On Fri, 27 Nov 1998, Mary Wittler wrote:
> Lila is defined as a drunken whore, not worthy of our
> compassion. What are Pirsig's motives? My first thought is to give him the
> benefit of a doubt. He must be just using this hackneyed device to set the
> stage for the reader. But does he really believe his readers are so dumb?
> Is it really necessary to open the book with the central female character
> portrayed as so shallow and contemptible? Doesn't he realize that he has
> just struck at women with the most heinous blow western society has to
> offer?
i'm an aquarius. first i want to support this challenge and then i'll
refute it with some defense for old brother Pirsig.
i too have shared some views of Pirsig as a bigot. i was outright shocked
in reading Pirsig's commentary at the end of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance. my brand new hero--in all my green admiration--turned the
murder of his son into a racial slam. granted, Lila is a textbook of
morality; within are examples upon examples of Pirsig's "bad attitude"
toward women in general. also, racism rears up in Lila, all too
subliminally. in striving for "better", these underlying attitudes cannot
be allowed to pass. intolerance and education beat this bigotry that is
woven into modern civilization.
Pirsig calls his own shots. his demeanor is explained explicitly in both
of his books, and implicitly throughout. like my dad and my grandpa, he
seems to be set in some ways. and we all are. it's static latching. and
as for his books, they are static too. the pen is down and the books are
published. i can imagine the turmoil it would take to put out a Lila.
after so much dynamic process, it is necessary to make the static latching
and get the damn book out on the shelves. i consider Pirsig's personality
shining from his books as some of the rawness that makes his writing his.
whenever bigotry raises its hand, i say, "opportunity for increased
awareness." alongside the negative, there exists Pirsig's metaphors and
simple complexity that makes my eyes twinkle and i say, "beautiful".
as for Pirsig's objections, i don't think he is out to maim any feminist
movements. like slaveowners aren't outright trying to stifle humanity
with injustice. Lila comprehensively deals with the static patterns of
different cultures, and like all 6 billion of we humans, Pirsig is stuck.
thankfully, Quality is what it is, and Pirsig and all of us know it and
seek it (strangely biblical).
> Later in the book I understand that Phaedrus learns a lot of things from his
> observations of Lila, but she is never redeemed. For example, she does not
> turn out to be a hero; a misunderstood personality of great depth (which is
> generally what all heroes are).
it's a good book.
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