It is our human spirit that separates us from animals. Because animals lack a spirit of their own, they have no conscience to guide them with the inner sense of right and wrong. T.C. Boyle's "Carnal Knowledge" portrays two people, Jim and Alena, who live as if they lack a human spirit. Like animals, they act as they please, satisfying their own wants with no sense of morality. From Jim's lies of being a vegan to Alena's hatred towards mankind, we see an underlying theme. This theme is that a human being without spiritual depth and moral reasoning becomes just meat.
Being the first-person narrator, Jim tells the reader about himself and eventually exposes what an animal he is.
"I saw those ads in the magazines, the ones that showed the veal calves penned up in their own waste, their limbs atrophied, and their veins so pumped full of antibiotics they couldn't control their bowels, but when I took a date to Anna Maria's, I could never resist the veal scallopini" (Meyer 242).
Even in his introductory words, Jim expresses his numb feelings towards tortured animals. From the way he describes the sad life forced upon the veal calves to the way he talks about his love to feast upon this same breed, it becomes clear that Jim has neither shame nor organic unity. He acts according to what he wants, knowing full well that he pleasures upon the suffering of others. Later, when he is in conversation with his lust interest Alena, he tries and finally succeeds in making her think that he identifies with her and how she feels about the cruelty done towards animals. In response to her comment about how "every day is Auschwitz for the animals," he tells the reader:
"I looked down into the amber aperture of my beer bottle and nodded my head sadly…I wondered if she's go out to dinner with me, and what she could eat if she did" (Meyer 245).
Here it is obvious now that he only wants to agree with what Alena says to please her so she will agree to go out with him. " 'I don't eat meat myself,' I lied, 'or actually, not anymore'—since the pastrami sandwich, that is" (Meyer 246). Because of his lust for Alena, he immorally and without hesitation acts as if he too is outraged and disgusted by the act of cruelty towards animals and lies to her about being a vegan.
Durant argues that “ On the one hand, he hammers ethical meat-eaters because right now ethical meat accounts for such an insubstantial portion of meat that gets eaten.” after inserting a quote he continues by writing “ In the same chapter, only five short pages later, he lauds the influence of solitary vegetarians.” Durant points out that animal rights advocates don’t want anyone to eat animals even if it is ethically done. Later on he continues to say that Foer represents “Just about every urban-vegan-coastal-elite stereotype.” Durant believes that Foer is acting biased towards ethical meat alternatives and instead supports vegetarians even though both groups seem to small to make a
Rachels, J. (2013). The Moral Argument for Vegetarianism. In L. Vaughn, Contemporary Moral Arguments - Readings in Ethical Issues Second Edition (pp. 617-622). New York: Oxford University Press.
With Jim's trip back to Black Hawk, he was able to tie his whole life together. After leaving Antonia's home, Jim felt that his life had made a circle. He realized that through all his gains and losses, the past that he shared with Antonia was so precious.
Despite the major exterior differences, however, there is a strong correlation between the characters of Jim and Georgiana. Both are relatively weak people who allow another person to direct, dominate, and exploit them. In both cases this willingness to submit to a will other than their own is based on some incarnation of love or lust. Jim is immediately attracted to Alena, and that attraction grows into an addiction to the exciting life she leads. In the midst of his narrative he reflects on his feelin...
The case study of “What should we do with Jim?” has been read and a set amount of questions has been asked about the reading, which will be answered by the following:
When he shares conversations with his lust interest Alena, he introduces himself as a vegan, knowing the fact that he loves meat. But he tries and succeeds on convincing Alena think that he agrees with her perspective on cruelty done towards animal. But his response over her comment about how “everyday is Auschwitz”, reveals truly what he is. He quotes to the readers, “I looked down into the amber aperture of my beer bottle and nodded my head sadly...I wondered if she's go out to dinner with me, and what she could eat if she did” By him saying this, here it is too obvious that he only wants to agree with what Alena says to please her so that she will agree to go out with him. His “fated-love” appearance towards Alena was much important than noticing Alfie, Alena’s dog, peeing on his foot, which this point revels another point of irony. We as readers can see due to disorientation that Jim reveals with Alena, he fails to make decisions on what is right and wrong to do even though he urges for fated-love relationship with
Dreams are nothing but our innermost desires. We are made to pursue these dreams and have them be the driving force in all we do. Jim Burden is no different; like everyone, he has dreams, and he does his best to pursue them and fulfill them. Or does he? Jim writes the story of Antonia through his own life. He is plagued with the disease of romanticism. He cannot move on; though time will move, Jim's thoughts and emotions are rooted in the past. Frances Harling said it right when she said, "the trouble with you, Jim, is that you're romantic." Jim is a romantic, a dreamer who never acts. Many things contribute to Jim's romanticism, his experiences, his emotions, and his actions; however as no one could suspect, it helped him mature and appreciate loves lost.
Norcross, Alastair. “Puppies, Pigs, and People: Eating Meat and Marginal Cases.” Philosophical Perspectives 18, (2004): 229-245.
Even when Jim is in this awful war-stricken place, one thing that he can still find comfort in, and which reminds him of his peaceful home is the birds, which are everywhere, still living their lives unaffected by mans war. This shows how nature is unaltered by mans cruel antics against other man, and how life and nature must, and will go on through all circumstances.
Spencer, Colin. The Heretic's Feast: A History of Vegetarianism. Hanover, NH: U of New England, 1996. Print.
[This is the text of a lecture delivered, in part, in Liberal Studies 310 at Malaspina University-College, Nanaimo, BC, Canada. References to Ibsen's text are to the translation by James McFarlane and Jens Arup (Oxford: OUP, 1981). This text is in the public domain, released July 2000]
Let me begin with the words by George Bernard Shaw: ‘Animals are my friends and I don’t eat my friends’. This indicates the ethic aspect of meat consumption. In fact, people often don’t realize how animals are treated, but they can see commercial spots in their TV showing smiling pigs, cows or chickens, happy and ready to be eaten. My impression is that there can’t be anything more cruel and senseless. It is no secret that animals suffer ...
Animal asserts his position as the novel’s narrator by addressing his readership as Eyes, drawing from Jarnalis’s instructions on how to tell his story. Jarnalis told him to envision a presence, an undefined person who will soon come to feel like a friend he can be honest with and tell them his story. Animal turns the metaphor around: he says the eyes became real and started haunting him until from the undefined crowd emerged a single pair of them, Eyes, the reader themselves. The reader soon realizes they will not be a passive consumer of the story nor an omniscient presence observing the developments from the bird’s-eye’s view, but rather eyes fixed on Animal, unable to loo...
sure the children don’t see it till it’s decorated this evening”(Ibsen 892). There is also a
Societal problems prevail throughout the history of the world and exist within all countries, regions, and cultures. The controversial aspects in societies are based on a large variety of subjects, and have to be identified in order to cause societal change. Therefore, Realism is the portrayal of difficulties in societies that are depicted in everyday life, which includes common situations and actions. Realism allows authors to describe and emphasize the incompetence of some aspects within communities, while enabling writers to call for societal reform. Henrik Ibsen portrays and addresses the concepts of Norway’s society in the 19th century in A Doll House, which is a tragic play translated by Rolf Fjelde. Ibsen desires to challenge assumptions as well as rules of Norwegian life, and most importantly wants to depict society accurately, as he meticulously incorporates everyday life. Therefore, A Doll House represents a Realistic drama due to the issues involving women, illnesses, and laws within the play, while conveying Ibsen’s desire of controversy and change in Norway’s society.