Through the Destiny of the Rain Forest

There’s a philosophical theory Causal Determinism which argues that every action that ever occurs is part of a long, unbroken chain of events that dates back to the dawn of time.  Every action and event which takes place causes another action or event to occur, creating a self-sustaining sequence with no beginning or end.  In this way, the theory claims every action that occurs is in fact destined to occur, since it is all part of the same inescapable chain of events.

One action always seems to lead to another

I bring all this up to frame and highlight the strong sense of destiny that permeates Through the Arc of the Rain Forest.  At times, it seems almost certain that the characters are not in control of their own fate; that they are instead being guided by some overarching sense of destiny.  Kazumasa’s Nigh-Omniscient Ball even says as much as early as page 15: “Kazumasa at the time had no idea how this simple pastime…might affect his own future.  These things I knew through simple clairvoyance…strange events far to our north…events as insignificant as those in tiny northeastern coastal town…and events as prestigious as those of the great economic capital of the world, New York, would each cast forth and invisible line, shall I say, leading us to a place they would all call the Matacao.”

All throughout the book, however, there are clear signs of destiny pulling the characters one way or the other.  Batista’s prophetic pigeon messages are a chief example: he claims to never know how he comes up with them, only that they suddenly flow from his pen almost without his consent.  And yet he predicts Kazumasa’s great fortunes, the death of Brazil’s birds and even the return of his wife.  Meanwhile, Chico Paco envisions Rubens long before Lourdes asks for his assistance.   Chico Paco takes this to be a sign from God himself, and really, who is anyone to argue that it’s not?

And then there are the countless smaller events in the novel that seem too amazing to pass off as coincidence.  That Kazumasa, the only person on Earth who could possibly discover new sources of Matacao, would end up the primary shareholder of the corporation that utilizes it.  That Gilberto would miraculously be cured, which in turn would cause his friend to make the pilgrimage that would give him international fame.  All this seems to fit too perfectly together for it to e simple coincidence.

Casual Determinism claims that we lack any free will; that we’re locked into our course by a never-ending chain of actions and reactions that have been destined since the dawn of time.  Whether or not this applies to our world is a matter of debate, but it’s not hard to imagine such a theory holding weight in the magic-realist world of Through the Arc of the Rain Forest.

Utopia becoming a Dystopia

Sorry for my two posts to be out of order, I needed to get them posted.

During Voltaires Candide, Eldorado and the idea of a utopia is brought into the novel.  This idea of a perfect society is nothing new to the literary world.  The idea is brought up in several different novels, always with a different twist to make it unique.  The first novel that came to my mind of a utopian society was The Giver by Lois Lowry.  In The Giver, all the bad of society such as pain, war and death are removed.  No longer is the idea of failure or hunger, simple things all humans feel, apart of this society.  It is impossible for these things to exist because simply the possibility of them has been removed.  Children are born by birthmothers and are given to families that are put together after society decides that are compatible.  Children that aren’t perfect, and don’t get a family and old people, are then “released” which is like death, but never said it is death, because the society is too perfect for this to happen.  Jonas, receives the job of the receiver, where all the memories that have been wrong and caused imperfection are put on him, only he can feel and remember, so those mistakes are never made again.  Jonas realizes, this world without feeling, isn’t worth the misery of not knowing the joys that the painful real world can bring. Is this Utopian society even possible?  Its realized that its a dystopian society eventually, that all the perfect in the world will eventually bring imperfection.  In Candide, while in Eldorado and getting ready to leave, the King tells them that he will have his people build them something to travel in on their journey.  “When you have been conveyed to the other side of the mountains, no one may accompany you further; for my subjects have vowed never to set foot beyond our borders, and they are too wise to break the oath.”  Is a society that is perfect and without harm or distaste, not a free society?  Can this Utopian society be achieved without taking away some of the most important attributes to people?  It sounds through the words of the King that fear is evoked in the people in order for them not to leave.  I think most literature has shown that Utopia is not possible, without losing what is most important and needed in a society.  I included a link to The Giver on Wikipedia just for a full description of the book, the one given is a good one.     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Giver

Faust and a Strive for Perfection

Last semester, I had to take a music theatre class to fill a requirement.  I have always been interested in singing and am actually trained in jazz and operatic styles of singing.  I chose to take a class in Music theatre until the early 1900’s, which ended up being one of the worst mistakes, ever.  I watched tons of Operas that I had no care for watching, that took up about 6 hours a week to finish the whole thing.  I did though, come across Faust, while I was watching the many, many hours of Opera.  I could go into detail about the ballet that was a part of the show, or the fluidity of the music, but I won’t, because it is all very boring.  I probably wouldn’t have remembered the opera, had it none been my favorite of the ones I was forced to watch.  Never did I think I would come back in contact with Faust, but here I am, with book in hand.  I found that having seen the opera helped a great deal in understanding the book.  Obviously, opera is all singing, and wonderfully enough, the version of Faust I watched was all in French, so I really had to pay attention to pass the test I had to take about it.  Having the words in the book, and then being able to imagine the scenery from the film, really helped me understand.  The end scene, when Gretchen is in jail, is probably the scene that stuck in my memory, because it seems that every selling of the soul to the devil story ends this way.  The devil always wins, and the happiness that was once promised to the person, Faust, is taken so abruptly from them.  I think its no surprise that this story is still performed so often in theatre today, the story of eternal happiness at any cost is something that I think will always interest humans.  Is it ever really worth it though?  This is something that like a utopia has proved to be the opposite.  I think through all these books that we have read, one main theme has been present throughout.  We continue to strive for a perfect society, and perfect happiness, but what is actually the cost for all this?  Through all the examples we've had this idea of perfect, isn't actually achievable, because with all this promise for perfection, something is bound to go wrong.  The price paid is never actually worth this "perfect" that is guaranteed.  Yet we continue to watch, and read, things that promise this perfect happiness or society, to forever strive for what we want.

A False Sense of Hope

        The ending of Through the Arc of the Rainforest comes out of nowhere, after building up hope for most of the book the ending is a shock.  When the true nature of Matacao is revealed and starts to fall apart the “perfect world” that had started to form falls apart very quickly.  Bel Canto had a very similar feeling throughout, a sense of hope that builds up until the final few pages of the novel, when it all comes crashing down.  (Here’s a link to the wikipedia page, with a plot summary) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bel_Canto_(novel) Bel Canto takes place in a fictional South American country, where a government function is attacked by rebel forces in the country.  The rebels goal was to take the president hostage, but he missed the event, leaving the rebels with a group of less important hostages.  The standoff between rebel forces in the building and police outside goes on for weeks.  Inside, the plot focuses on character development between some of the hostages and the rebels, who start to bond during their captivity.  Relationships form and there is a sense that these people could live happy lives with each other outside of the hostage situation.  Oh right, a hostage situation, that slips to the back of your mind as the characters grow on you and then out of nowhere the police forces storm the building.  In the space of a few pages all of the rebels and a number of the hostages are killed, characters you have been hoping can have a future together are torn apart in seconds and in the aftermath only a handful of hostages are left.  I had the same feeling of shock reading Through the Arc of the Rainforest.  “The Matacao, too, was slowly but definitely corroding, as was everything else made of Matacao plastic.  Buildings were condemned.  Entire roads and bridges were blocked off.  Innocent people were caught unaware - killed or injured by falling chunks of the stuff.  People who stepped out in the most elegant finery made of Matacao plastic were horrified to find themselves naked at cocktail parties, undressed at presidential receptions.  Cars crumbled at stop lights.  Computer monitors sagged into their CPUs.  The credit card industry went into a panic.”   Reading this passage and seeing how quickly the world was collapsing had that same feeling of shock that I felt in Bel Canto.  I remember my english class in high school hating the ending of Bel Canto, the fact that their favorite characters died.  I loved the ending, the emotions it brought forth and the surprise that it caused.  It made the entire book much more powerful and Through the Arc of the Rainforest had that same power behind it, which helps the overall message about the destruction of the rainforest.  If the book had continued to be happy and show a world benefiting from Matacao, it would not be memorable, it would be a fun story with quirky characters but it would not be memorable.  The power this ending provides is crucial to the message and I can not imagine it ending any other way.    

Matacao, Ignorance, and Bigfoot

I touched on this in class, but I want to elaborate about how significant I think the eventual reveal of the truth behind Matacao actually is.

On page 202, right at the beginning of Chapter 30. That's where we get the reveal for Matacao, and it's more or less a throwaway section. No big build up, no huge public reveal. Just an acknowledgement of what scientists had figured out. Quiet. Discreet. Probably largely unnoticed by the masses. In fact, I would argue that in the world of Through The Arc of the Rain Forest, most probably went right on with wild speculations despite a logical conclusion being reached. It's noted that "As for Matacao itself, so-called Matacao plastic conservationists ran all over it, tearfully trying to find a solution for the preservation of this contemporary geological and, many insisted, spiritual miracle" (Yamashita 207).

Well color me surprised. Human beings choose to stick with a more fantastical, unfounded claim rather than accept what science has already proven to the be the truth? I bet that's never happened before.

Through The Arc of the Rain Forest provides a well constructed illustration of mankind's inability to separate themselves from their delusions. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence, MANY still choose to believe what they want to believe--simply because they can. It's this pattern that still leads to speculation about crop circles. Or people refusing to acknowledge the Theory of Evolution. Or bigfoot.

Matacao's eventual scientific reveal plays in to this idea. It's written in the book almost as an afterthought, as if to acknowledge that in the realm of the novel it would be ignored by many. This happens all too often in our own world as well. Crazy conspiracy theories, vivid fantasies and rampant false ideas are publicized while the actual, proven scientific truth is received with little fanfare or acknowledgement. People love their fantasies, love what makes them wonder or feel comfortable.

For many in the novel Matacao represented a kind of promised land, and they didn't want to let go of that. Even if it killed them.

Forever young

“Chico Pico would forever even if he grew up to be a very old man and decrepit man, be the boyish young angel of everyone’s dream pilgrimage”( Yamashita 163).  My favorite character in the book is Chico Pico because he is the one I identify with the most. Not necessarily in terms of his journey to Matacao but rather the way in which a majority of Brazilian see and worship him. Chico Pico’s, symbolic significance to the people of Brazil, reminds me of my attitude towards my favorite child stars from the TV. shows I used  to watch when I was younger.  

Childhood, for most people myself included, is a period in life where everything imaginable is possible and every moment of the day was full of adventure. To coincide with that, most tv shows targeting an audience of a younger age group, always have characters who have an endless zeal for life and are very adventurous. Sooner or later, adulthood hits and one is plagued with responsibilities which does not always make way daily adventures and forces one to be more realistic about goals and dreams. Chico Pico, is a symbol of hope for a people living in a country in whose government is run-down and limited resources makes attaining even the simple goals very difficult. For a moment, their lives are improved with the introduction of plastic and feathers but that it is only short-lived. They are now plagued with incurable diseases and death. In response to the going in their lives, they cling on to hope by hero worshipping Chico Pico.  Similarly, the allure adulthood with its promise of freedom and control over one’s own life usually overshadows the annoying aspect living a routine based life and having to do task that are “not fun”.

 To combat this, there are actors or characters from childhood tv show or books, that I to me will always their cute/awesome childish selves. My refusal to believe that most of these actors or characters  are growing up or evolving just as I am to simply a way for me to hold on to bliss of my childhood. By forever keeping them, in the 5-12 years version of themselves in my mind, I can always re-live my childhood at any given time. But more importantly, that mental frame of them continues to fuel my sense of adventure and belief in endless possibilities in life. Even in moments of life when it is difficult to believe in anything or worse adventures barely possible.

  

Faust: Love and devotion.

To say that Von Geothe’s version of Faust was an easy read and easily understood would be a straight up lie. However, it can be inferred that one of question being asked by Von Goethe is Does love really conquer all?  

  On the surface, it seems like the life of Faust is simply a tragic story. However, Von Goethe uses the story to show the crippling effect that extreme love and devotion to one thing can have on an individual’s life.  Faust’s first love is learning and it is to which he initially dedicates a chuck of his life to.  His devotion to knowledge leads to him being locked up in dark rooms or libraries for long periods of time. Faust has limited contact with others beyond his students and his assistant Wagner. Learning takes over his life to the point where he barely goes out even into the sun.  This unhealthy way of living becomes a danger to his well-being and overall sanity. The devotion of obtaining knowledge entraps him in a world where all the matters is becoming an expert in a subject(s). The members of this community are limited in their definition of happiness and cannot even enjoy other things in life beyond books.  The love of knowledge and the devotion to acquiring knowledge leaves him unhappy and restless.

 When he meets and falls in love with Gretchen, it believed that Faust will finally be complete and happy. However, his devotion to this love proves fatal and disastrous. He becomes so consumed with her that he devotes all his effort into spending time with her. In order to avoid interruptions, he provides a sleeping portion to be administered to Gretchen mother. She is accidently overdosed and dies. Also his love for Gretchen leads to a pregnancy which in the end destroys her life. She is imprisoned and finally loses her mind after her child is taken from her. It is not his love for her which is at fault but rather his complete devotion to her. Just like he spent all his time acquiring knowledge at the risk of his own health, he puts all his efforts into spending time with Gretchen. He does not associate with others expect her.

 Von Goethe wants to caution his audience and preach the need for balance in love and devotion. Devotion is necessary in attaining goals and maintaining relationship however it is best done in moderation. Also a degree of love for one thing or person should not overshadow that of others.  But rather to achieve balance, other people or things should also be given attention to.