for a while there, herbert marcuse, i thought you were maybe right about alienation and eros

7/25/2019 For A While There, Herbert Marcuse, I Thought You Were Maybe Right About Alienation and Eros

1/8

POINi OF

YIEW:WHO'S MINDN9

fHE

SIORE?

255

his bad marriage, although he will wander from ihat

straight and narrow

road he

saw earlier,

and

he will deny

his soul, or conscience,

wall it ofr

by

gtving

it

a separate

identity. And it

will come back

again and

again

to mock

bim.

FORA WHILETHERE,HERBERTARCUSE,

I THOUGH|

YOU WERE

MAYBE

RIGHr

ABOUTALIENAT'ON

ND

EROS

by RobinScoll

Wilson

HARLEv IAcoBs became a vteran bf Chicago

when he

hitchhiked

to that toddlin'town

in late

July,

1958,

out

of a

Drofound

sense of

Dersonal

alienation

and

because

he wai bored waiting for

-his

draft board

to summon

him;

because Senator MaCarthy

had

stimulated

his

activist's

itcb, his desire

to hook into

a cau:ie;

because

he was

cririous-with a small town

resident's

naivete-about

Hippiec and Yippies;

and because-whatever

the fortunes

of-McCarthy, tbe Democratic Convention, the Youth In'


2/8

2s6

IHOSE

wHo

CAN:

A SCIEN'E

F1CT1ON

EADER

Freud,

he

-appealeg

his

dilemma

to

those

he

milled

with

q_

fron

o

rhe

Hilton.

.alow,,'

he

usfeO,

"veJit

"umi"I

rrcously

lrom

tear gas,

..how

does

a

person

or"rcomE

trrs

personat

.esEangements

itbout

at

the

same

ime

com-

promrsrng

hls

commitmetrts

to

principles

of social

signif_

cance?"

"What

you,

talkin'

about,

man?"

asked

a

bearded

young

man who

might

have

sat

for

a cheap

two-cJoi

litho of Christ.

.

."I

mean,

-as

ogn

as I

begin

to

establish

a

satisfactorv

rnrc.rpersonal

-elationshr-p,

vents

compel

me to.

.

.,,

"fte

means,"

translated

another

beird,

.

he

ain,t

gettin,

any."

..

'Well,-.-hell,"

said

the

6rst

youth,

wiping

his

eyes,

"who

is?"

"But

'

protested

Harley,

.,the

requirements

of

the

wbole

man,

of total

reconciliation.

."

-

-

_jjl-ook,

man.

Wlen

you

protestin

,

protest.

When you

ballin',

.ball. _You.m.ix-'em'up

and

jour

head,s

;o;;;

get

all

fucked

uD.,'

_,

Harley

sbook-

hls

bead.

No

one

seemed

o

understand

roe

rmporhnce

of

a

simultaneous,

broad_spectrum

ure

for alienatioo. But he persevered.te *as ;b";;

"-;;

or

a

better

answer

wben

he suffered

what

manv

in'Chi-

cago

_

uffered

during

that

turbulent

*""f:,

iioril"iin

whacked

him

in

tle-groin

with

a very

targe

nie'ht

itici;-

Arrer

the

_whack,

Harley

rapidly

lost

intereit

in

both

poonrang

and

tie

politics

of

dissent.

He retumed

to

Read-

rng.,

Pennsylvania,

eeling

$eatly

depersonalized.

Doliti-

catry

m,potent,

totally

alienated,

and

sore.

And.'after

a

weet-ot.

recovery

from

his

wounds_spiritual

and

cor-

4or91l

--g

the

best

tradition

of American pragmatism.

he

ceclded

the

answer

o bis

and the

nation's-problems

must

Iie in

education,

hat

.panacea

ot progressiiisri.-ilffi.

be hought,

ecould

id

a cure

oi

hfi

o;;

otufr;ttili;

re|algg to

the

vast

overworld

of

learning.

perhaps

h

could begin,his reform of this world ne na"O -evei--maO1l

Irs.own

odyssey

out of

alienation,

by going

to

college.

All

-ytuuy,

ir

would placate

tLe

aritt

6oarO--toJl

while.

.

But it

did

not take

Harley

long

to

discover

that

col_

teges,

-too,

are

depersonalizing

nstitutions,

tbat

tbev

are

e-xceed.rngly

ine-gnnding

mills

dedicated

to

statistical

oeDntrons-

f

_tbe

good

life which

are

only

accidentallv

ano occasionalty

con-grueDt

with

the needs

of individu;l

[rmarcs.

lDus,

as a lacele ss

number

in numbered

courses

POINI

OF

YIEW:

WHO'S

MINDTNG

HE

SIORE?

257

taught

by

professon

whose

numbers,

not

names'.

ap-p-eared

oo

ine fbtvf

card

that

served

as his

i:lass

schedule,Ilarley

;il-

bl"

-fi;i-

semester

at Bangpville

-state

collegB'

Iiancsville.

Pa..

one

of

those

instant

co[eges

lnqt .Daq

;;;;G

in"the

sixties

in

the rich

humus

of

federal

il;;&

; colege

of raw'

cheap

builditrgs'

c.lq:9oml

"-",.iiC

"'itn

stirdents

named

Al br

Karen,

an

indifierent

iil'ti"tv

p-.ta

faculty,

and

a computerized

records

sys'

l;';;ity'uc ffdwiie rivaledoilv be.the^FirstAir

6etense'Co'm-dand

n expense

nd

complexity'

Such

were

educationalPriorities

in

1968'

*;il;-*

d;;nalizing,"

said

Harley

one

night,

speak'

ils

of

his

ihicago

experience

during

a rare

dorlnlory

bu-il session.

I

mean,

ike

you

were

iust

a thrng

an-

not

;;;4.

And here

i's

even

worse'

Here

you aren't

even

;'dir;;;y-il;:-Jusi

a number.

guess 'd rather

be

a

thinc

than

a

number-"

"fia".4;

*ia

a

world'weary

upperclassman'

-

a

sociol'

osv

maioi

named

Group

Al.

"It

is the

i.nevrtable

esurt

oF'the ost-industrial

ociety."

--"V"t.;

said

Red

AI, a

neo-Marxist

ho.enjoyed

great

repute;mongcampus

adicals

or

having

vlslted

Tavana''citi"

"itii"tin

hd did not let it be krown that the lisit

;'"d;t

ldJ"fd

tt-

ulacring

of

an

Eastem

Air.

ines

iet on

which

he

bad

been

bound

for

a

week

wtti

s

p-ar'

;d""i*t#

-I{ffi

-nl""r'

"ttut"'

"It

is

the

inevitable

i"1it

Lr--cotooidist

oppression

by

the

fascist

Pigs

in

the

Pentason."

^

a-fr5itirU,,'

said

Dirty

Al,

the

dormitorY'9

-esident

a"ur^Ji,';ffi,io

tnui"op

t'*t"a

you in the

jewels'

acobs'

i.i *"t"o't-

"

bit

depersonalized'.

9

way.'.

mean'

bat

iii

giii. t"

""*ideied

a

act

of

intimacv'"

--ifi.f"v,

who

was

an

honest

nd

open-minded

ort'

ha'l

"oi-io"iia"."a

it

that

way

before,

and

be-

gave the

pro-

;;;ii;;"t;-;;

ihought,

tie

sroup

silent

for

a

moment'

#"iil; il;';;";til: lie

*as-m"clt

espected

s

a

chicagp

iii"t*l

"p"trt"ps

ou

are

ielrt'.

Dljv Ati:.L^Yg

"iiJi

abit.

witn

onir:

gravity'

At

least

was

not

rgnorec

the

way

we

all

are

here"'

;riilk

g"tr"".

Right "

said

Pretty

Al'

the

resident

fag,

e-ager

o

ingxatiate

himself

with

tbe

younger man'

;iio,o"i"t

painfully,

you managed

o

establisb

a

IneT'

r."iJ'

."i"fi.t-tlip'

*ith

th"

bif

potceman

while

in the

;#*#;i;i"uiof

"o*"ii6o

with

a

situation

of

li"i"r1ig.ri""""".

It-

is

these

meaningful

relationsbips


3/8

258 rHOsE

WHO CAN:

A SCIENCE

|CTON

READER

tat

countt

You must

be able to

relate

peNonally

with-

ah-someonet"

Harley

nodded.

He was flattered

by the

attention.

crate-

ful for

tbe advice

from older and

wiser

heads.

.;Mavbe

it is__like

his

plofessor

I

got

for

2722 says.

.

."

"Which

one?"

.

"403

or maybe 405.

I forget._

Anyway,

he says

you

got

to over-come

alienation

by relating

to everythGg y:oucan. . ."

"Indeed

Indeed "

said Group

Al.

."fhe

l-earvan

doc-

trine of

dropping

out

bas been

tboroughly

discredited

bv

social

psychologists.

You must seek

to

penetrarc

be

in-

stitutional infrastructure

of

society, accommodate

o

the

personal-societal

interfacel"

'uh?"

"But

at the same

time

you

dare not

compromise

with

the forces

of imperalist

reaction,"

said

Red AI.

'uh?"

"While

remembering

he

primal

value

of interpersonal

reffi;;ah-relztionships,"

said Preuy

Al.

"And

it don't

hult to turn

on now and

hen,"

saidDirty

At.

Harley

rose

to stride among

the

chromium

and vinvl

chafus and

stained

coffee cups

and intertwined

studen'B

il-tbe

sbabby

cinder-block

lounge.

It was good

of the

older men in

the dormitory

to

take

an

interesl

n

him. to

belp

him in

his search.He

would

take

their advice.

oi as

much

of it as

he could,

"All right,"

he said,

chin

up.

arms

outflung like a

young

I-enin

at the

Finland

Statio;.

..you

are all

right. I will

find a

girl

wbo

is active

in

some

so.

cially significant

endeavor directed

against

the

establish-

ment, and

perhaps

I

can relate.

to

her and

the

endeavor

simultaneously

and thus

cease

o be alienated,"

All

but Pretty

Al nodded

their

approval.

The,socially significant endeavor directed against tho

establishmeDt-a

violent

demonstration

in

supDort

of a

separate

department

of

studies n

bracero

fo&iore-was

very mucb

a success.

So was

the

girl,

at least

at

first. But

Harley

-

quickly

discovered

it

was Chicago

all over

Lgain,__Ng

ooner

did

tbe

girl

begin

to

simmer

nicely

than

Harley

found their

nights

consumed

with

crou;,

planning,

mixing

Fels

Napthi

soap flakes

with

cas:olind.

and debating

he details

of

Che

Guivara's

instruciions

oi

making

a

grenade

auncher

out of

a.410

shotgun

and a

POINI

OF

ftEW:

WltO'S

M'ND|NO

HE

SIORE?

25'

ffim**trj*#*ii

;*$:}igfi""$fip

ffi1ffi'$"E$$f

mruruwfflm

."s';*iiE:'rT**'l{""ilirl,r:lJ"',i,,f

','Jl*#;-"1;

has

established.th"

1:'".^1;";#;'p"ry*ooa

room

above

#i.:ilS ot:"l,fi,Tf;fi '"il 6olr'ioirop'thisesis'

*;:fl;li

fli3.*t,

a

Bryn

Mawr

eiect

lespite

er

Main

u""'"""Lti'

1Gu;lt"-Y^

ryfi"u".I.n,,,",

,itt

a

fine

viable

*#r"?*i'.*,i":rTi,,'.t'""'$*itl

this

other

shit?"

He

waves


4/8

2&

7HOSE

WHO

CAN:

A

SCIENCE

TCflON

READE|

ffir#111h#""r1?*lJot

g'nlt:xd.

nd

rerks,

e

rDey

shume

past

a table

of.cards

and

take

one

each

of

white, green,

yellow,

and

blue,

as

a

sign

6ire ts]*i.i

mean,"

continues

Hartey,

.you

fe.i

lust

rif"-"oiiiil'n#

.card.

Nobody

looks

at

you-

Just

at

iour

"*d".

id;"-6;;

be^a.lhing

or

a umber

-than

a,

card,'for

ct

issaie-.i

-*-'

9g[y

sbrugs.

Her

mind

is

largety

etsewnerJ-*-'

"Ij.is

_a

strongly

dichotomorls

ituatio;;-'

"Di-x/zcromous?"

"I1s

-1

word

I learned

n

2345.

Means

all

split

in

two.,,

'oh-"

"I

T9"q

no

tnatter

what

I

do,

I

can't

seem

o

relate

to

ey.eryt.ning

t

once.

one

siae

of

'tnings

is;tt

dJil:-I\t

alienation

here,

ey

babe?

ut

Oe-.tn1i,iaJ-iiiftiX

frr:l"i'r;ol$.lP'

i

can't

elats

o all

his

"-iffitiliuiJ

,

Sally

sighs

&nd

shifts

her

swollen

anktes,

which

have

I*'1

to

bothg

her

a

good

eal

or lati.

yJadl;fr";;

w.rnt

ome

ryjgnation-

.But

maybe o"

"oa

t

-c'ouiA-u.i,i

,jS?"H.f

alienation

unelves.

"a

n"yrJ

;-tiii"T.;

.-,11fl"{

is

too

.

busy-

oniering

he

paradox

f

private

Igr:c-rry gd publicalienationo lisren-. e bol.dsr-'ai

LByJTd

a .arm's-

e^ngth

nd

ooks

"ia.

tiuor"Goi'"ut

rng..rixture

lrough

its

holes.

He

draws

he

c*J t-rt

unjil,it

touches

tinose

and

sights.ooiivl

J*"i]tLo'ili

a nole,

swmgmg

hls

head

around

until

S,ally,s

o-unC

ice

agq ong

dark

bair

are framed

n

a n-v'.d;;lS;1il

$xf"i'h::iJ"l*n:H'ff

'+:"t::r"i1li:#;

ay,"

he

says.

..Until

you

stu

a

gLc&re on a

watt,

oory

u;gnl.u".S

your

tongue'

Like

.lney

pass

a table

where

a

bored

professor

akes

the

yellow_

nd green

cards

ana

reptaces

[im-;lA

ffi;;;

.r.ed"

p

dog

not

took

up

at

ffiley

or

SaUy

;.ftd;;;

line

of

students

n

whi;h

they

aie

lintaa

in

ilft;;i

tock

step.

Harley

recognizes

i-

* ize, tl"-Irro'-i"

-nlj

lle pastsemester.or l47l-

"Life. tbrolgh

an

IBM

card

holg,"

s$rs

Harley,

sighting

gCaln,

this

time

at

his

own

reflection

n

a

gtasg

aodr.

..fi

is simpler.

Ev.erytbjr:g

as

square

edge$"-

---

Sally

says,

Harley,

I think

16

g6ing

to

get

sick.

.

Hgl"y

removes

lie

card

from

tis tice.-.Brit

irJuru"

I vo,

r rhought you

were

only

supposed

o

get

sick

in the

mornings."

POINi

OF lEW:

|HO'S

MINDING

HE

SfORE?

26'

"I

lhink

I better

go

bome.

I

think

I'm

going

to

barf"'

She

has

this worried

look

tbat

Harley

has come

o.

asso-

ciate

with

pregnancy.

Harley

peers at her

tb,rougn

.tne

IBM card,

tiltitrc

his

bead

to

bring

her

slightly

swolre-n

abdomen

nto

view.

"Okay"'he

says. Gimme

your

caros

and

I'll

get you registered."

l"ltu I""ut.

ani

Hatley

shufres

on.

The

line

is

not

""i.Jtitiri

ai.i.ithed

by

her

departue,

would

not

be

ierceititti

increased

y her

return.

It

bas

a vrPerrne

ex'

istenci of its own, many timesgreater han the sum or

its

parts.

--f*winiog

Harley

ooks

at tbrough

-his.

BM.card.takes

on a

niw

clirity

and reshness,

simplicity

and

urrty-ot

InJana

cotor.

He

experiments

with

different

holes'

Alter

i-tit_.n"

-aliia*

thai

his

fevorite

it

-tg4 y

two

.holes

nunched

very

close

together

whose

divldng

srrp

or

6*at-"-a

a-hiost

disappeirs

close

o bis eye'-He

no

longer

looks

wbere

he is

going,

but

peers

at

protessors'

als'

lishts,

firc

extinguishers,

nd

the

sinuous

lne

rn rront

or

"ia-i.ti"a

him-which

can

be

made-flat

and

inear-to

c"*"

i*luotiiy

from

comer

to corner

of

the

square

of

his

vision.

Th;li";

conveys

hin

past

the

registration

stations'

He

holds bis andSally's ardsout in his left hand'and-ne s

dimlv aware

bat fiom

rime

to tfune

ards

are

removed

ano

reDl;ced

with

others.

'-fi;;

;i;"1;;s-time,

te

srows

aware

hat

someone

s

"did;;;i"c

;fi]A

voiie

releats:

"Your

blue

-fee

card'

ii"'^1.-v-3"i

uiii"-fle

card"'

ile

te-otes

the card

from

his

'eve.

It

is blue'

He

does

ot

wish

o

sunender

t;lt

coPqlo:

his

favorite

pair

of

holes.

A,large

grey lady

-m-

1ltles:

soectacles

s-looking

up

at him

from

ber

seat

Dehmo

a

ffit-f;ii;

6fu"

"i.oi.

It

is

tbe

fiIst

time

anvbodv

bas

looked

at him

since

Sally

eft. "Your

blue

ee

card'

p-lease'

i;;;;"ft.

*;,

tt"i 6n"."

wordlesslv,.co-nfused'

arlev

rhakes

bis

head.

He

smiles

pleadingly'

Uh-you

see-r

can'L

. ."

Tc";;

on, youngmanl" Tbere s -exasperation

n,th

l^tc" ;"v

dai's

v6ice.

Reflected

ight

bobsup.at nrm

fro-m

hler

pecticles.

You

can't

compleie

or'u eg$trarlon

untit

your

blue

fee

card

is

stamped

and

sent

to

tne

Bursar "

-il-".f"u

makes

a

strangled

ound

deep

n

-his

throat'

clutches'the

blue

card

tightly,

and turns

out.

ot l.be

une

rc

flee

down

the

corridor.

He

does

not

yet

qulte

qloqr:rp:

why

he

must

lee'

He

knows

only

that

tlere

rs ne

rnK'rng


5/8

252

IHOSE

WHOCAN:

A SCIENCE

tCrtON

EADER

of.a

broad-spectrum

urc

for

his alienation,

and whatver

it is. it

iqvolves

he IBM

card.

Out in the

cold midafternoon

doom of tho camDus.

Harle_y riefly

halte his

flighL He

debates enrrning

to th6

Srey

lady

and

surrendering

hir

car4

behaving

ationally.

Bgt now

the idea

of

giving

up

the card is unrt'lntable,

orr

thintable

to hi4

only in-

tn-e way that

such theoretical

qlgpoqitionr

as love'and

death

ind

good

and bad aro

thinlablo. Hc is very confused,The card, suddenly o dear

to

him,

is the

obvious symbol

of the depersonali'ation

o

las

sougbt o

overcome,

and

yet-and

fet-the

view, tho

tuzzy,

squaqe iew,

the

rectilinear

organizationof

every-

tbing.

lT.n

tbrough

the,card,

s oddly

comforting, suggests

possrDruues

or new

relations

. .

- -.As

olaco

o his

confusion,

he

pers

through

the double

boles

of the

card st

the ugly

-campus,

ai the

winter-

torn

hees,at thJ

shrubbery

bright

with candy

wrappersand

brcwning

copies

of the BS

Daily Bulletin"

tt the watEr

tower high

up on

McNamane

Hill whose

elevation ro-

Quires

him

to

turtr the card

to the

horizontal so

that

the

long way

of the holer

will be

vertical

How clean and

bright

and Iogical

everything lookrt

How simple and psiti-ve nd anierstattdabie

-

Atrd

peeriry

thus, Harley

permi8

his

mind

to dlash ack

tbrough tho tangled,

ste3rnin&

imFlausible

iungles

of

memory,

and then

upward in time again to that

point

in

the registration

ine

when he has been captured

by sim-

plicity.

And

he seizes

on a splendid ne* notion: that

there

is no real distinction

between he

conglomerate f

illusions,

passions,

usts,

hopes, unescences,headachas,

infidelities,

and

gastric

upsets hat

are

Harley

lacobs and

the clean, sharpedged,

slope-cornered,

geometrically

holed,

purely

colored

perfection

of

the

IBM

cards that

are also Harley

Jacobs.Only, t\ints Harley, the cards-

Harley-despite

the disclaimeB

hey bear--+an far better

withstand being bent,

spindled, folded,

shuffied, and-

yes-4uplicated

than

can

the flesh-Harley.

Perhaps, he

thinks, perhaps he has found----eurekal-the personal.

societal

nterface,

Perhaps,having

found it, he can now

accommodate

imself

o

it. Perhaps

t

is

the end of aliena-

tion It is worth some hought.

The

campus

ull of ugly new

buildings and the

ply-

wood room

over

the wafre

shop are the loci of Harley's

life, the

pressurepoints

at

which the tourniquet

of his

alieDatioD s applied. Ultimately,

all

his troubles

come

POINI

OF

YlBt:

WHO'S

MINDNA

THE

STORE?

26t

home to

roost

in

the

plywood

room'

An'l

there

-to-o

is

;*iani

S"Uv

-o

tne

airnaty

to be

taken

to the

Was-h.'

6-fi;;;;;i"T"tt"*

ftom

pirents and

notices

top-his

i";A-t;td

;d

noie-s

tom'his

landlady

and r.emin-d:rs

from

GMAC

and

duns

from

the

doctor

and

tlrat

orner

iSM

""tA

bearing

he

dismal

record

of

his

first

semestr

lrades.

-ivhiie

sally

is busy

n

the

batbroom

hrowing--up.supper:

Harlev ponders the contrast betweencards-Hafleyanq

non-ff"il"v.

He

likes

Sally,

be

likes

the

plywood room,

he likes e6ing

to

collegp,

he

even

likes

the

idea or

tDe

Iiofi.it

"fr"tl"v

Sallv

i

'working

on with

such assiduity'

Wiat

he

doesnt

like

are

grades

and

beir:g

b ok9

+d

8pt-

tinc

drafted

and

leaving

the

comfortable'

ggly

tittre

cam'

pG

antt

the snug,

warm,

synrp-smelling

plywood room'

Like,

ever.

a"i'"p"tt

from

the

draft,

he

does

nDt

want somedsy

o

caatuate'and

become

an

Accountant,

Advedising.

lr'Ian,

iirlines

Representative,

Chemist,

Comptroller

(wlttr or

without

the^

voiced

"p"),

Designer,

Engl-n9er,

nsuranco

$"ry.'h#f,

":,qi""'"#'Jr,wil:5'v#"'T'*,ri'fr'

f6itv noursa weekdoing

one

thing

in

one

place

and-bu;

bonls

tbrough

the Payroll SavingsPlan-and..st.ung

:T

line

to screw

he comPtometer

operator

(no

slenl

'?

,

at Christmas

parties

and

grow old

and

retfie

wlt[

a

golc

*"i"t

tn"t

sa:ys

Forty

Years

Service

Award"'

"

i.A

.o

Hailey

sits

-at

his

packing-crate

desk Dionne

Warwick

bitching

about

her

and some

man out

or the

iuaio.

tte

sound-of

Sally

busy

at

her-

pregnancy.in he

bathroom,

and

decides

he

nature

ot

lie

current

crvEron

Jf tutot

and

responsibility

etween

BM

card-Harley

i-rC [*i-tt-t"y

ii oot

reatiy

in

his

best

nter$ts,

that

if

tl"

"**

*iU

iust

tale

on

-that

part

-of

Harley

.so

vul-

nerable o.

so

alienated

rom,

parents,bant$

crcolt

com'

panies,

andladies,

raft boards,

nd

college-8'h.inlstratoF,

ihe other

part

will

be

happy

to

handle,,au

lne

-r9-mainingbusliness,ill be quirccontent,andully related o

the

uglt little

campus

and

the

sweet

plywood

room

aDove

the wafre

shoP.

At midnight,

Harley

is

outside

the sdmiristration

hifAine Di"ftni

the ldk

with

a

papet clip and

tbe flat'

tened

ub;

of

tBiC

baU-point

pen.

t

is

an-art

he learned

from

tbe

older

brother

of

one

of

his

colleagues

n soy

S.ow

ftoop

502,

which

met

sporadically

n

the basement


6/8

ilr

264

IHOSE

WHO

CAN:

A

SCIENCE

IC\\ON

READER

:l *,,Ii."

Lutheran

Church

of.Reading,

pa.,

for

sessions

i,i"il5tl

X:il:"1?::fl'*

nd

rab-aii

"ii"e

-".r"/J

._

Inside,

Harley

cirecks

to

make

sure

there

are

no

iani_

ors_

bout

and goes

to

work,

on

th"

R"d;;u;;

ni;.];;

.;fflfiW'li.:'i,1'*"J"1'J"f.:t:'_,ru:*:,:l':f

tor

Master

Machine

iloom

Control

fle.

v"irb*

.""rd-i"r-

.9:Tyt",,i":GradeRecord,lue ardu iJ"r,

"rO

"a-"ili

Ior

Student

Deferment

fi le.

Du

pucecard-rors,,;;;;E;;l;yJ"f

t"fl

,:?f

ff

J"",;j,f

r11

I 'ersgnal.Hisjory

ndex,

nd

brown

aid

;

Sr"o."ilir"i,r]

ncatlon

"amx

picture

n

uDor

ll -:,."pr:r.i"ti*,""t"ir;fi

t

lgl:-lil$:iji""'j"1"",l"j

::l.l l"":,bjr

study

and

skutks

across

campus

to-

h;;;;

walchtut

tor

campus

rent_a_cops.

__

b",,n"xt

night

he

retums

and

begins

his

work

in

ear_

,o_":t.

-1"

regisrers_

imself

tol^,

b"J"l,

;;";;;";:;;;

toad;

stamps,

is

fee

card

pArrJ

anc

slgns

t

with

an

il -

ifl

"i_+lr:"J;.1.,T;::,ii"?1111i:?i?;T:::,"

j:;

and

.mak-es

Xerox

copy

of

it- to-

enciose

"

i-l"li.i

.'r]

tensibly

rom_the

Dean

of

Instruction ddresseJ';.i";;

.Boardo.47,Reading,

a.,"

wrricri-e"frui""

r,l.i

"iiii#

:P.31i._,::

Jacobs,

Hailey,

were

rn

eror: grants

himself

fl

fiii;'?:,1"",?H['",:?-"iTBH"1"_'.i"'c;;;;iil;;

*:::.'r:'il..r'il?;Ji

i

:,'Y#Ji::;l';ilf

:Hlr

planment

.145,"

woDdering

s

he

does

o

*r,"i

l p""#it

ll l l

"ul

P";.a.nd

ites

a

-power-or-atrorney

direcrins

ha r

bothJcholarship

and

payrolt

checks

be

."it

""i"rn"il""ii,j

i:

""_

*i:l?.1T"

t

T*t,i;:

".'n,

tll,l

:

,

On

rhe

third

night,

hi

is

bur

bar-point

er

ar

vei

;iln;:'L

y.t,l"l::,1:iil',fl"",:1

sertlthe

ards

n-the.

ropei

nt"..

tt"t

"pp.ori.i",i'".""1i.r rhenewcard_Harleyeproperly irriii,"iJd

"rnoni

-rr"

Eursar,

-R-egistrar,

ean

of

'Insirucii.",

o"r"

"i'S.a?"i.]

""J

oj

lib:lll

Arts.

rhe

Houstne

ffice,l;^,ilO"#::;

oI

Student

Aids.

And

of

cours

ll:-

yrj"

v*r.i

u""r,in"-i;"*

;;Lf

::::1"1r".t":ll

lljfylns.snirtt

of

the

new

Hartey,

musi

u"-."1"r,,'ily

rr_

erred

rn

the

long

skinny

fi le

cr

cricking,

igr,t-uri;r.i; ."'^"Jr;::.jffji"jill,lr'::?";'f

ll:

asement

f

Hubris

Hall_

POINiOF

lEWr \4HO'S

MINUN9

tHE SIORf?

265

As

each card

nestles n

its appropriale

ile, Harley

feels

a

progressive

ightening

of his

spirits, a burgeoning

sense

of communion

with the

once-hostile

world.

He has re-

written,

tailored,

shaped

the

vulnerable, external,

IBM

card-Harley

into something

fine and

brave and

solvent,

something

mmune

to the tbrusts

of niSht

sticks: and

he

has filed

its manifold

presences into the manifold

file

drawers

in which

it belongs

as

surely as

cell belongs

to

flesh,

neuron

to thougbt, passion o spirit. For the next

semestet

at least,

he Harley-cards

will operate

n intimate

electro-mechanical

armony

with

one another,

with the

draft

board.

with tbe bank,

and

with the college

adminis'

tration.

And the flesh-Harley

will be

free to enioy

the

ugly little

campus

and the

sweet

plyrood

room'

And freely enioy

he does,

at

first.

'Initially, he is fully

satisfied

with the results

of the

nonaggression

act he has

so slvlv

neqotiated

with

the harsher

realities of

life,

the

pub[i

Sourdes

f his alienation.

He attends

bis classes,

nd

because

be in now

unconcerned

about

grades,

he learns

a creat

deal.

He

pays

his back

rent and resumes

is

monthly

re-mittances

o tire'finance

company.

The

draft board

re-

stores his 2-S classifcation, and he finds bimself hon-

orably

mentioned

on the

Dean's

list, which

brings

an

illiterate but

enthusiastic

etter from

home enclosing

mod'

est check.

For

the first

time,

Harley

ffnds the

whole

man

integrated harmoniously

with

all aspects

of its

exist-

ence;

io

jaring

alienation

from

anything:

Peace,

com-

fort,

pleaslre

eieryrvhere;

every

hole in the

siren

flute

of

desire

s stopped.

He tries to-

explain

his

satisfaction'

bis accomplishment,

to Sallv.

He

waf,ts ber to

know of

his remarkable

achieve-

ment,

but

she is

totally intent

on her

own

thing, and

only

nods

sweetly,

a

little

iacantly,

and says,

"That's

real

nice,

babv."

Wben

she thinks

of

Harley at

all, it

is

of

a future

Hariev. a

father-Harlev,

She

is

not much

interested

n

IBM iird-Harley and frnds flesh-Harleycomfortably less

imDortunate

n bed,

whicb

she mistakenly

ascribes

o

her

altired figure

and wbich

she confidently

oresees

will end;

she has

io doubt

tbat an ardent

Harley

and

a flat

belly

will

retum with

the simultaneity

and necessity

of

apple

blossoms

and bees.

The

disinterestedness

f a

preoccupiedSally

triggers-

does not

originate-an

odd

new dissatisfaction

in llarley.

Tbe necessarily

sectet nature

of

his treaty

with society_has

rendered

him

an

unperson

as surely

as any sscret

East


7/8

il

266

IHOSE

WHO

CAN:

A

SCIENCE

TC

ON

READER

P,H9p"q.

gqrge.; be-

dare

not participate

in

campus

po-

ruca-I.

activities

les.t

be

draw

o;.

hims;U

i"*J ;.ti";;

i;

_r*T.qop

accomplisbments,

uch

as

tbey

*".

ir"-ii"i"l

cended.

y.

-rhe

cards

n

the

ftes.

AnA

of

Lir.

il ;fi;;

Featy

itself

must

remain

secre

admmistration-

t,

at

least

from

the

college

,^li,:l::t

- "l.qowing

discontent,

Harley

visits

bis

old

g9n-nttoly to

flirt

with

the

revelation

of

,his

s;hem;.-;;

display

his

cakn

mastery

of

his own f"te in fron;;-f ;;;;:one.

_-:l-IT_q

"f

took your.

dvice,

.

Group

n1,,

he

says

n-

rauatmgty

o

the

sociotogy

ajor.

,And

it

wo.Iili

frt

reat."

"Advice?

What

advice?'

"I9y.tnoy.

About

accommodating

to

the

personal-

socie_tal

nterface,

or

wbatever.

t

wor6.,,

"ttow

about

that.',

savs

Group

AI,

fngering

bis

new

beard.

"Tell

me

about

it.;'

"Well, I

can't

say

too

mucb,

but

what

I

did

was.

. .,,

'T advised

ou'

to

accommoaui"

io

iil"'iiti,r'.r-

societal

.oterface.

huh?"

:;_. t.

Yes,

and what

I

did

was.

. .,,

_

-'r

nat

s very

rnteresting

and

I,m

glad

it

worked

for

vott.The thing is, there,sa t6t of n

lidity

of

personal

ntegration.

.ew

evidenceabout &e

va'

ji. .nft

let.

me tell you

you

see

what

I did

was.

. .,

.

-'"Tte

thing

is, sociometrists

haue

determtiJ

t,

i" *,_

isfdcrion

rhat

tbe

real

inrelect""t

i;

A;-;;;

'J"f,;

has.been

forced

into

internat

emigiatio;

o;1,

,taii;ii

rbinkers

nd

cutrural

hilistine,

"un-

oo

Ta"iuli

il:J.

::.t.I.P."g

upon

psychic

-nd

material

Oomiout'ion.

.ro"*

you

take your problem.

."

."But-I

doDt

have

any

problem

now

l,ve got

it

whipped.

. ."

",

. .You'll

find

the

solution,

as,I

have,

n group

ther-

3py..

Thre's

a bunch

of

us

meet

in the

baserient.oi-l-he

Methodist

Church,

and you'll

be

,".f.orn"

it-V*'*iot'tJ

come along tonigbt."

.

"Well-ah-tbanks.

I

guess

not

tonighl,,

Harley

is

deeply

disappoinred

n

Cr6uo

Al.

.

"Okay,-

Jacobs.

But

anytime

you

want

to.

, ,,,

He

leaves,

a beatific

smile

flashing

here

uoA

ttlreiiouoa

itJ

lounge.

* To. h..

neo-Marxist,

Harley

says,

.I

took

your

advice.

Red.ll.

I tbink

rve

found

a

wiy

tri

ixptoit

ttl

6ipLiiJrr.;i'

"Did I advise you

to

do

thit?"

POTNT

F

ftEW:

|4HO'S

MINDING

HE

SIORE?

?61

"Yes.

and

I figured

out

a

way'

You

see,

what

I

did

",ur'i"'uri-ri

me

"tascist-imperatisi

establisbment

like

you

;;iqd"{:";'"1Tr:3,1:rl"elil'"b;.*'.reethe..rieht

track.

Like

this

stuff

bere.

You

know wbal

lt

rsr"

-iNo.

But

let

me

tell

You

about'

"'

"ii-i.l

piep

sbeet

or

the.Foreign

Service

Enhanco

s;.d"ti"i.

I m

going o

take

t tomorrow"'

-;fri"r

stt whai

I

iant

to

tell

you

is'

'

.''

'itt

o -to"gn .*u-, but professor321 thinks I standI

gooJ

"uuo""

i""tuse

of

my

knowledge

of the

Cuban

situ'

ation."

'"'i6.".

er,

good. r hope

you

do..

kay

otr

it' But

there's

*:#m:Lt".ff."fr1o*iL'ti"o

put

n

a

gootr

oril

for vou

in

Washitrgton

You'll

be

a senior

n a

coupre-

t

ii'"i,

ira

vijt

t"tgT,t

want

to

-ind

of aim

for

the Foreigtr

ir."iit

Ci""t

buich

of

people here"'

Red

Al

returns

to

his Drep

sheel

el"ii

aiJipp"inted,

Harley

says,

"One

last

thing

Red

Al.

I-s

PrettY

Al

still

around?"

--R.ed

At

lools

up

from

his

papers' "lVhy,

-no'-l{.arleY'

Td-i";ky

-;itff

pissed the

eiam

tast

month'

He's

al'

readv in Washington."

'"h.i

in"

pJ-mu'n,

lturtev

savs,

esignqqig.g

o

his

voice'

'c-inme

a^

nickel

6ag,

wiiil

you Dirty

Al?"

As

the

spring

semester

nd.

Sally

ripen

toward

tbeir

re'

ro"&*

-io-io"ement

exercises,.iTariel.

$nks

hl

l-tll

li-i"tn"tgl"

He

finds

it

almost

imoossible

o

commum-

"it"-*itn"i*

fellow

students,

who

aie

intere'ste4.

fter

all

il;e;-r,;d.i"i"trative

repression'

-1obs-'

d

sirls'

.nory

il inl"n'"ni"t

Harley

in

tbe

least'

He

feels

a new

bore-

io-,

"-."ti"tio"

with

peace'

He

spends

more

and

more

il1;';

;;;;;'ing-ttioueu

the

doles

n

bis-blue

BM

card.

now

w6m

and

fuzzy'

But

even-the-card

easesJo

fr"- ni-

nru"u

solace'

There

is

nothing

h:

:ag ?ut 1t11

f,tii* oo.

"r

nrst. He remains convinccd

that

he

-hag

eiilil;d

6;

bil

"i

all

possible

worlds' and he-wonders

ilil'H:";;;

it"v

oot

tt6t

from

something

amiss

n

his

f,fi]Ii?*J

t"i

let

oc"ur

to

him

that

he

has

eaten

oo

much

otus.

---lqod

th"o

fune

comes.

Harley

makes

a

midnight

trip

t"'

iili

'i"d;t[i;s

-omce-

o

eiter

his

sp-rins.

emester

srad'es.

{

fEw

days

ater

Sally

brings

forth

Harley'

Jr''

in

[ain

anc

triumPh.


8/8

tlr

268

THOSE

HO

CAN:

A

SCTENCE

tClrON

EADER

,,^l:9 _rFgl

July

comes

nd

Salty,s

elly

flartens

nd

she

iilffir"',r,,i,:

q"J"ff:.{,:,"."

ew

ense

,r

ui-*r,.ii

i""i

rt ts

not

now

a

matter

bf

damage

rom

a

night

stick.

_

SaUy

questions.

Harlev

o

iift";-"flHbU".ittit"i:Ll"ifi

t;:'J[imft?

:1.?,,,.1".

u.

dele.sated

oo

mirch,-r.bat

i.

tiignti"Lif,tl

aoruty rs_ sycbological,a oan

o"d

;u1ii'in-;;i;f'#

ffl:

Xi,ll:eermiasma

r boredom

.oy

August

he

is

near

desnair;

Sally

is

morose

and

un-

ommunicative.

Can

it

be,

ire

wondeis,

that

he

bas-oil-

::L::d

peace

at_roo

dear

i

rate?

Are

tfi"

tw"

,ia&*of"ili,

atYe,

the public

card_Harley

and

the

pri;;;

;;:

afley

now

themselves

alienaied-

oo"

fro,i--d;-oitit

ff*ilr'i"i|il;rT:[:::';f

J"?:,*t't"i'rii-:'ivriiinl']li

",_l?t'"L

cannot

be

sure.

He

thinks

back

to

Chicapo.

o

ls

_chaotic

irst

semester

t

Bangsville

S:

C.

:;Ti;;;:t:;

ne

says

o

Sally

one

nisht

aft,

1'p;,gg;"ti'..;;:1""'f,i:ill:'"",3$i,"'iyy"lf#t":T'

ilfi"'''..1"#'.3,ii:1ll"iiff,;l'il3

"T:

,iTUlT

pti*':l:ti"",:,f.T'i';',i:Pt'*vorlris.timesreveared

il"':iifi

"tl;

,t:"r

*l

i":itruii*f*

o.,magrcal.motds

and

miracutous

nor""ui ,

nli""ii'lil

fl:ll?l"ou.ly

zap

he

virus

or

iroruiion,-ii"'i"l,nilJ

,i

iifi

T;Hx,:"4,1"'{,H:i,i'":",::Jiil*";}:t

tt

rs

-no

small

boon.

Dlowly,

not

without

considerable

-pain,

sitting

at

his

ifi$.st]i1'"-'""'1l',""ff.iTJii:"y;l*l"l*ti**ii

}l::j.'f

liitilitf

:n.,,tJ';l|.:Ti{;tlilil1'J'':

orated,

ubsequently

otded

""a

-"r"iii"i"ii*il"-

#j

#rfr,i

to

tbe

plywood

loor,

and

u*r"flo*?ui"iiro'iir

*llj"l4,k lid',,J:,ilnif

i,n"ll",li.o",l",io"#Sil:

rades

lone:

even

tlough

th-ey

have

not

U"eo-assiinij

i

POINiOFY\EW:

(HO'S

M,NDING

HE

gtORE?

26t

him bv bis orofessors,

e

believes

e

has earned

hem'

the

ernd.cep'enne

of

IsMery,

minus

the C's,

Dls,

and

R's.

But the

paper

employmeht

n Department

45

goes'

So does

the

scholarship.

o

does

the

twenty-one'nour

course

oad: with

professors o

Please

nd a

living

to

geL

he

will

need more

time.

-riG

tn"i

G'-t,

afiir a

splendid

exhibition

of the

stim'

ututinipo*ers

-of

alienatiod,

Harley

ies

smoking

a

ciga'

rette and tries to understand.

--;ilt

".iU

mean

that man

from GMAC

will

be

around

bugging

s. And tbe

landlady."

"Um,"

saysSallY.

"fir"iu

dean

tdat I'll

be uptigbt

a

lot

of

the

time'"

'Um."

"Ii

means

hat

I

am

incapable

of

achieving.

meaning'

ful

relationships

with

society-as

a whole

and

with

iou

at

the

same ime."

'Um.'

"li

meuns

hat

I

will be

full of

ups

and

downs'

I

will-

be hard

on

you.

I may

sometimes

eat

ittle

Harley'

.,1

mav beat vou.

I will

be a

mess

ot contradlcuons.

wur

b" iot""ut

rIot"

or

lesshung

up,

andwhen

am

not hung

up I will bedisgustingly traightand conformistandsquare'

nia

t

"ilt

proSably

fways

-be

alienated

o everything

but

you

and litite

Harl-eyand

tbe

plywood room, wherever

we

wind uo having

our

plvwood

oom."

;0.i'

."vi-sull,y.

r'Mais

il

laut

cuhiver

notre

atilin'"

"What?"

."It's

French,

Number

5904.

Professor

175. It

mean's

'never

mina, baby,

lefs

us

cultivate

the

old

garden

again.'

POINIOF

rtEl(:

THE

QUICK-CHANGE

ARTISTN THETYPEWRITER

bY

Robin

Scott

Wilsoq

TtcRE

Is no way

a story

can be

presented-to a

percepiive

reader in such

a way that

the f,and

of

the

author

does

not

show, Whatever

point

of view

the

author

emPloys-

omdscient,

detached, first

or third

person'

narrator

n-

or outside

story-the

simple

fact

that

someone

has

s?"

for a while there, herbert marcuse, i thought you were maybe right about alienation and eros

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