It's Just the Norm

   A norm, AKA a socially and culturally accepted way of acting, living, and doing that is shared by all members of a majority assume one another share. So what are some examples of social norms you may ask? Well let me list a few off the top of my head for you! Leaving a 15% for your waiter at a restaurant, saying please and thank you, brushing your teeth and showering daily, men paying for women on dates, going to the back of the line, marriage, and many many more. All of these norms are assumed to be universal in the American culture and people expect one another to act this way or live by these norms on a daily basis. But norms can sometimes lead to false perceptions! For example, just because someone drives a Mercedes-Benz (a norm for most rich people), does not always mean they are rich! False perceptions like this are shown in "Being There" as well! Take a look at the video below to learn more about social norms and how they effect our world!

     It is the false perception of Chance that lead people to believe he is a character that he really is not. Being an illiterate gardener, Chance is not diplomat. Yet, after his caretaker passes away, he inherits his fortune, and becomes a famous social figure. He unknowingly deceives everyone around him into believing he is someone he is not, which is what fascinates me so much as the reader! For example, when talking about Chance, “The President’s brows knitted and he said icily: “I assume that Mr. Chauncey Gardiner, like all the rest of us, was born of certain parents, grew up in certain places, made certain connections, and like the rest of us contributed, through his taxes, to the wealth of this nation” (Kozinski 98). Due to the norm of this time period, people of diplomacy where very privileged individuals who fit the social norm of this class. So without even knowing any history of Chance, the President assumes that Chance fits the normal of his class.

     This language of interpretation device clearly illustrates the conflict between reality and perception and reinforces the main theme of the novel. Due to the failure to differentiate between reality (Chance's real identity) and perception (what the President and others perceive him to be), the true identity of Chance is unable to be grasped by other characters as well as Chance himself.

    Can you imagine living a life like Chance? Not only do others not know who Chance really is, but I don't think Chance even knows his true identity. It is examples like this that people fail to differentiate between reality and perception and lose sight of true identity! Chance, because of this, is like a lost puppy.

Learn from the Institution!

     We all learn from our peers and our environments, it is inevitable. An institution is a structure or mechanism of social order that governs the behavior of people. Believe it or not, but you experience these everyday of your life! Take a look at the picture below. The graffiti wall or "word splash" below shows the common words associated with the language of interpretation device known as an institution. Besides the formal idea of school, institutions can be thought of creatively and be known as influences that govern the behavior or people. Mainstream music, fashion fads, magazines, television shows, trends, and so much more are all structures of life that govern people to act a certain way. I am sure you have once seen a celebrity wearing a cool piece of clothing or acting a certain way and felt obligated to mimic their actions. You, my friend, were subject to an institution!

     Since Chance is not a student of a college or university, and because he rarely has any contact with the outside world, how does he learn you may ask? Well, rather than a traditional school to teach him ethics and ways of life, the television is Chance's institution. Take this real life scenario for example, a woman who was attracted to Chance was alone with him in a bedroom and suddenly “Chance was bewildered: there was clearly no place to which he could run away. He searched his memory and recalled situations on TV in which a woman advanced toward a man on a couch or a bed or inside a car. Usually, after a while, they would become very close to each other, and, often they would be partly undressed. They would then kiss and embrace. But on TV what happened next was always obscured: a brand new image would appear on screen: the embrace of the man and woman was utterly forgotten” (Kozinski 76). Without the television to be there, Chance would be completely clueless when encountered with this woman! The perception of TV is what leads Chance throughout his life. Because he was never apart of society and never learned from the world around him, the only institution he has to turn to is the television. Before you continue reading, take a chance to look at this movie clip from the actual movie "Being There" that shows the importance of television in Chance's life!

     Do you remember the first time you talked to your crush? Your nerves were running high, you may have stuttered when you spoke to him or her, and even got a little red faced from embarrassment! But these are all typical. Whether you learned from your parent or friend or someone else, you were prepared and knew what to expect and what to do when encountering this scenario. This is where you differ from Chance. This excerpt from the text is a perfect example of perception versus reality. What Chance perceives on television from this type of scenario only covers so much of the reality. The TV only shows so much, and then the rest is obscured! His perception of life through the television is much different from reality. Poor Chance is so clueless! This reoccurring theme is evident throughout the entire novel and is what intrigues me to continue reading the novel.

     So learn from poor ol' Chance! Be careful what you use as an institution of learning, and choose wisely! Do not let an institution create a conflict of perception versus reality! THIS IS THE DOWNFALL OF CHANCE!!!

A Division in Reality: Help Me!

     Now I know that watching the movie is NOT a substitute for reading the book, but take a look at this fantastic Movie Trailer here of "Being There" to get a sense of the main character Chance! Chance is such a fascinating individual who really drags the reader into the story. Have you ever heard of an othering? Maybe you haven't, so let me give you a universal example that can give you a deeper understanding before we dive into our text!

     An othering is defined as a dynamic in which a division of reality occurs. So where in the world would you see an othering in our day to day lives? Essentially, the "other" is the opposition to the "same". So for example, a person who is diagnosed with schizophrenia battles with multiple personalities. So this person's normal personality, known as the "same" is not a constant personality. The mental disorder causes them to express "other" personalities that creates a division in reality. This type of disorder disables a person to think clearly, emotionally react accurately, and see the reality of the world. While this disease seems very far-fetched, it is actually quite common and alludes to our main character Chance!


     Through the television Chance watches regularly, an othering is formed that creates a division in Chance. Like all of us, Chance watches TV daily and is very fascinated by what the vivid images, sounds, and shows have to offer him. But, Chance is actually offered an opportunity that many of us never get to have, actually STAR on a television show!  “Chance turned on the TV. He wondered whether a person changed before or after appearing on the screen. Would he be changed forever or only during the time of his appearance? What part of himself would he leave behind when he finished the program? Would there be two Chances after the show: one Chance who watched TV and another who appeared on it?” (Kozinski 61). I think about this except as the first time you hear a recording of your voice or see yourself on a video tape. Automatically you think: "Is that really me? Do I really sound like that? Do I really look that that?"

     Well yes, believe it or not that REALLY is you. That "other" side of yourself that you see or hear is how you perceive yourself when you step back and listen to a recording of your voice or a silly video of you. The excerpt above exemplifies this scenario exactly only in Chance's shoes. The "same" side of Chance is the person who lives as a gardener. his "other" side is what he perceives himself to be through television. This language of interpretation device reinforces the theme of the novel. The conflict of reality versus perception not only is exhibited through the TV, but also inside Chance himself! In order for characters to overcome this conflict, they must first differentiate between what is REALLY reality and what is perception.



     So learn from Chance! Find yourself and don't lose yourself in the reality versus perception conflict!!!

Very Punny

    You say something one way, and someone perceives it another way. Ever happen to you? I know it has happened to me. If this has happened to you then you have experienced something known as a double entendre, or a word/figure of speech that can be interpreted or understood two different ways. Take a look at this silly picture below that is quite punny double entendre indeed (Ha-Ha).



     For those of your keeping up with my independent reading novel, lets take a look at our main character, our good ol' friend Chance. It is actually quite humorous that throughout the novel, Chance's life is essentially a double entendre! He is an illiterate gardener who is perceived to be an innovative and diplomatic man of great fortune! Talk about false perception again huh? Imagine yourself as Chance, just newly introduced to the world outside of his garden standing in front of the President of the United States of America being questioned about the failing US economy. A little nerve wracking I'd say. And the conversation goes a little something like this: “‘Mr. Gardiner? What do you think about the bad season on the street?’” … ‘“In a garden,’ Chance said, ‘growth has its season. There are spring and summer, but there are also fall and winter. And then spring and summer again. As long as the roots are not severed, all is well and all will be well.’ He raised his eyes. Rand was look at him, nodding. The President seemed quite pleased” (Kozinski 54). Safe to say Chance luckily hit that one out of the park!



     But what the President perceives Chance to be implying is not really what Chance means by his words. The President asks Chance about the "Street" (Wall Street, of course) but Chance immediately thinks back to his roots in the garden. This double entendre expressed here is essentially the main message of the novel, the failed differentiation between reality and perception leads to a false identity of characters and events. Chance VERY LUCKILY talks about how his garden grows throughout the year and the President perceives this message and an intellectually striking idea! His seemingly silly statement about a garden is understood as a message relating to Wall Street.

     The language of interpretation known as double entendre that Kozinski expresses here shows the ongoing theme of the novel. We see this over and over again in everyday life, how one statement can be perceived in a completely different way. How saying something to your mother one way can be interpreted as rude and "flip" and then you're grounded for a week! Well let's hope that does not happen, but keep this theme and message in mind, as you continue to read "Being There" and staye tuned for more blog posts!

Lights, Camera, Action!

     

     Hollywood acting, talk about false advertising! We all know that we need to take Hollywood movies with a grain of salt, and not believe everything we see. Take a look at this movie clip from a popular Hollywood movie, Mean Girls. As you can see from the clip, this is not really what high school is like! However, in one language of interpretation device known as existentialism, people belief that actual life is consciously created by actors in movies and on television. Let's take a look at our buddy Chance again!

     Through actors and actresses on television, Chance learns how he should act, feel, think, and see the world through his own eyes. But when encountering a real life situation, he does not know what to do but mimic what he perceives life to be on TV. When Chance finds himself in a real life scenario, he finds himself in a conflict between reality and perception.  “The doctor removed the syringe from his case. While he was filing it, Chance visualized all the TV incidents in which he had seen injections being given. He expected the injection to be painful, but he did not know how to show that he was afraid” (Kozinski 33). Because the narrator has never experienced real life scenarios, the actors he sees on TV provide Chance with an insight to how he should feel pain and how he should react to a painful experience like a shot. This language of interpretation teaches readers like you and I about the protagonist and gives us insight to how they think, process information, learn, and grow as an individual. Poor Chance, because he fails to differentiate between perception and reality, he fails to find himself and loses sight of what life is really like. This reoccurring theme is the main message the author is trying to present to the reader throughout the novel. 

     Imagine being a Hollywood actor. In essence, a Hollywood actor would fail to differentiate between reality and perception much like Chance! This conflict occurs in our everyday lives. Think about famous actors and actresses who allow superficial Hollywood settings to correlate to their lives. This theme Kozinski includes in his novel is so applicable to our lives today! So next time you are watching a movie like Mean Girls, always remember how reality and perception are two completely different things, and DO NOT fall for Hollywood's false perception of reality!!!

What is this World?

     Have you ever wondered how the world came to be? Or how you knew so much about the world around you? Yes, it is miraculous how much we know about the world around us so naturally and can describe and depict aspects of the world around us so effortlessly.

     In his novel "Being There", Jerzy Kozinski narrates the life of the protagonist, Chance, who has lived as a gardener his entire life. All Chance knows is the garden! Could you imagine being confined to a small area like a garden your entire life without any contact to the real world? I sure can't. Because this main character is not at all connected to the outside world around him, he is essentially clueless to what society is. But there is one thing that educates him and teaches Chance how society functions.

     That's right! Television. Chances TV serves as his epistemology, or the way someone knows the world around him. Through this language of interpretation, the protagonist learns the world and society around him through the TV. Take yourself into his shoes and imagine yourself in this scenario. Chance is walking through the garden and then “Then he disconnected the sprinkler and walked back to his room. He turned on the TV, sat down on the bed, and flicked the channel changer several times. Country houses, skyscrapers, newly build apartment houses, churches shot across the screen. He turned the set off. The image died; only a small blue dot hung in the center of the screen, as if forgotten by the rest of the world to which it belonged; then it disappeared. The screen filled with grayness; it might have been a slab of stone” (Kozinski 28). Without being exposed to the natural world outside of his garden, Chance uses his TV to learn social customs, rules, and culture. The shows and pictures on his television are Chance's perception of the real world and what he expects the world to be.

     Poor Chance! I cannot imagine being confined in one small area my entire life and only be able to perceive what life is really like, rather than see what reality really is. Throughout this novel I have learned that perception versus reality is a main conflict that is evident not only through the entire novel, but in our world today! Turn on the news and you will see all the over exaggerated stories on almost every news station!

     Stay tuned on my blog to read more about this fascinating novel!