Voltaire and Saunders

     Upon reading In Persuasion Nation, I was reminded of one of the great satirists, Voltaire, and especially his most famous work, Candide.  If you have not read it (I highly reccomend it), the book is on the whole a critique of Leibniz' optimistic philosophy which was very popular around the time.  The story centers around the title character, and follows him through trials and tribulations throughout the world, and his journey away from his naivete at the beginning.  He encounters many horrible events, as well as his lover, Cunegonde, and rest of the characters in the story.  It was the biting satirical attack mixed with hyperbolic violence which really made the connection.  Voltaire parodied the Seven Years' War, religious hypocrisy, blind optimism, aristocracy, and just about everything relevant to the time; Saunders parodies commercialism, the modern lack of sympathy, hypocrisy, and everything else relevant to our time.  

     In "Brad Carrigan, American," Saunders makes fun of American television programming, with its increasingly stupid and mean qualities, especially reality television and sitcoms, while also proving important points about these shows' impacts on society.  The most important of television programs for this is the news, which shows petty fashion trends in the US and suffering around the globe to reinforce American pride and contentment.  "In Persuasion Nation," deals with the increased commercialism in American culture, as well as the increasing violence and absurdity in commercials.  This is very important when applied to American culture, and their mutual influences.  The violence depicted is somewhat akin to Candide, though the latter is completely based in our world, not a fictional commercial or television world we view.  

     Voltaire makes many of the same critiques Saunders does, for one, that we need more compassion, but also that it is imperative that we try to understand what is happening around the world, and to know the world.  While the end of Candide calls for this, as well as simplicity for happy living, this idea seems present in Saunders' work, for example, with Timmy and the gameboy.  Voltaire wants us to know the world, and Saunders wants to make it better.  In this way the authors have similar, but slightly different aims.  However, I still think they are connected, and I do not believe it was an accident that Voltaire himself is a character in "In Persuasion Nation," but perhaps a nod from one great satirist to another.

Some Notes on Lahiri

     I thoroughly enjoyed the stories by Jhumpa Lahiri we read in class, mostly because of their realism and relatability, not to mention the well-constructed plots.  I thought that what she wrote flowed naturally, and built well to the end.  To me, what the stories were, was a series of portraits of real life, and what people encountered.  (For whatever reason I thought "A Real Durwan" and "The Treatment of Bibi Haldar" were more fantastical.)  In my opinion, she portrayed life as it is, and explored events and concepts which many people face, among them death, love, infidelity, ostracization, homesickness, tradition, and immigration/moving.

     One thing worthy of note in the stories is that often, the adults are involved in the academic world, and this is the reason they left their homeland.  This middle-class, academic household is probably the most similar to the average Uni student's situation than anything we read in this semester.  Beside that, the stories are relatable because of the strength in their characters, and the similarity between them and actual life.  It is easy to find empathy with the characters, and many of us will face similar situations.  Who has not felt homesick like Mrs. Sen, albeit to a lesser degree?  I liked the stories because of this, their relatability.

     However, it is easy for a portrayal of real life to become boring, but I did not find that with Lahiri. I think this was because of the subtle choice of wording, and also the well-structured plots.  There is much that is easy to miss, such as Mr. Kapasi's disapproval/judgment in the titular story which we discussed in class.  Then, the way the stories were built was traditional but effective: a few hints and some foreshadowing, leading to a climax and quick denouement.  Most of the stories follow this, and many have "happy" endings, like "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine" and "The Third and Final Continent."  This also helped make the stories more enjoyable.

   In conclusion, I liked Lahiri's stories because of the accurate portrayal of the human experience.  I appreciated the way she was able to make the ordinary extraordinary, (similar to Nicholson Baker in The Mezzanine, for those who took 20th Century Novel) and her portrayal of human life.  I am very impressed with her ability for this.  This made me appreciate the last story, "The Third and Final Continent" even more, and especially its philosophy on the extraordinary ordinariness of people's lives, and I especially liked the closing line-- "As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination"--a very healthy approach on life.  In short, I liked Lahiri's work because it was accurate to life.