lancelot
In his philosophical novel Lancelot, Walker Percy touches upon a number of provocative issues. Although many are interesting, one topic that stands out in particular is the idea of whether or not a woman can be violated by a man. A discussion of the various positions of this ideological question would take a series of books with each volume many times thicker than this paper. However, it is certainly possible to examine how the question is treated in a specific work. Doing so then allows us to see the ramifications of holding either belief on the character. Although strictly confined to the literary world, it can be enlightening to see the differences that define each position influence a character's interactions with other characters; if only hypothetically. A passage from Percy's Lancelot provides for some good ballast that can jumpstart the debate on the violability or inviolability of women. On page 251, Lancelot asks Anna, the rape victim in the adjacent cell, to accompany him in his life after the asylum. When Lancelot says that Anna has suffered "the worst violation a woman can suffer," she responds angrily. "Are you suggesting," she says, "that I, myself, me, my person, can be violated by a man?" Anna
If the discerning reader decides that violation of a person is possible, then that is a surrendering of personal freedom. "She has not said a word for months," explains Lancelot, "not since her terrible experience," (Percy, 34). Although he is right in his observations about Anna, Lancelot's position is loaded with irony as well. In addition to being mute, Anna has to be force fed (Percy, 12). "Don't you know there are more important things in this world?" Obviously, she does not consider men as the be all and end all of her life. This is reminiscent of French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre's example of the secretary whose supervisor is making advances on her. Lancelot explains that he has read The City of God by St. " After all, he reasons, "all men" were "conceived in sin," (Percy, 239). Lance is eager to prove that women are capable of being violated, but his marginalization of the sexual act to mere biological processes undermines his own argument. Augustine and finds the great thinker talking about how he has soothed the various consciences of nuns and virgins who were raped and enjoyed it (Percy, 262). In his sex scene with Raine, Lancelot decides that his "probing" of Raine is what God has in store for people (Percy, 236). For him to say this indicates that Lancelot can see through Anna's posturing. By contrast, Anna views sex in a completely different way. By the end of the scene, Raine loses and goes to sleep while Lancelot moves onward.
Common topics in this essay:
Lancelot Anna,
Anna Lancelot,
Raine Percy,
St Augustine,
Raine God,
Walker Percy,
Lancelot Anna's,
Jean-Paul Sartre's,
Anna Lancelot's,
Anna's Lancelot,
lancelot anna,
woman violated,
person violated,
percy 252,
views sex,
terrible experience,
trivial matter,
outlook life,
percy 236,
percy 262,
|
Acceptance Essays
