Throughout Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders juxtaposes the narrations of ghosts with historical and fictional depictions of Abraham Lincoln as he grieves the loss of his son, Willie Lincoln. The differences between the historical quotes describing Lincoln and the ghosts’ perceptions of the president convey sentiments that help the reader empathize with Lincoln and better understand the atmosphere in the United States during the Civil War.
Saunders uses a multitude of fictional and historical descriptions of Lincoln to portray the division of opinions concerning Lincoln’s actions and the United States during the Civil War. The quotations question or comment on every aspect of Lincoln’s life, from questioning his decision to have a party while young Willie is sick to discussing the appearance of his eyes. The positive, supportive quotations illustrate citizens in support of Lincoln’s leadership and politics during the war. For example, one quotations describes, “He never appeared ugly to me, for his face, beaming with boundless kindness and benevolence towards mankind, had the stamp of intellectual beauty” (200). On the contrary, disapproval of Lincoln is evident throughout negative quotations that question Lincoln’s capabilities. For example, a quotation from the “Morning Post” declares, “[Lincoln] will go down to posterity as the man who could not read the signs of the times, nor understand the circumstances and interests of his country...who had no political aptitude; who plunged his country into a great war without a plan; who failed without excuse, and fell without a friend” (233). The variance in opinion emphasizes the tension during the Civil War, as some found Lincoln to be a brilliant leader and others detested his presidency. The controversial time prevented citizens from empathizing with Lincoln’s personal struggles as he mourned his son, creating an unemotional and unfeeling depiction of him.
While there is a jarring division among the living’s opinion of Lincoln without concern for his personal emotions, the ghosts inhabiting the Bardo view Lincoln in a different manner. The ghosts see Lincoln’s raw emotions as he mourns the loss of his son. They describe him in the bardo, saying, “He emitted a single, heartrending sob. Or gasp. I heard it as more of a gasp. A gasp of recognition. Of suddenly remembering what had been lost. And touched the face and hair fondly” (46). The ghosts are awestruck at Lincoln’s appearance in the Bardo and his deep love for his son, and his presence excites a fervor amongst the ghosts. As Vollman states, “It would be difficult to overstate the vivifying effect this visitation had on our community...Individuals we had not seen in years walked out, crawled out, stood shyly wringing their hands in delighted incredulity” (66). Throughout the rest of Lincoln’s visits, the ghosts continue to regard him positively; they gather to watch him visit Willie, and they are touched by his unfaltering love for his son. Through the descriptions of Lincoln from the ghosts in the Bardo, readers are shown a more human and emtotional side of Abraham Lincoln, giving insight into Lincoln’s personal struggles during the Civil War.
I think referencing how the historical accounts of Lincoln differ in the novel brings up a very interesting point that Saunders was trying to prove. If we are to believe that Saunders wrote this novel as a comparison of President Trump and Lincoln to show that President Trump lacks the qualities that made Lincoln such a great president, it may first appear curious that Saunders would include negative historical quotes such as ones describing Lincoln as "a person of very inferior character, wholly unequal to the crisis" (232). Even more interestingly, Saunders dedicates several pages to show us historical accounts arguing about Lincoln's appearance where he is described as "the homeliest man I had ever seen" (199) and "the ugliest man I had ever put my eyes on" (199). However, as the post mentioned, the spirits in the bardo view Lincoln in an overwhelmingly positive light.
ReplyDeleteWhat Saunders is trying to demonstrate to us is that despite how fondly Lincoln is remembered today, he was an extremely divisive president in the past. Fast forward to the United States today, and you will see that Donald Trump is also a very polarizing president, but one Saunders does not approve of. Saunders demonstrates through historical accounts that it is not uncommon for a president to be polarizing and recognizes that every president will always have detractors, but what makes Lincoln such a great president to him is his empathy and embracing of his emotions.
The spirits in the bardo are at first unaware of who President Lincoln is, but they see how emotional and tender he is towards his dead son, and they have a positive view of Lincoln. This underscores what I believe to be Saunders's biggest point to make about being president in the novel: character is destiny. Every president inherits situations where it is impossible to make everyone happy, but what makes a president great is his care and empathy. If a president has those two traits, he will more likely than not make the best intentioned decision for whatever the situation calls for, even if some of his critics disagree. However, a president with no care and empathy is a dangerous notion.
I think it is interesting how you recognized the separation between the bardo’s opinions of Lincoln and the living’s opinions on Lincoln. I also believe you are correct in your assessment that living accounts tend to focus more on Lincoln’s public life and his actions while the bardo’s interpretation of Lincoln rest in his emotional state. This plays with the effect I think Saunders is going for in his novel. While the historical accounts paint a picture of the disagreement during Lincoln’s time, the spiritual sections act as Saunders interpretation and message to the reader. As you mention, many of the living accounts disagree on topics such as his leadership, with one account describing Lincoln as, “Evidently a person of very inferior cast of character, wholly unequal to the crisis” (Saunders 232). These types of discussions pervade modern debates about his presidency and historical texts alike. I believe by splitting the emphasis of the historical and “ghost” sections, Saunders wants to shed light on the emotional aspects people rarely discuss. For example, it is only through the inhabitance of the ghosts that the reader sees the inner workings of Lincoln. When Vollman and Bevins enter Lincoln, they understand his grief as Lincoln thinks, “He is just one. And the weight of it is about to kill me” (Saunders 155). Through the rest of that passage and others like it, Saunders illustrates an under-served emotional perspective of history he wishes to investigate in contrast to the more common debates about Lincoln.
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