Monday, September 24, 2012

Is he the Philosopher?

Doctor Parcival is a confused man. There is a lot in "The Philosopher" that seems to contradict each other. The chapter starts off with Parcival being described as "a large man with a drooping mouth covered by a drooping mustache. He always wore a dirty white waistcoat, out of the pockets of which protruded a number of the kind of black cigars known as stories" (Anderson 34). From this passage Anderson shws how Parcival cannot take care of himself but when he is with George he finds ways to relate to him , by telling long stories about himself. There are some insecurities within Parcival where he needs someone to listen to him, to believe in everything he says, and to take him seriously. He finds this in George, someone who will actually believe in him. Especially someone like George, who is the reporter for the town and can get other people to listen to what Parcival says. Parcival's priorities are a little bit hazy because his book is the most important thing to him, while he is Winesburg, rather than his practice of being a doctor. But strangely Parcival is supposedly a doctor and yet the chapter is called "The Philosopher". Anderson contradicts Parcival when talking about his book because Paricval's main point for his to book is to let everyone know that we are all Christ therefore we are all crucified . But he himself  joins into the unchristian society when he refuses to go and help the girl who died because she fell from the stagecoach. He becomes paranoid because he thinks it will become known by the town and they will all whisper about it until they all join together and form a mob to run him out of town. In reality no one notices that he didn't come to help but he tells George that they will come soon, if not now later down the road. I am confused by the fact of whether or not he is considered a grotesque. Anderson describes the grotestque as distorted and unsure and Parcival reveals himself to be very insecure , and these insecurities allow him to not be able to live the life that he intended on living. One thing I really questioned about Parcival was his family. His father went to an asylum and his brother was a railroad painter and brought in the money for him , Parcival and his mother. His brother was a drunk who would make the money and tell him and his mother they couldn't touch, then he would go spend it all , and make up to his family by sending them gifts. Through this he still considered his brother a "superior being" and he tell George that he want him to be just like his brother. In what ways does he mean? Selfish and uncaring of others? Or the ultimate man, who makes money and takes care of the family without really being there? What is it he sees in his brother that he believes makes him superior ?

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