In one of the more recent readings, Eunice finally met Joshie. At first, Eunice was reluctant to meet Lenny’s boss, partially because of the bad experiences she has had with Lenny’s other friends. When we first see Joshie at his apartment, he comes off a pretty creepy. His apartment, like Lenny’s, is covered in references to older times— while Lenny has books and old furniture, Joshie has science fiction posters and old trinkets. But for Joshie these things mean something different. Lenny seems to ever linger in the past, while Joshie’s old objects, from his own youth, almost seem to have a vintage or trendy appeal: taking the past out of context and making it cool. And this is essentially Joshie’s appeal to Eunice: he is a man who is biologically older than Lenny, yet takes himself out of context, and is continually getting younger through more advanced technology. He is almost aging in reverse, which makes his real age a factor that one can almost overlook. But the scarier thing is that Eunice seems to be attracted to Joshie. She appreciates his charm and his “fun”. I think this is because Joshie symbolizes to Eunice the modern re-vamp of Lenny. Joshie is what Lenny would be if he were motivated enough and had enough money. It makes sense that Lenny would want to be like Joshie: he looks up to him as a role model and a friend. Eunice seems to be almost more attracted to Joshie than Lenny now, and I am worried that she might act on these feelings only to find that Joshie is actually only superficially charming, and that Lenny is the one she really wants.
In distopian societies, history nearly always plays an important role. This seems to be because the all-powerful, ruling groups often attempt to eliminate anything which does not fit their standards, which generally includes a history in which other, conflicting ideas were supported. Thus, anything remaining from the time before is rare and valuable, especially for those who still hold onto a positive memory from the time before or still uphold the old values. In The Handmaid's Tale, the Captain can bribe Offred with magazines and lotion because they connect her to her old, happier, freer life. Similarly, in 1984, Winston is attracted to many things that he finds in a small shop that sells old things. He is first intrigued by a diary and refuses to write in it with the latest writing utensil and instead resorts to the old-fashioned pen and ink. He is also drawn to a useless paperweight and becomes somewhat obsessed with a nursery rhyme. In addition to being interested in old things, Winston is fascinated by old ideas, and history in general. He questions older people, who were alive before the revolution, about what things were like before. He also experiences love, although the majority of the others in Oceania have long forgotten how to be intimate. Finally, he comes to realize that he is the only one who can remember the past. He is responsible for rewriting everything to meet government standards, and everyone else is easily brainwashed. In real life, people are attracted to happy memories from the past. In distopian literature, these relics and beliefs become incredibly more important because the disparity between the past and the present is so much more vast.
ReplyDeleteJoshie's trendy affection for the past is not unlike our own nostalgia, much more so than Lenny's approach. We find certain old things to be kitchy or cool, and thus label them "vintage" or "retro" rather than old. I find Lenny to be somewhat enigmatic, though - he presents are fairly altruistic and noble in his love of the past, but he simultaneously lusts after Eunice and Joshie (in a platonic way, of course... but still lust). I can't quite figure out how he really feels, what he really wants.
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