Seminar in Composition
Dr. Adam Johns
September 17, 2014
Analyzing Abbey's Misanthropy
By this point in the
novel Edward Abbey has made it clear that he has a unique distaste for
humanity. He has shut himself out from the world by spending a season at Arches
and every time he has some form of human contact he goes on a tirade about the
idiocy of mankind. Yet he writes a book attempting to call out the shortcomings
of our society in the hopes that we may open our eyes and fix them. Would these
be the intentions of someone who truly hates mankind?
On pages 154-55 Abbey makes his stance on the subject
very clear. He despises the “tool making kind.” He releases his anger towards
the government and societal norms. He wants to escape it all. But as we eventually
learn, he cannot escape the effects of mankind on his vision of the perfect
world. He shares with us his belief that by cutting off the wilderness from our
world, we are destroying the principles of society. He warns “industrial man”
that our expansion will isolate us from the earth and as Abbey stated “He will
make himself an exile from the earth and then will know at last… the pain and
agony of final loss.”
Abbey is angry with society for taking advantage of what
he holds so dear. What adds fuel to his anger is the fact that no one realizes
it. He is in the minority of people who see the true beauty of unaltered nature
and prefers to take the road less travelled to see further into natures
offerings. No automobiles or roadways are needed for this. Dams will only
destroy the beauty forever. This whole novel is an attempt to open some eyes to
opportunities mankind is destroying. I believe Abbey is trying to help mankind
despite his anger towards it. It isn’t for his sake. He understands the true
essence of nature. He wants others to see it as well.
So maybe Abbey doesn’t truly hate mankind. Maybe he is
just frustrated with the ignorance and greed. The years of watching the land
transform before him to feed the money-hungry proprietors has made him bitter. To
Abbey’s pagan beliefs, original sin is the destruction of nature which is true
paradise that we are completely unworthy of. He states, “…the Paradise of which
I write and wish to praise is with us yet, the here and now, he actual,
tangible, dogmatically real earth on which we stand.”
Probably the best example for this argument is when Abbey
tells Newcomb that they need to start heading home on page 181. When questioned
why, Abbey’s response is somewhat surprising. “Because they need us. Because
civilization needs us.” This conversation unveils a greater meaning to Abbey’s
journey throughout the book more blatantly. As much as he hates it, he knows he
must try to help open the eyes of the people.
With all of this being said, I believe that Abbey does
hate mankind. There is no question to the existence of misanthropy of this
novel. He clearly states (repeatedly) how he is disgusted with the “utterly
useless crap we bury ourselves in day by day.” Yes, most of the time we should
take him literally. Although his arguments may seem extreme they are logical.
At times we must read into his metaphors. The stories of Billy Joe, Moon-Eye
and his trip down the river all have significant points trying to be made. It’s
our job to put in an honest effort and give him the benefit of the doubt to try
to understand them.
How does Abbey define wilderness? “Something lost and something
still present, something remote and at the same time intimate, something buried
in our blood and nerves, something beyond us and without limit.” This definition
seems to hold much more passion than any of Merriam-Webster’s. It is this
passion that drives Abbey to misanthropy. As would we if something we are so
passionate about is being ultimately spit on by the society that surrounds us.
We must not take
offense to this hatred. We have to see the causation that has led to these
views and decide for ourselves if this book is just a crazy man rambling about
his hippy beliefs or if we should take him seriously and see the issues he is trying
to have us fix. While it may be extreme at times, I believe that Abbey’s misanthropy
is the result of his frustration; with passion as intense as his, it is
entirely understandable.
Works Cited:
Abbey, Edward. Desert Solitaire: A Season in the
Wilderness. New York: Touchstone, 1990.
Is this true? "He has shut himself out from the world by spending a season at Arches and every time he has some form of human contact he goes on a tirade about the idiocy of mankind." For instance, does his time with Ralph make him go on a tirade? Even his time with the cowboys? This claim could really use some evidence!
ReplyDeleteThis claim is interesting: "He shares with us his belief that by cutting off the wilderness from our world, we are destroying the principles of society. " But what are the principles of society? This might be a good approach, but if you want to do it, you need to articulate what principles he is articulating and/or defending.
I read through the rest of your essay quickly. There are parts which stick out as admirable. Your brief attempt to classify Abbey as pagan could be expanded and developed, if you are interested in the idea. Your focus on the notion that "civilization needs us" is even better. Abbey loves *and* he hates *and* he is needed, all at once. But instead of developing that idea, you move in other directions - offering a definition of wilderness, touching on his metaphors, etc. You have a number of good, workable ideas, but you don't actually develop any of them at any length. Your use of the text is sometimes good, and sometimes much weaker. The whole thing, in short, is scattered. I would like to see the version that takes one of your better ideas and reorganizes everything everything around it - for my money, I'd like to see you focus more clearly on Abbey as "pagan," or the need "we" have for him, and how that relates to his hatred. But that focus certainly isn't there yet.