As I was reading the story, a
question which kept popping into my head was whether Fern or Lowell’s disappearance
was more traumatic to Rosemary. How did their disappearances differ and how did
they shape the present Rosemary’s psyche as well as how each of these
disappearances illustrated some of Fowler’s central arguments. It is debatable which of these had a greater
effect upon Rosemary since Fowler doesn't really spell out which was more
influential, but I think it is an interesting topic to discuss and think about
as it seems to complicate some of Fowler’s arguments.
On page 59 Fowler seems to spell
out the order of things. Rosemary loves Lowell the most out of her family
members, but does this correlate to Lowell’s disappearance being more drastic?
It seems to me that this contradicts an argument that Fowler is trying to make
in the novel: That chimps aren't so different from us. Would it not make sense
for Rosemary to love Fern most if this were the case? I would think that being
raised and playing together growing up would create a stronger bond and thus
stronger love between Rosemary and Fern. However, perhaps the book is
suggesting they are not the same. Perhaps Rosemary loves her brother more
because the human to human bond is inherently stronger.
So maybe the argument that Lowell’s
disappearance was emotionally harder for Rosemary to handle could be made.
Throughout this reading Rosemary struggles to adjust to college life with the memories
of Fern in the back of her head. She has a break down in front of her roommate
Todd while watching The Man in the Iron
Mask, a story about two brothers one of which is king and one of which is
imprisoned his entire life (134). This of course makes Rosemary think of her
own relationship with Fern. She has another mental breakdown when Dr. Sosa described
the sexual tendencies of chimpanzees (149). She has yet another episode when
she is arrested a second time. In her drug induced state she couldn't stop
thinking about her sister (174). Rosemary seems to be able to suppress her
feelings for Fern until some outside source stimulates her thinking about Fern
being locked in a cage in an unfamiliar place.
She doesn't spend a lot of time
thinking about what her brother Lowell is doing, though she does recall a
number of memories of him and once he starts appearing in places Rosemary
becomes curious. Lowell and Fern’s absences have affected Rosemary in different
ways. Even though Rosemary stated earlier in the novel that she has always felt
closer to Lowell, I think Fern’s disturbed her more since Fern left against her
will while Lowell’s departure was his own choice.
While reading this novel I was also intrigued by the disappearance of Fern and Lowell. I think the question of whose disappearance was more traumatic to Rosemary is an interesting one which I did not even think to consider. When I read the book I focused more on the very fact that these voids existed in Rosemary´s life as opposed to classifying or quantifying them. The one word that stood out most to me while reading was “absence.” It appears on the very first page of the book and continues to influence the story right until the very end. The first absence that the audience is introduced to is, as has been pointed out, the absence of Rosemary´s siblings (5). There is also the absence of words that develops as Rosemary gets older. Under the strain of her siblings recent departure and her parents growing dysfunction Rosemary, “raised the ratio of things I thought to things I said from three to one, to four to one, to five, to six, to seven” (115). The very format of the story reveals an absence—the absence of the beginning. Rosemary prefers to start in the middle (5), showing her inability to cope with her childhood, with the beginning. I think in the end Fowler´s focus is less on Lowell or Fern or their disappearances and more on Rosemary and her journey to confront, accept, and overcome the various voids left in her life.
ReplyDeleteI found Rosemary’s varying reactions to the disappearance of her siblings interesting as well. The absence of her siblings is such an important theme throughout the novel and has a large impact on her life afterwards. I do believe Rosemary truly saw Fern as an actual sister to her. Because they were raised together from infancy, Fern was like Rosemary’s “twin… fun-house mirror…(and) whirlwind other half”. The bond they shared transcended the barriers between their species. As a general rule, human beings consider themselves superior to the rest of the animal kingdom, but we do not see this is Rosemary. She seems to completely look past the differences in their physical appearances. Instead she sees the differences between them based on ability. Some things Fern is better at and Rosemary can do other things better. All in all, she feels they are equal when they are young. Of course, losing someone who is such a central part of Rosemary’s life is traumatic, but it seems like she is more affected by her brother’s disappearance.
ReplyDeleteIn some respects Rosemary’s devastation at losing her brother is because of the position he holds in her life. Younger siblings often look to the older as role models and it is apparent Rosie is no exception. Long after her brother has gone she continues to value his opinion highly. This is evident in something she mentions about the relationship of her cousins, Peter and Janice: “He saw something in her, and who knows you better than your own brother? If your brother loves you, I say it counts for something.” It is also quite obvious in the pain she feels knowing her brother blames her for Fern’s disappearance. Although she clearly states her brother is the one she loves best, I don’t think this is entirely the reason it.
The main reason Rosemary is so upset about Lowell leaving is her fear of abandonment. When Lowell reacts to Fern’s disappearance with anger and a desire to leave the family, Rosemary is relieved that is was not her that was given and feels fear. She is very jealous with the affections of her family and does not like when someone else is loved more than her. Fern did not choose to leave Rosemary and because she knows Fern would rather stay with her, she is not hurt by rejection. Lowell on the other hand leaves of his own accord and without warning. Rosie feels abandoned to deal with her shattered family alone and is so more devastated by the loss.