In his play The Wild Duck, Henrik Ibsen (Norway) shows that it is better for some to live with an illusion than with the truth that would devastate them. In his book of essays, "The Myth of Sisyphus," Albert Camus (France) explains that, since hope and despair are equally absurd guesses as to the quality of the future, one might as well choose hope. Another work this song calls to mind is Umberto Eco's (Italy) novel The Name of the Rose, which discusses-- since knowledge is power-- who gets to know what, and whether it might be better for certain people to not know certain things.
And then of course, there is good old Jack Nicholson (America), in the film, "A Few Good Men," frustratedly asserting that we cannot, in fact, "handle the truth."
Whether the speaker in our song is aware of any of these works is beside the point-- he would certainly understand them. He has tried to fathom something about reality, and it confounded him most horribly. He has nightmares about the unknown: "Through the corridors of sleep... my mind dances and leaps in confusion."
He is not sure whether the reality he perceives is, in fact, real... or is perhaps all in his head. He is unsure of even his own status as "real." It would be one thing if the "dark and small" image his mirror reflects was himself, for at least then he could try to come to grips with his insignificance... only, he's "not sure at all it's [his] reflection."
Understandably, he seeks explanations in the usual places-- "God" and religion, science and philosophy-- only to find that such intense "light" leaves him "blinded." It seems that he cannot, in fact, handle the "truth."
Before, there were too many "shadows," and now there is too much "light"! So, it's back to the darkness, and "wander[ing] in the night."
In the end, he basically gives up, and goes back to pretending. Not out of fear, exactly, but because he did find an answer, of sorts. The logic is simple, really. One of two things is true:
Position A is that reality is objectively true. Yet, it is unknowable by his limited, human mind, which means that, as far as he can know, reality can only extend.... as far as he can know.
Position B is that there is no objective reality, and what is "real" is only whatever he says it is. In which case, his experience is real... because he creates "reality" by believing it into existence.
His conclusion is that, ironically, whether there is an objective reality or not, he is in the same spot: only able to know what he can know.
So, to be fair, in the end, he does not give up as much as he takes Camus' insightful nonchalance. Since he can't even know IF there is a "real" reality or it's all in his mind to begin with, he might as well stop worrying about it and get on with the business of living ("I must... face tomorrow"), as far as he experiences life.
As he puts it, "my fantasy becomes reality." Again, that could mean that (Position A) there is a true "reality" that he only has a limited awareness ("fantasy") of, so it's true for him... or (Position B) his imposition of his opinions and biases (his "fantasy") upon experiences actually changes those experiences ("reality") into what he says they are.
But it doesn't "matter," he realizes, if you "play" the "king" who imposes your will on reality (Position B), or a "pawn" who is moved about by hands unseen (Position A).
In either case, he sees, "I must be what I must be." In the case of Position A, this is so because he has no choice; he is fated. In position B, it's because whatever he wills (or stumbles) himself into becoming, he will become, due to simple cause and effect, even if he-- and not fate-- is the cause.
He started off by "hid[ing] behind the shield of [his] illusion." Ultimately, he returns there: "I'll continue to continue to pretend" as before [emphasis mine].
'As far as I'm concerned,' he decides, 'flowers don't bend when pummeled by heavy rains."
For instance, he will ignore mortality and "pretend/ My life will never end".' Mortality is too disabling a concept, so best to ignore it and "pretend" it away. If one is focused on death, one does not live.
Why this example? If one thinks too hard about what is inevitable, one stops trying to move forward at all. Reality gets in the way; illusion permits motion. Reality-- or at least the acknowledgement of it-- causes the death of progress. Only by ignoring reality/death can one truly live.
Yes, he will continue to imagine a world that works the way he needs it to, with all the myths that help him stay sane and functioning... even if he knows now that, yes, they are myths. (In the movie Unstrung Heroes, we have this exchange between an atheist and a believer: "Religion is a crutch." "Well, a crutch isn't a bad thing, if you need it.")
Our hero will continue to hunt the Wild Duck, he will continue to push his Sisyphean stone uphill, he will continue to copy Medieval manuscripts without reading them.
At least he can handle the truth... that he can't handle the truth.
Next song: A Simple Desultory Philippic.
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I tried 4 times to edit this post, spell-check it, and publish it again. But each time, the original post, with the original errors is all that gets posted. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful song
ReplyDeleteI always thought of this song and the S & G song You Can Tell The World as critical of faith or at least critical of hard and fast takes on faith. This song contains the lines,
ReplyDeleteI am blinded by the light
Of God and truth and right
And I wander in the night without direction.
Okay this link clears it up: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/januaryweb-only/paulsimon-january09.html
ReplyDeleteJohn-- It only allowed me to read a few paragraphs. Can you tell me what the part relevant to this song was?
ReplyDeleteJohn-- As to your other thought, he does seem in a Catch-22. On the one hand, he finds God (and perhaps his followers) overwhelming with the brightness of their "light." On the other, if he turns from that light he is in utter darkness, "night," in which he can only "wander" aimlessly. If only there were a spiritual "dimmer switch" or "shallow end," a way to approach God and faith gradually.
ReplyDeleteWow, thank you for writing this analysis. I have been a S&G fan for over 17 years and I only recently heard this song while going through their entire list of songs on Spotify. It couldn't have come at a better time where I've been facing a sort of 'existential crisis' and wondering if there is a point to life and what it means to exist in the world. I definitely feel at this point that I must do as the speaker does - continue to continue to pretend - yet it's not mortality that scares me, it's believing there is a design and not understanding what it is - being incapable of understanding feels terrifying.
ReplyDeleteedtheroach-- Thanks for the compliment. It might help to read "Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl (don't worry, it's pretty short). His conclusion is that, if there is a "meaning of life," we get to choose what that is, what the meaning is for our own life. But there are many more insights he offers, so I did not spoil the book. I do urge you to read a brief bio of Frankl first, to help put the book into context. Hope this helps, and best of luck to you. The fact that you are still seeking answers is a great sign of hope.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently writing a novel and this song is a major influence on the overall narrative. Thank you so much for writing this post, as it really helped point me in the right direction in terms of how pervasive these themes are all throughout literature. I'm going to look into everything you referenced in this to give myself a better understanding of it all, thanks for teaching me something new!
ReplyDeleteHere's to you, A. Robinson! Good luck with your novel and glad I could help.
ReplyDeleteI’m not entirely sure Simon is advocating the self deception as a legitimate means of coping. It is obvious to the writer that flowers do bend with the rainfall and life does end. But something about life is beyond his comprehension and it disturbs his dreams. The life he’s living seems to be out of sorts with realty. Even when awake, he struggles to even understand himself. He’s a searcher after truth but finds it too bright to make sense of it in light of all he does know. This inability to grasp (or maybe accept!) what is solid, causes him to slip back into the fantasy that he knows isn’t real. He only “pretends” his life won’t end and flowers won’t bend with the rainfall. Lacking the ability to understand, he kicks the can down the road. I don’t think Simon believes it to be a noble act but an act of throwing up his hands, maybe hoping someone or something will shake him out of his confusion at some point.
ReplyDeleteAnon-- Yes, he only pretends these things, but he knows he does, and why. He willfully pushes these things out of his mind, so he can get on with the act of living. Focusing on whether "reality is really real" doesn't get the laundry washed or the bills paid. It's not throwing up his hands because he is not despairing-- he is accepting. He accepts his limitations-- of knowing and of being-- and forges ahead.
ReplyDeleteI think that yes-- he advocates self-deception, or at least distraction-- as a method of coping.
There is a webcomic called The Oatmeal whose comic "How to Suck at Your Religion" ends "Does your religion help you cope with the fact that you are a bag of meat sitting on a rock in outer space?... Excellent! Carry on!" because if you think too hard about all that stuff, you will starve.