Two apologies, one for the horrible title, and another because this post might seem totally obvious. Smithy is becoming a hero. He started the book as a lonely, fat alcoholic who just lost his immediate family. After setting out across the country on his bike, he has finally developed heroic traits. He survives being brutally and unjustly attacked, shot at, and verbally abused, while just trying to help other people. When Carl hits Smithy, instead of leaving him at the hospital and continuing his journey, Smithy stops and takes care of him. Although he doesn't save Carl's life, his actions are heroic. The other blatantly obvious example of Smithy's growing heroism is when he saves Kenny. Once again, Smithy goes out of his way to save a complete stranger, while also putting his life on the line. Smithy does end up saving Kenny's life, but nearly loses his; if the cop's bullet had been an inch to the side, Smithy would have bled out. It's also surprising that he survived falling into a freezing river after being shot.
My idea for the horrible title came from a comparison between Smithy and Odysseus. Both characters are war "heroes," although one embraces this status more than the other (I'll let you decide who). Both go on a journey that is longer and more difficult that it should be. Yet Smithy develops a new character on his journey and saves strangers, while Odysseus kills characters and runs from strangers. I'm not totally sure what this connection means--or if it makes any sense--but it is interesting to compare these two men and their journeys.
Plus, Smithy's journey really fits the definition of an odyssey. It's long, arduous, and very episodic in structure. He has encounters with various people, but comes out more or less okay and in the same state that he was when he went into them: riding his bike. I think their stories are similar.
ReplyDeleteI'd add to Katie's comment the idea that Smithy isn't just "in the same state" after these encounters, but somehow is shaped, strengthened, and improved somehow by them--even when on the surface they appear to be humiliating, or violent. The journey changes him, not only in a physical sense, but in his degree of engagement with other people. He now cares about others' stories, and is increasingly comfortable sharing his own story. In the true "hero's journey" style, as delineated by Campbell, the physical journey is also a journey of consciousness.
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