Reading Coetzee’s Foe started very easy, and so it continued until I hit the final chapter. The structure of the chapters was interesting; the first chapter lets the reader know who the narrator is, and the second chapter the narrator writes letters to Mr. Foe, that is supposed to print her story as an amazing book that will “save” her and Friday, told from Susan’s point of view. The third chapter is again narrated by Susan but it involves more dialogue, unlike the previous chapters. Now the fourth and final chapter is something that I would like to call CONFUSING. When I read it I did not know what to make of it so I reread it, still I stared at the words and the very few pages not knowing how to interpret the chapter and book I had finished. So I reread it, in hope that I will be enlightened while reading the words on the final pages. Third time is a charm. The reason I had been so confused was because I did not know really who the narrator was, who were the narratees (audience) and so on. I interpreted the last chapter as a dream at first, Susan’s dream but then I thought that it did not make sense so after reading it three times I understood it to be someone completely disconnected with these characters except for maybe have read the tale of Susan, Friday and the other characters. Maybe Coetzee wanted to give us, the readers, a voice in the book and allowed us to walk through the remains of the characters. Coetzee will not tell us what to think of it. It is up to the individual to create his or her own interpretation of the end.
“From his mouth, without a breath, issue the sounds of the island” (154) this tells me that Friday could be taken from the island but the island could not be taken from Friday. The life of the island still lives in the man with no tongue. Throughout the book we get to hear Susan’s point of view but with the few lines in the last chapter do we get to see what Friday has held within all along. The scar that the narrator tells us of, “I had not observed this before – is a scar like a necklace, left by a rope or a chain” (155) signifies the “heavy” string that Susan hung around his neck where he carried the letter that claimed him to be a free man. This burden, to always prove ones freedom, left a visible flesh scar, something that tells us that he was a slave, but now free thanks to the “mercy” of the white man. It is almost as a mark of distinction. This can be compared to the Star of David that the Jewish population had to wear during WWII. The scar, or the Star, lives with a person even if itself is no longer there physically, just the memory of it is engaved in you.
Friday being the only active character in the last chapter signifies that, even though they all tried to teach him how to write, to understand and other things they thought necessary, he was the one who was alive. Friday finds joy in the robe and the wig, and childlike dance that leads him in some sort of a trance that allows him to be wherever he pleases, and does not make any sense to Susan. All along Friday shows how little things can make you the happiest. He can close his eyes and he can be where he belongs. But she never finds her home. “This is a place where bodies are their own signs. It is the home of Friday” (157), in the midst of silence, where words cannot be uttered is where Friday belongs. There are no need for speech just being is enough. At the very end with the last lines Friday dies, peacefully, his mouth is opened and there no longer is silence. Friday finally speaks and he will not stop. He has a story to tell and it will be heard.
“From his mouth, without a breath, issue the sounds of the island” (154) this tells me that Friday could be taken from the island but the island could not be taken from Friday. The life of the island still lives in the man with no tongue. Throughout the book we get to hear Susan’s point of view but with the few lines in the last chapter do we get to see what Friday has held within all along. The scar that the narrator tells us of, “I had not observed this before – is a scar like a necklace, left by a rope or a chain” (155) signifies the “heavy” string that Susan hung around his neck where he carried the letter that claimed him to be a free man. This burden, to always prove ones freedom, left a visible flesh scar, something that tells us that he was a slave, but now free thanks to the “mercy” of the white man. It is almost as a mark of distinction. This can be compared to the Star of David that the Jewish population had to wear during WWII. The scar, or the Star, lives with a person even if itself is no longer there physically, just the memory of it is engaved in you.
Friday being the only active character in the last chapter signifies that, even though they all tried to teach him how to write, to understand and other things they thought necessary, he was the one who was alive. Friday finds joy in the robe and the wig, and childlike dance that leads him in some sort of a trance that allows him to be wherever he pleases, and does not make any sense to Susan. All along Friday shows how little things can make you the happiest. He can close his eyes and he can be where he belongs. But she never finds her home. “This is a place where bodies are their own signs. It is the home of Friday” (157), in the midst of silence, where words cannot be uttered is where Friday belongs. There are no need for speech just being is enough. At the very end with the last lines Friday dies, peacefully, his mouth is opened and there no longer is silence. Friday finally speaks and he will not stop. He has a story to tell and it will be heard.
5 comments:
I agree!
I love it when that happens. I feel so validated that you too think this last chapter is our, the reader's, voice in the novel. I think it is a point of genius on the part of the author to write his audience into the story. We can infer so much meaning from that one act. We can no longer read this book and cast it aside as a piece of fiction. It's like the moment in the novel where Susan and Foe come to understand that by keeping Friday mute they keep themselves convenienced. If they pretend they have no idea what he wants then they can impose their own desires on him. Similarly, up intil the fourth chapter we could impose our own desires on this novel. However, with the inclusion of ourselves in it, we no longer have that convenience.
Do you really think Friday dies? I didn't get that part. I think that Friday is eternal. I would love to know where you see his death. Is it because he has no breath at the end? If so I see your point but I would love to chat further on the subject.
After reading your blog, I went and I re-read the end, to try to understnad your point of how we the readers are the narrators of the last novel. I completely did not get that feeling, I thought that the last part was more of a dream sequence, a dream dreamt by Friday. He is in a world that he feels he does not belong, so by dreaming that Susan, Foe and Susan's daughter is dead is symbolic to his reality, to the reality that he lives in a world where he does not feel alive, because of his lack of language. I also don't believe that Friday dies in the end, I think the complete opposite, in the end he finally feels alive, he finally has a voice.
Hi Ranna,
It's so interesting that you saw the last chapter as being told by "someone completely disconnected with these characters except for maybe having read the tale of Susan, Friday and the other characters." Even though I interpreted the last chapter to be a dream of Susan's and Foe's, I also think it could be interpreted similarly to what you said...as almost a "non-author" or someone who perhaps is sort of omniscient...or at least "outside" of the previously written story. I think the genius of this final chapter is Coetzee's ability to give us a sense of non-authorship...which is perhaps his wanting to give us a sense that stories or histories are never "owned" by anyone and therefore only always up for interpretation with never a "right" interpretation.
I agree at first I was not able to clearly read the ending. I believe that shows the genious of the writer. Perhaps it was his intent to thwart the reader and to give them an entirely differnt perspective to make the ending stand out. It is very interesting as you said that in the previous chapters the narrator is very clear and only at the end there is a change in narration. I believe most readers are confused when reading the final chapter, but as you said if you read it again, you can come up with a perspective conclusion that makes the bokk even more intriguing. I too found it interesting that Friday is the lone survivor, and he is the least likely to pass on the story, because he cannot speak. It is really a teatament to the authors approach to his craft in dissecting his characters.
I completely agree with you "confusing" should be the title. It was a great read and I was very into the book until the end. I also did not know what to think of it and I had to reread it and I was tired of reading because I grew frustrated and uninterested. In the end I didn't even care to try and break this chapter down. I don't care too much about the mystery or the chapter. Who cares!!!!!!!
But, like I stated in my blog I do think it is Daniel Foe because the narrator is familiar with the surrondings and knows the names of the characters. He is knowing or at least that's how I read it.
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