In Lincoln in the
Bardo, George Saunders includes multiple historical accounts of the events
in the novel, both real and fictional, and draws from hundreds of different
characters’ points of view in the scenes set in the Bardo.
These points of view often do not agree. For example, two
historical accounts of Abraham Lincoln simultaneously describe him both “the ugliest”
and “the handsomest” man the two different writers had ever seen (199-200).
That the same face could elicit such opposing viewpoints is something Saunders
purposefully highlights by placing them nearly next to each other in the text,
creating conflict.
These conflicting opinions are incredibly connected to the
setting and conflicts of Lincoln in the
Bardo. With the backdrop of the Civil War, the differing perspectives on
the same face becomes a microcosm of the larger ideological conflict facing the
country. It’s clear that Saunders wishes to depict this conflict not through
the literal battles taking place during that time period, but rather the
smaller conflicts between and even within characters, caused by these differing
perspectives.
For example, Abraham Lincoln’s personal conflict throughout the
novel pertains to his decision to go into the Civil War. As his own son lays
dead in a coffin, Lincoln considers the over three thousand dead already in the
conflict, all “someone’s boys” (155). Once more, differing perspectives of the
same conflict are vital to understanding Lincoln’s own conflict. Saunders
represents this by emphasizing the nasty opinions of Lincoln’s leadership during
the war, calling him an “the weakest man who has ever been elected” and saying
that the war has “no purpose” (233). These opinions would most likely serve to
contradict commonly held beliefs about Abraham Lincoln’s leadership during the
Civil War. History now considers Lincoln a strong leader in American history,
but these accounts say otherwise.
Overall, Saunders uses these differing opinions and conflict
of ideals to strengthen the climax of the novel. In order to save Willie
Lincoln, hundreds of ghosts combine their strengths and enter Abraham Lincoln,
hoping to influence him to go back for his son. Despite the work Saunders does
to differentiate the voices of the spirits, having them all speak with
different grammatical conventions and with vastly different life experiences,
constantly conflicting against one another, it is through their togetherness
that they are able not only to help Willie but also to come to a new
understanding of each other and themselves. They find themselves “being
restored somewhat to (their) natural fullness” in their working together (256).
Even in the backdrop of conflict and differing opinions, it is through these
ghosts coming together both literally and emotionally that they solve their
problem. In this way, it becomes clear that Saunders highlights the differing
opinions and conflict of the times and of the characters to illustrate how
these conflicts can be solved through cooperation.
I agree with your points about the differing perspectives in the novel. Looking at the historical aspect of the novel, it's easy to believe that Lincoln was a great president and everyone thought so during his time in office. This conflict reminds us that this was not the case, as evident by the unfavorable descriptions of him by characters, such as "The Presdt is an idiot" (232) and "Vain, weak, puerile, hypocritical, without manners..." (232). I think this allows the reader to look at history from a unique perspective and begin to see it through a different perspective, though not all accounts and characters are factual.
ReplyDeleteI think that this novel translates well into today’s society. It uses history as way to understand problems that we face.
You mentioned that the characters ability to work together to both help Willie and better understand themselves, and I think that Saunders is trying to send a message through that. We are currently in a time of great conflict and I interpret the characters and this novel as a way of saying that we are all going to disagree, but in order to solve conflicts we are going to have to get over those differences and work together.
You are right with your assessment of the climax of the novel. My other blog response discussed Saunders's views on how a president should feel internally, full of emotion and empathy. Your assessment of the climax details how we the people should act in times of conflict. Currently there is a lot of tension and conflict in the United States surrounding Trump's presidency, however Saunders realizes the importance to work together and be civil with everyone regardless of their political beliefs or background.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel when Lincoln is trying to exit the bardo, all the spirits regardless of who they were in their past lives enter into the president with the goal of getting him to stay. All the members of the bardo "found [themselves...] being restored somewhat to [their] natural fullness" (256). Saunders is saying that our country is at its strongest when it is not divided. Even though we may not agree with our president, it is important to not start fighting among each other and avoid making the division even worse.
Your analysis of the differing historical viewpoints made me think about several of the points that Saunders made in "Who Are All These Trump Supporters?" The one that stood out the most was when he said “each of us constructs a custom informational universe” (7). Universally, however, we don’t acknowledge that people get information from differing sources and it may not all agree and this is a huge part of conflict. Saunders illustrates this point throughout the novel. For example, when describing the party some sources say “guests recalled the beautiful moon” (19) while others say “there was no moon that night (19). These vastly differing perspectives are a reminder that all accounts of “facts” come with bias. The differing description of the moon is fairly harmless but Saunders later harshly challenges the view that Lincoln was a great man and savior of the country through some of his historical accounts. One wished that someone would “plunge the dagger into the tyrant’s heart” (235). Saunders, on the other hand, is clearly a fan of Lincoln throughout the novel. This can be seen in the way he describes Lincoln tenderly holding Willie’s “sick form” in the bardo (58). The fact that Saunders includes a viewpoint so contradictory to his own illustrates his belief that it is important to recognize that people have conflicting viewpoints and get information from different places. This recognition is the first step to communication and cooperation.
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