Michael Ondaatje's Coming Through Slaughter deals with violence and destruction throughout the life of Buddy Bolden and the people surrounding him. Violence and destruction are prominent themes that seem to formulate the storyline of the narrative. The violence seems to act as a shield from the true interpersonal obstacles, which are indeed guided by the loneliness of the characters. Harm and demolition is shown throughout the novel, specifically when Buddy Bolden supposedly physically attacked Tom Pickett for sleeping with his wife Nora Bass (70), when E.J Bellocq slit the pictures he took of the prostitutes with his knife (51-52), through Bellocq's presumed suicide (80) and Mrs. Bass' murder (22) and lastly, through Bolden's insanity experience …show more content…
at the parade (Ondaatje 131-132). Violence and destruction is shown throughout the novel as a means of escaping reality through the characters' loneliness. Buddy Bolden's imagination of cutting Tom Pickett with a razor blade is a means of besieging his interpersonal relationship issues with his wife Nora Bass through his isolation.
Bolden supposedly cut, "[f]ive or six scars...into [Pickett's] cheeks" (Ondaatje 68). Also, Bolden cut Pickett's nipple off, broke his left elbow and hurt his knee (Ondaatje 70-71). Bolden was enraged at the fact that Pickett was teasing Bolden about Nora and him having an affair (Ondaatje 70). However, both Nora and Bolden seem to be in an opened relationship since Bolden is sleeping with Robin who is Jaelin Brewitt's wife, all while Nora is sleeping with Pickett (Ondaatje 97). Nora was smitten by Pickett and "[t]here was nothing [Bolden] could do" about the situation (Ondaatje 97). Even though Bolden may be sleeping with Robin, he still feels "[t]he loneliness" (Ondaatje 97). Thus, there is no reason for Bolden to be upset with Pickett when in truth; he is performing the same affair with another woman (Ondaatje 97). As a result, Bolden uses violence as a way of charging a problem that he envisions, when in reality; it is the loneliness inside of him that seems to be consuming his anger. Even though he has affairs with Robin, the satisfaction from his wife is not being recognized and she does not vision him as qualified anymore compared to Pickett, who is seemingly "...one of the most beautiful men in the District", thus, leaving him feeling very alone and somewhat resentful of Pickett (Ondaatje 68). Bolden's self-destruction also began here because once everyone heard about Bolden's attack on Prewitt, it "...made [Bolden] unpopular" which caused Bolden to not "...leave at the peak of his glory..." which made him isolate from his supporters as well (Ondaatje 73). This caused Bolden's self-destruction because his loneliness from being enraged with his wife for not loving him the way she loves Pickett (97), led to him attacking Pickett at the barber shop (70) and nearly killing him, to
being diminished by his supporters (73) which would eventually catch up to him when he ends up in the insane asylum (Ondaatje 133). E.J Bellocq's destruction of the images of prostitutes and his suicide is a means of harbouring his true issue, which is his loneliness. Bellocq, a disabled man "...with his stoop, and his clothy hump...” paid prostitutes to take pictures of them without actually sleeping with them (Ondaatje 52). Bellocq would then imprint, "...knife slashes across the bodies" of the prostitutes in the pictures as a means of 'marking his territory' just like a dog would do (87) and "...leav[ing] his trace on the bodies" (Ondaatje 51). Bellocq never seemed to fit in anywhere; he was very dependent of himself only and seemed to be a person that was very behind in his thoughts (Ondaatje 52). Bellocq's task of taking pictures was essentially like a wife to him because he took his camera wherever he went and cherished it as though it were someone he felt really close and passionate to (Ondaatje 53). Therefore, for Bellocq to destroy the images of the prostitutes with knife slashes on them, it seems to tell the readers that he "...want[s] to enter the photographs..." since that is the only place he feels he can fit in (Ondaatje 51). Bellocq manipulates the images using violence as a way of secretly stating his loneliness and his wish to feel like he belongs somewhere (Ondaatje 51). Bolden also told Nora that Bellocq was "...a lonely man" and that "...he even talked to his photographs he was that lonely" (Ondaatje 127). Therefore, once again, by using violence in his pictures, Bellocq is portraying his loneliness as a means of showing his art as a form of his personality, which is being a very isolated human being (Ondaatje 51 & 127). Bellocq "...discovered the minds of certain people through their bodies" meaning that he formulated in his mind a perception of what he believed the story was going to be told with the prostitutes in the images (Ondaatje 53). Thus, Bellocq's interaction with the images was the only type of interaction he most likely had on a regular basis, other than with Bolden (Ondaatje 127). The violent deaths of both E.J Bellocq and Mrs. Bass are also seen through the causes of their loneliness. Bellocq was supposedly killed by committing suicide in a ring of fire that surrounded the room he was keeping himself in (Ondaatje 80). By committing suicide in a room surrounded by fire that Bellocq started himself, shows the reader that Bellocq presumably wanted to die alone. As mentioned before, even Bolden describes Bellocq as "...a lonely man" and that he often spoke only to the photographs that he took of the prostitutes (Ondaatje 127). Bellocq perhaps did not feel as though life was worth living anymore since he was so lonely, therefore, felt the need to commit suicide to escape the reality of his isolated life. Since Bolden had already disappeared to the Brewitt's residence (Ondaatje 27), it can be speculated that Bellocq felt even lonelier that Bolden was not around him to keep him company. As for Mrs. Bass, Webb supposedly stated that she was killed by strangulation from her pet snake that she purchased at a zoo (Ondaatje 19 & 22). Mrs. Bass possibly felt lonely after her husband died, therefore, she decided to buy "...an old python..." in order keep her company (Ondaatje 19). Mrs. Bass' loneliness from losing Mr. Bass (19) caused her to buy the snake (19), which eventually was assumed the prime 'suspect' to her violent murder (Ondaatje 22). The snake, which she bought herself to keep her company since she felt lonely (19) and needed "...overwhelming passions..." (19) to carry on with her day, ended up being the supposed killer to her violent death (Ondaatje 22). Buddy Bolden's manic episode at the parade was a means of showing the audience his self-destruction through his loneliness. In April of 1907, Buddy Bolden went insane during a gig "...with Henry Allen's Brass Band" (Ondaatje 133). Bolden, because of this chaotic incident, is now put into an asylum by himself, which fundamentally ruined his career (Ondaatje 133). Bolden supposedly lost his mind "...trying to play the devil's music and hymns at the same time...[and] by playing too hard and too often drunk too wild too crazy" (Ondaatje 135). This episode can be speculated as Bolden finally coming into realization that he cannot escape his reality of constantly being in the spotlight all while feeling so lonely on the inside. According to Nora, Bellocq debased Bolden into becoming a introverted human being (127), from always being a social butterfly (52), therefore, this again could have reflected upon the self-destruction of not only his career, but of himself which was shown at the parade (Ondaatje 132). The scene at the parade ends with Bolden stating, "[w]hat I wanted" which could possibly mean that he merely wanted to die (Ondaatje 132). Bolden's self-destruction is seen through his loneliness because at the moment of his manic episode where he was mentioning how he "...can't hear the music as [he] play[ed] it" and his "...loss of privacy in the playing..." was too overwhelming, thus, Bolden seemed to be in his 'own world' or rather in a bubble out of reality (Ondaatje 130-131). In conclusion, violence and self-destruction contributes to the way isolation is handled throughout the novel. As mentioned before, harm and self-demolition is shown specifically when Buddy Bolden attacked Tom Pickett for sleeping with his wife Nora Bass (70), when E.J. Bellocq slashed the photographs he took of the prostitutes with his knife (51-52), through Bellocq's presumed suicide (80) and Mrs. Bass' murder (22) and lastly, through Bolden's insanity incident at the parade (Ondaatje 131-132). Bolden's attack on Pickett was the aftermath of his longed loneliness from his wife Nora (Ondaatje 70 & 97). E.J. Bellocq's slashed photographs are violently demolished as a means of fitting himself into the story through the images (Ondaatje 51-52). Belloqc's supposed suicide (80) and Mrs. Bass assumed death from strangulation by her snake (22), were violent attacks due possibly to loneliness. Lastly, Bolden's insane episode at the parade is portrayed as a means of escaping the real world through the loneliness of his thoughts within him (Ondaatje 131-132). Ondaatje's Coming Through Slaughter portrays the gateway of reality being concealed though violence and destruction as a means of conveying the truth in which loneliness commands.
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