Chapter 13 — Analysis of “Luke, Postmodern Man”
Introduction
For many readers the words ‘postmodern man’
in the title of the story may be a put off since we tend to think of something
postmodern as beyond our conventional taste and understanding; we tend to think
of postmodern ideas as unreal, as frigid simulacra.
To go even further, we think of
‘postmodern’ as disrupting the social order, fragmentation, chaos and disorder;
to which we tend to respond with pessimism and panic.
Although we can see that Luke —by his own
admission— is quite chaotic and panicky, as Luke himself says: “Despite my
quirks, Trish seems to like me, and is of great help to me. She brings order
and stability to my Department; and I like this since I’m quite chaotic.”
Yet the story is quite conventional as it
deals with staple notions of a modern world: love, compassion, faith and death.
Where postmodernism fits in is in Lukes’ —the protagonist and narrator— personal taste in music and literature, as
contrasted to other characters’ preferences.
Major Characters
Luke:
is the
protagonist and narrator of the story. Being a business executive, Luke is by
no means a literary man; as a result readers —much like Dostoevsky’s
Underground Man— may find abrupt transitions, digressions, and halting timelines.
In addition, some of his metaphors and similes are not only prosaic but also
careless. The fictional fact to consider is that Luke is mandated by his
psychiatrist to write about his problems, as a form of therapy.
Although Luke might suffer from bipolar
disorders of highs and lows, no one can say that Luke is disturbed; on the
contrary one can say that he is determined to disturb others (readers
included).
Erica:
is Luke’s “Viking golden girl,” who leaves him only
to return to him, Luke being her last refuge.
Melissa:
a decent and level-headed young lady that Luke
meets through his dating service in the internet. Melissa seems to be the
countervailing force to Luke’s bipolar disorders.
Trish: Luke’s administrative assistant who not only watches his back but
also keeps him well informed of what is happening in the office.
Nick
Santoro: a sanctimonious, ambitious, and obnoxious
executive; Luke’s nemesis.
Doctor
Lori Twinrivers, MD, Ph.D.: the psychiatrist that
by her peculiar therapy cures Luke.
Mr.
Guerrero: Luke’s boss and a friend of his family.
Themes and Plots
Luke, the narrator, makes it easy for the
reader to discern what his story is about; in that, he is aware that people who
read fiction have the tendency to get a quick idea, right at the outset, what
the main topic is all about—all in one eyeful and up front.
As if wishing to challenge the reader, Luke
says:
Those of you who
look for themes, leads, and topic sentences when you read, I’ve got news for
you: you won’t find any. In real life we don’t live by themes and selected
topics, but only by the cluster of events that happen around us as we go in our
daily lives. But if you insist, I will admit that what follows are true events
that despite the life and death detours ends well, or bad—depending on your
point of view.
What Luke is trying to do with his
narration is to drag readers into the story and by immersing themselves find
out that the real themes are ultimately life and death—in perspective.
A recurrent subtheme —though not quite as
strident as the main themes— is the notion of suicide.
Style
Negatives as Sentence Openers
When narrators use negative words, these
negative words have the tendency to create negative thoughts and negative
impressions in readers:
Nothing
can be more humiliating than to see your colleagues
titter, guffaw, and short-laugh right in front of you.
Nothing delights me more than this insane game.
Unlike many couples, we had no financial woes. Erica was the chief counsel
for a highly respected woman’s magazine; a nice, high-salary, high-power job.
Rhetoric
1.
Use of Similes
Surprised all I could do
was to sink my head into my collar like a
turtle withdraws into his carapace.
To say that she was
startled would be a fib: she was shaken; her composure and poise melting like cheese on a grilled burger.
I don't know what she did
besides her embrace, but whatever it was it did me wonders, for my hysteria
lifted like a helium balloon.
When I registered
her I was a cool dude on the outside, but inside I felt as hot and panicky as a lobster that’s to be dunk into
boiling water.
I quickly ran my
hand over the top of my head and the stubble felt like the fuzz on a tennis ball
2.
Use of Zeugma
History teaches us that
when these bubbles burst, people lose
not only their moral compass and shirt, but also their underwear, minds, and
even their lives.
Last year because Nick’s sales went down, his bonus also went
down; yet, my bonus was rather hefty, if not obese.
3.
Use of Alliteration
Unwanted, unwelcome, and unwell, she
decided to come back to New York, to Manhattan,
to the only person in the world who had ever loved and cared for her—to Luke.
Yes—me!
If you see a tall dude, with
a close-shaven head and a magnificent,
majestic Mohawk on top, that will be me.
Study Questions
Is Luke’s constant preoccupation with hair
the root of all his problems?
Is it ironical that both Luke and Erica
lose and regain their hair? And what is the significance of Erica’s prayer, to
include the quote from Luke 12:7?
Do elite educational institutions —in
particular those Luke mentions— put too much pressure on students, to the point
that they become nervous wrecks?
What relation does Kafka have to the story?
Is Luke aware that doctor Lori Twinrivers
is a Native American? And what explicit clues in the text might point to this?
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