner truth is hidden- luckily, luckily." (pg 103) They are so engrossed in their routine that the real intentions behind them are not noticed.

Both of this character's realities change along with their moral perspective. This shift is catalyzed by the oppressing routines that loose them in the "fog". Society plays a central role in it as well by   manipulating institutions into shaping people to it's accordance. Morality was lost for both Bromden and Marlow for accomplishing society's desires.

Women's Hearts of Darkness

In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the main character displays an undermining attitude towards women. This only makes sense when understanding the historical context of the late 1800`s. The complete purpose of women's lives at the time was shaped by men. It consisted on finding a husband, reproducing, and serving them unconditionally. Marlow's sexist attitude is no different from any other man`s from the time. He assigns women inferior characteristics but is however blinded to the fact that women do have power.

"Then – would you believe it? – I tried the women. I, Charlie Marlow, set the women to work – to get a job... I had an aunt... She wrote: 'It will be delightful. I am ready to do anything, anything for you." (pg 71) Marlow is in a way ashamed of getting a job through a woman. Men at the time were responsible for absolutely everything concerning the work area, including finding a job. If he, as a man is supposed to  have that area under control as well as being independent, why then does he seek for her help?  She is his aunt and  there should be no shame in family help. Perhaps this is due to his personal lack of a "home/familiar environment . This happened because being a seaman leads to a solitary life with. Marlow has no close relationships with anyone, much less with a women and therefore feels threatened by such a sympathetic gesture. 

Marlow judges women as being "out of touch with truth" by believing that "they live in a world of their own". (pg 76) He characterizes them as dreamy and unrealistic, not necessarily in a good way. This demonstrates how much Marlow does not take women seriously. As a result he is automatically pushing their status down by feeling superior. For the most, this social degradation would have seem normal. This is not the case. This woman he is degrading is not only a blood relative of his but she knows powerful people. It is this second part exactly that really matters. Knowing the right people can get you to a better place. As dishonorable as this situation might be for Marlow, it benefits him.


 Women like Marlow`s aunt get bonus points for having contacts instead of being completely overlooked by men. They are still in the end only used , nothing more and nothing less. For the society of the 1890`s women were just convenient utensils. The more convinient the better the social acceptance. Marlow as an isolated and masculine personality treats women like his aunt for his own benefit. 

Irony- “Great Nations of Europe” by Randy Newman

Ironic Examples:
"He [Columbus] shook hands with some Indians and soon they all were dead."
Shaking hands is a greeting and respectful tradition, it can sometimes represent truce. Columbus' shake meant  the opposite, murder to be exact. When first learning about Columbus and this gesture, the normal expectation is a friendly follow-up. However, you immediately realize the irony when learning that  the indians die. 

"He [Balboa] met some friendly Indians whom the Church told him were gay, so he had them torn apart by dogs on religious grounds they say the great nations of Europe were quite holy in their way."
Religious grounds are expected to be holy (saintly and moral) and that I know of, murder on religious grounds is disrespectful and plainly wrong. The song is mocking the nations' religious morality as well as the definition of holy by claiming that the nations were "holy in their way". 

"... the possibility that some bug from out of Africa might come for you and me
destroying everything in its path..."
Based on the great number of death caused by European brought diseases, it would be unexpected to have another disease via vectors affect the dominating and supposedly great nation. 

"The great nations of Europe comin through."
The song depicts continually the harm caused by these nations. There is nothing great about these nations exterminating different cultures.

Not Ironic Examples:
"Some bones hidden in a canyon some paintings in a cave
they're no use tryin to save them, there's nothin left to save."
The left overs as mentioned are only witness to the natives' existence. It is true nevertheless that they are useless because like I mentioned before they are only witness, not the real thing. It hits the realistic point  of their extermination directly.

"Now they're gone, they're gone, they're really gone. Yo never seen anyone so gone."
Like the previous example, it crudely states their wipe-out. By "really" they mean absolutely  gone and none are left. 

"Hide your wives and daughter; hide the groceries too."
This statement exemplifies the fear and magnitude created by the conquistadores' raiding of villages.  They were inhumane and it only seems logical to hide your loved ones from these monsters.