For the other books (and movie) I focused mainly on the truth v. fiction of the story or book itself. This book, however, has more than one type of lie to focus on. Of course we find out at the end that all the characters in the book were living a lie by living in a false governmental situation (for lack of a better term). But there is also an issue of the "historical" objects.
On page 64, Wyndom-Matson and Rita are talking about Franklin Roosevelt's lighter, of which he had two copies. Rita didn't believe either of the lighters was real, so W-M said he'd show her the paper he had to prove it. "That's my point! I'd have to prove it to you with some sort of document. A paper of authenticity. And so it's all a fake, a mass delusion [This sentence could be actually talking about the whole premise of the story that the characters believe as well as us]. The paper proves its worth, not the object itself."
I liked the last sentence of that quote, because what are books made of? Paper. The papers we read prove the worth of the story, not the true history. It is the story by itself we are a part of. If we are reading a story, then it doesn't matter who won WWII. What matters is the book telling us that Japan and Germany won the war.
When we are reading (especially for this class), we have to become readers, not historians. Anything can happen in a book, and we have to be willing to accept that in order to read it.
I like the last sentence of the quote as well. It's a really cool way to argue the difference between truth and lies, and whether it's important or not. I think at sometimes in this class people (including myself) can get so caught up in the lies of the book that the truth of it doesn't matter anymore, so to just accept it as a reader is an important thing to do.
ReplyDelete“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.”
ReplyDelete- Confucius
I agree that suspending one’s disbelief is important when reading; however, it is also important to always look for deeper substance and think beyond the confines of plot. Stories can be some of the greatest teachers. You quote TMiHC saying, “The paper proves its worth, not the object itself." I think thinking proves a story’s worth, not the story itself. When reading I suspend my disbelief forgeting about the truth vs. fiction of the book, but look for deeper meaning behind the text.