| The assertion is that Postmodernism is a distinct and clearly separate
entity from modernism; it is not merely an intensification of the values
of the modernist writers but a reaction to the very values of modernism
which some purport it to have grown out of. Modernism is well defined as
a reaction to the changes and social/cultural impacts brought about by the
Second World War. The rapid change and fluctuations in world society left
a hole that many poets felt current literature was unable to fill. Something
new was created as a reaction to this problem, and modernism was born. The
birth of, or rather the coalescence modernism was a reaction to the events
of the day much like any other artistic movement throughout history. Postmodernism
is no different in this respect; it was a natural reaction to events which
seemed to precipitate its birth, namely modernist writing itself. Yes, Postmodernism is a reaction to the inadequacies of modernism, a reaction to a reaction. For this reason it can appear to be a part of the movement it is reacting to, all reaction are not bad. It can pose as modernist as it picks and chooses what it will take for its Postmodern identity. In Sherwood Anderson's story "The Egg," we see a disillusionment of the very human dream of success and ambition. The characters are doomed to failure, because no one, not even God, makes it out of the story unscathed. Likewise, in Coupland's story Generation X, the reader is presented with a similar idea, the diminished expectations and disillusionment about life of the three daughters. The difference lies in the interpretation of the end as suggested by the writer. Anderson seems to push the idea that people are just dumb chickens. How can these restrained and tortured beings succeed in life? In Generation X, the story created by the two girls is so utterly boring and hopeless that any reflection of that onto their own life can only be negative. Their life, as far as the reader is concerned, is reduced to telling stories to supplement the void in their own lives. This reaction is changed however, by the girl's ability to change reality and hence their and the reader's perceptions thereof. The stories are a coping method for dealing with the realities of life which they, for a while at least, are able to deny the status of reality and thus insert their own to fill in the gap. "The Egg" can be viewed as a reaction to the inhumanity and stupid nature of man brought about by the Second World War and the ensuing rapid cultural changes, yet conversely, Generation X is not a similar such reaction but instead is a reaction to the perceived inaccuracies in the modern reaction to these cultural and social inequities. The alternate realities suggested by Coupland through the stories we tell ourselves have the effect of turning the problem inside out to a problem of each person's perception of events and not the events themselves. Postmodern is the reaction to the inadequacies of modernism. Another way Postmodern writers have reacted to modernism is in the issue of closure. In Willa Cather's story "Neighbour Rosicky," the idea of closure is very clear. It is there. Cather's substitute myth for a modern society, a truth she is lifting up as pure and original, would be useless without the ending she ordains it with. "Rosicky's life seemed to him complete and beautiful." What better way to end a story about human happiness and contentment? This modernist example had to have full closure in order to be an effective substitute myth for modern society. A natural Postmodern corollary to Cather's story is Saul Bellow's "Looking for Mr. Green." This story takes the whole modern idea of closure as expressed in "Neighbour Rosicky" and turns it on its head. Grebe is searching and searching for a man, Mr. Green, so he can deliver to him his check from the government, however at the end of the story the closest he gets is a woman whom he presumes to be Mrs. Green. "'But are you Mrs. Green?' he now thought to ask. But she was already climbing the stairs with the check, and it was too late, if he had made an error, if he was now in trouble, to undo the thing." It is not clear whether or not Grebe has found his target or not, the reader is left to wonder about this just as much as is Grebe in the end. The end of the story is clearly left wide open to interpretation by the reader as to whether or not the task has indeed been completed. Bellow denies the reader a sufficient ending because to do so would recognize a singular truth about human nature that the Postmodern writer is not willing to declare. In the end, Grebe makes the decision to tell himself a story in order to satisfy his need for closure. "…he had, nevertheless, a feeling of elation too. 'For after all,' he said, 'he could be found!'" He chooses to believe that even if he has not succeeded in finding Mr. Green, there will be no repercussions for him since no one has any reason to think otherwise. In the Postmodern tradition, this is not left to be the final word but only one of many final words that are possible. We may never know. Postmodernism tells its readers that we deceive ourselves on a daily basis about important things in our lives, but that it is fine to do so because the truth of reality is measure for within and not by any outside observer. If we are able to tell ourselves new stories to explain the changing world around us, we will be just fine in the protective cocoon of our minds. Where else is there hope of finding truth in a world such as the one in which we live, the Postmodern writer is saying. In the real world that we live in, people have become accustomed to the open-endedness that these writers incorporate into their works. Friends we will never see again, repercussions of our actions that will never reach us: closure does not seem to be an integral part of our lives, and thus Postmodernism represents our world. |