The last chapter is, in my eyes, unlike any other in the novel. Not only is it short (while all the others are extremely long), but is also written surrealistically. Unlike the last chapter, the bulk of the novel is written in a more realistic fashion, though it strays slightly from time to time as the mind of Susan Barton wanders. Additionally, the point of view shifts from that of Susan Barton to an anonymous narrator. It is perhaps up to the reader to decide who this narrator is or perhaps to accept this anonymity as the essence of storytelling itself. It is no longer about the importance of the speaker/author (as their reality recedes into the unknown and even the unknowable), but rather about this new story, this fictional reality.
In the last chapter, the characters in the story are found to be dead or near death. Just as the speaker remains anonymous, ultimately, the characters reflect this same anonymity because in death comes silence. If silence is what makes someone unknowable (as their reality is never outwardly expressed through language), then death is the ultimate form of anonymity. Because Susan can no longer express her story, though it was to be manipulated by Foe, it is now picked up by someone else who can never express her reality, but only their versions of it. This is what is so significant about the character Friday whose reality (the mystery of which haunted Susan endlessly) was continually constructed by others because he was a mute. In the end, this anonymous character opens Friday's mouth and,
From inside him comes a slow stream, without breath, without interruption. It flows up through his body and out upon me; it passes through the cabin, through the wreck; washing the cliffs and shores of the island, it runs northward and southward to the ends of the earth. Soft and cold and unending. (Coetzee 157)This ending seems to suggest that though Friday could not speak, there still exists within him a story that exists and is "unending". And just like everyone else's story (which exists in an in-between state), it can never really be known.
Hey Crissy! I totally agree that this last chapter was confusing but I think you did a good job in making it less confusing. I agree with your notion that there is no set reality. Everyone has different perspectives and characteristics that when they bring this to the table of course it is going to differ from other people who had the same experience. You touch on the last part when Friday opens his mouth and said that it was a representation of his story being unending but still unknown. I had a different take on it. I more so thought that now that everyone else has been silenced that Friday will finally get the opportunity to talk. However, I'm not so sure only because of this new narrator that was brought into the picture. If Friday were to speak now it would be like the white man giving Friday a voice and I don't think that is what Coetzee was trying to get at. So I am not sure what do you think?
ReplyDeleteCrissy, I empathize with the grappling you went through with the final chapter; I also became rather confused, and actually had to read it several times to make some semblance of sense out of it. I wanted to touch on an interesting point you made about death and anonymity, as it provides an interesting perspective to documentation of events. While describing the characters, you say
ReplyDelete"Just as the speaker remains anonymous, ultimately, the characters reflect this same anonymity because in death comes silence. If silence is what makes someone unknowable (as their reality is never outwardly expressed through language), then death is the ultimate form of anonymity."
The concept of anonymity through death rests on the shoulders of those who come after, and choose to document the events of others. It is well known that memory fades, and it reveals that truth is often lost in the telling of someone else's story. The question is whether truth is the same as immortality, and which holds more integrity for the person in question. Coetzee seems to play with this distinction between truth and storytelling throughout the novel, but especially in the final chapter. I just wanted to highlight your point, because it holds a lot questions about the integrity of literature and the written word.
I also think that the anonymity of the narrator is an important point. On the one hand I think that the narrator has to be anonymous and removed from the events of the novel in order to bring a sense of perspective. If it were Susan or Foe narrating we might question their agenda. However, the problem with an anonymous narrator is that we don't know if s/he is reliable or not. The narrator seems to know the story of Susan and Friday, so s/he's not an impartial observer. You say that anonymity is the essence of storytelling, but I disagree. I don't think you can separate the story from the storyteller. Our interpretations of the final chapter change based on who we think the narrator is; this makes me think that the narrator can't just be anonymous.
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