First of all, my apologies, but I am very, very tired.
The idea of the zombie as a representative of our national consciousness and ideology is an interesting one, but - to get this out right off the bat - I do wish that Drake would explain Beck's concept of the "second modernity" clearly and plainly. What, exactly, is that and what does it mean? Is it like the new tech boom, or a second industrial revolution? If he explained it further in the essay I couldn't find it, and because it's the crux of his argument, I think it bears some increased scrutiny and attention. Trying to read this article with "second modernity" in mind without knowing what it meant was frustrating. I don't... disagree with Drake, at least I don't think I do, but I felt slightly unprepared having not read Beck's essay to compare with Drake's. But maybe that's just me, and maybe I missed the "second modernity" (which sounds more and more like the second coming the more I think about it) or misread. Hey, it's late.
Something that Drake does point out, and clearly explain, is the origin of the zombie in Haitian Vodou. He quotes David Inglis, who points out that "the Haitian fear is not of zombis... the fear is instead of becoming a zombie" (Drake 231). The zombie represents the enslaved condition of Haitians and of other West Indian countries/former colonies, a condition that they have a horror of returning to. This history of the zombie isn't entirely unfamiliar to me - an interesting way to experiment with Drake's ideas is with the text Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. A postcolonial prequel (I know, I know) to Jane Eyre, it explores the life of Mr. Rochester's first wife, Antoinette (Cosway) Mason, in Jamaica, before she became the "madwoman in the attic."
SPOILERS BELOW:
After her marriage, Antoinette's husband renames her "Bertha" in an attempt to distance her from her mother's madness, which Antoinette/Bertha ultimately inherits despite his efforts. Over time, Antoinette/Bertha becomes increasingly paranoid that Rochester is trying to turn her into a "zombie" by taking her name - if he takes her name he controls her. If I remember correctly, this renaming is obeah, a term used to refer to West Indian folk beliefs, witchcraft, and sorcery. It's black magic, obviously not good. The point I'm ultimately trying to make is that the zombie does not necessarily need to represent national consciousness or national ideology, even though, in Wide Sargasso Sea, I think it does - in addition to several other metaphorical meanings. Zombies represent those stripped of power, the victims of institutional oppression. At their core, like everything else it seems, zombies are about power. I think a quote from Harry Potter is a nice closer/philosophical snack to munch on: "there is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it."
JJ, I find your point about the zombie metaphor to be rather intriguing. As you state in your blog, "Zombies represent those stripped of power, the victims of institutional oppression." Especially in regards to our class discussion about this subject, the zombie metaphor can be implemented in a number of different scenarios. The idea that we focused on in class centered around zombies and consumerism. However, I think that the nature and standards of our society creates a zombie-like manifestation as well. For example, the people who go to work everyday from 9-5 and then come home to prepare for the same routine the next day are also zombies in a sense. Taking your quote into account, these individuals are "victims of institutional oppression" since they are essentially zombies for the system. At home, I often joke that my parents look like zombies after working for two-three weeks in a row. After completing the reading and discussing this concept in class, though, the reality of their situation has become darker. Sometimes people become complacent in their work, completing the same tasks for 40-50 years in various instances. The people in these cases, however, do not have power and, therefore, are forced by the institution into the process that the system requires. Overall, the notion of the zombie as a representation of society leads one to question the fabric of humanity itself.
ReplyDeleteI, like Anthony, also think your point about zombies representing enslaved peoples in Haitian society is a very interesting one, but, personally, I think that in American society, they can represent something different. Zombies have increasingly become more popular recently and this is because zombies also can represent something that is out of our control. We as a country have no idea where we are going or what is going to happen, and I think zombies are "relatable" in that they represent the unknown.
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