Question

As we’ll see in this lecture, Swede’s life comes apart at the seams. He seems close to losing his mind, and the dinner party at the novel’s end, with its assortment of characters, is unbearable. Marcia, who is a political activist, seems to relish the breaking down of what Swede considered a strong, good family. Swede is no longer in control of anything, and has been slowly losing control throughout the story. He has now concluded that there are forces of chaos, and people who seem to relish “how far the rampant disorder had spread, enjoying enormously the assailability, the frailty, the enfeeblement of supposedly robust things.” This is how he sees the terrible change in Merry; he feels that the forces of chaos and disempowerment finally brought the strong, robust Merry to her knees, and her entire family as well. It is a sad realization for Swede to have to face, that everything is not only imperfect, but goes beyond imperfect to random, senseless disorder. The reader knows from the beginning of the story that he dies shortly after this chapter.

THIS STORY TOUCHES MANY LEVELS OF THOUGHT. THE FAMILY STRUCTURE, THE STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY AND CIVILIZATION, THE FINE LINE BETWEEN ORDER AND DISORDER, THE FINE LINE BETWEEN WORKING FOR THE GOOD OF HUMANITY AND ITS COST, AND THE HISTORY OF THE SIXTIES. THE READER NEVER DOES UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RITA COHEN, OR WHO IT WAS THAT HAS BEEN FOLLOWING AND WATCHING SWEDE. PERHAPS RITA IS SWEDE’S CONSCIENCE? THAT’S MY THEORY…DISCUSSION FORUM #1

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