“Hold on. Let me step back for a second. What did I just
read?” Normally this is a thought that runs through my head after reading a
paragraph inattentively. Rarely, with the possible exception of my econ
textbook, does it refer to an entire chapter. Sure, part IV is only five pages
long, but the entire body of the book is just a set-up for the last segment. So
what does it mean? I have no idea, but I’ll give it a shot.
The
narrator is the most important question mark in part IV. It is unclear who
exactly it is because he or she appears to be sort of hovering above the all of
the characters in the book, including Susan Barton. The most obvious answer
would be to say that J.M. Coetzee himself narrates the chapter and by doing so,
looks back on his own characters as constructs. But I would argue that it goes
deeper than that. I would argue that the narrator is actually representative of
the reader. The best evidence for this is the very last sentence. Friday
espouses not just hot breath, but the story from his mouth, which “beats
against my eyelids, the skin of my face” (157). The book, of course, is not
plot-based, but Friday, by not speaking, plays a central role. The reader is
constantly seeking what he has to say, but by just being a construct, he says
more at the end of the book than any other character.
Can we talk about the bodies? Let’s
talk about the bodies. Every supposed character lying on the ground is wrapped
or mummified and is described as having skin “dry as paper” (153). Thus, every
character is insubstantial; a paper construct of a writer. The big exception to
this is Friday. Though he is not conscious, he appears to the only substantial
player in part IV. Therefore, I would argue that Foe is not the story of Susan
Barton. It is the story of Friday.
I think the ideas and questions you brought up are ones that confuse and interest many people. In response to the question about the author, I agree with you that we can only suggest - we can never truly know. However, the first three parts of the book we are introduced to the narrator (the 'I') as Susan Barton and we, therefore, assume that when we initially see the "I" that it is Susan Barton. Twice or three times in class, some of us and myself referred to the narrator as "she" without consciously knowing.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your second topic, I agree that Friday ends up being the only substantial character at the end of the book. As we talked about before, it is because silence and truth are analogous and therefore, Friday represents the legitimacy and substantiality of the story in Foe.