The Death of Man

Mr. Tangen, because of the difficulty I’ve been having with my blog I have posted all my Molloy entries as one:

My first impression of Molloy is that it will be told in a sort of stream of consciousness style. He just takes right of with the nameless narrator (I’m assuming its Molloy) and doesn’t explain anything, but leaves you to build up what is going on from the “clues” he leaves. It reminds me of the article we read that explains what a blog is, it just takes off and you have to keep up or give up. Molloy seems to be held somewhere, a place he describes as his mother’s room (which seems unlikely) and he apparently can’t leave and doesn’t want to. He just seems tired overall, like he’s ready to die, but he is being kept alive for an unknown reason. He is being asked to write something down (his life I assume) which seems important to his captors. Molloy subtly comments on how ridiculous and demanding these figures are, by remarking that they had been angered that he begun at the beginning. Molloy’s thoughts are often disorderly and nearly incoherent, as if he can barely think straight. Maybe he has suffered some sort of trauma, or he is being drugged by his captors. Certainly his thoughts are less than logical and he seems to be unable to properly remember his past, which means the reader has to imagine it. His memories mix with his examples and he even says he is changing and embellishing them, admitting that his memory is mixing with them. This is all obviously on purpose by the author, who I think want to write a book that the reader would be in charge of instead of having to act like a kindergarten teacher and explain every last detail of his work. The reader has to guide his or her self rather than being guided by the author. Molloy also seems to be quite old (he speaks of the possibility of having a grown son) and he seems to be afflicted with the various health problems that old people have, like difficulties urinating. He also alternates between a sedate complacent state, totally submitted to his situation meekly handing over his papers and vaguely remembering his mother, to cursing her and his present state in a manic sort of rage. It gives the piece certain humanity, because Molloy shifts through emotions like any normal human and it gives us a more realistic picture of him and a better understanding of his situation. He also seems to have had no father, as he is never mentioned and he speaks of affection for old men, I suppose they were surrogate father figures. He also tries repeatedly to remember a girl, which he says was not real love, with which he may have fathered a son. In the same way that Molloy supposes he resembles his mother and that he has taken over her life, the probably son would have taken over Molloy’s having only a mother and an absentee father than didn’t love them. Part two of Molloy shifts radically onto another character, Moran. He is very different from Molloy. His tone is instead bursting with life, a man who obviously talks and thinks to much and is convinced of his being right on everything. Unlike Molloy he explains his name, his home, his son and barrels through his explanations. He begins his half despondent for unknown reasons and then he begins to explain. For now I will assume that he was the one that visited Molloy on Sundays to pick up his papers. It is not explained who he works for, only that he is an agent. The big question I have is what country this could be set in. the author is Irish, and Molloy and Moran are Irish names, but Jacques is French. This may well be irrelevant but I’m wondering just the same. There is also something almost nervous about Moran unceasing chatter. Just what would he say if he didn’t loudly declare his opinions? Unlike Molloy who talks about himself Moran seems to avoid anything truly personal. Moran is charged with finding Molloy, who has escaped, but also avoids thinking profoundly about him. I think Molloy and Moran are the two sides of man. The first knows all about who he is, but to get there he is bleak and dying, while Moran is the younger man, bursting with life, but with no self knowledge or true understanding of the world. Towards the end though (as towards the end of ones life) Moran’s tone begins to resemble Molloy’s, less energy, more sad truth and an almost complete surrender to the possible terrible twists of fate life will bring.

Human Nature?

Chapter ten brings up the now old and still unsolved question of nature versus nurture. We are still at a loss as to what influences our lives and our choices the most. However it seems clearer in the animal kingdom, for example this chapter mentions that female bees act as they are raised to. It also deals with reciprocal altruism, which is another form of selfishness. It presents itself amongst groups of selfish individuals, who then cooperate in other to secure an advantage. For example penguins will huddle together, the individual getting the benefit of presenting less surface area to the wind, but must also give something of his, as in taking a turn on the outside of the huddle and receiving more wind in exchange for this benefit. It is important that these individuals do not face the wind because they want to help the group, but because it is the best choice for them as individuals because they reap the most benefits by cooperating. This chapter also mentions that some individuals cheat, which means they appear to be collaborating, but in fact aren’t. The need to cheat slyly and smartly may be one of the big reasons for the human ability for math and our big brains.

Love and Marriage

Dawkins’ Chapter nine deals with “romantic” relationships in a rather unromantic way. First of he says that there is of course competition between a mother and father because they don’t share genes, but their children who have half of each their DNA make them cooperate. However the smartest thing for both of them to do is to try to weasel their way into doing the least amount of work possible and then if possible having other sexual partners in order to try to propagate their genes. Sexual partners therefore have relationships of mutual mistrust and exploitation. It also redefines the difference between sexes, defining it simply by the difference in size between their sex cells. It also debates whether in our society males compete for females or vice versa which seems to be the case.

Lunch:
Sarah: So I’m getting married! I’m so excited. I bet our kids will be lovely.

Jane: Why would you want to get married? All sexual partners have a relationship of exploitation and mistrust. He’ll cheat on you, and saddle you with the kids.

S: What? How can you be so cynical! We’re in love and our children will be raised by both of us.

J: You forget that you’re only having children to pass on your genes. It’s better to try to have as many kids as possible with as many partners as possible to ensure your genes survival. Besides, you need to make sure that your genes survive so it’s likely you’ll favor one over another.

S: You’re totally forgetting human nature! We’re not like animals, we love each other and we’ll love our children equally.

J: People are just survival machines, and it’s in your best interest, and theirs to love them unequally. Face it we’re just machines our genes have developed to ensure our survival.

S: You know I think there may be a reason you can’t get a date…

J: The reason is that the world is full of idiots who can’t comprehend Darwin! We don’t do anything for the survival of the species, but for the survival of our genes. Natural selection happens logical because the substandard are weeded out and we continue to evolve.

S. Ok, I think I’ll do you a favor and introduce you to my cousin Russell at the wedding.

J: See, that’s another thing! People do all these things thinking they’re being altruistic but they’re really not. Everything we do is selfish, it just seems altruistic sometimes. Like all those people talking about how some “hero” died in a fire saving ten people! Well, duh. It’s obviously best to lose one copy of a set of genes if the reward is to keep ten.

S: Honey, you need to get out more.

Waiter: Check?

Family Power Hour

Chapter eight deals with generations and the way they also compete, even within a family. For example a mother needs to feed her children, but also herself, and she needs to know that they are all getting equal chances of her survival, so her genes within them have equal chances of survival. However children want to get more resources than their siblings to their specific genes can survive better. Therefore parents have to compete not only with other parents and their environment but also with their children’s occasional treachery. Not only that, but occasionally it is better for them to have favorites, or to keep a runt from feeding in order to better invest her resources. A favorite is likelier to grow and continue to ensure the survival of her genes, while a runt, who is unlikely to survive, will just take away the resources of children who have better chances of surviving and safeguarding her genes. Likewise, a child’s best option is to lie cheat and pull every dirty trick to try to survive, though Dawkins’ encourages parents to keep their kids from this.