Beneath the Exterior
What is normalcy?
This is the question, Jonathan Franzen, undertakes in his novel, The Corrections. The novel provides a stark realization of the facade presented by the "nuclear family" stereotype. The image of time-honored traditions, strong Christian values, parental involvement, boundless love, and overzealous joy are portrayed as brittle filament in a disambiguous and unrealistic in the modern world. The false provado of perfection is laced with overbearing overtones, devoid of authentic communication, and self-righteous morals. To be blunt, under the polished and proper exterior, the Lambert family struggles to coexist.
There is a futility in the desire to portray normalcy, because the appearance of health and wholeness does not fix the problem, a need for health and wholeness. To pretend everything is all right, when in reality, division, strife, and hostility prevail, is denial. Short, simple, and blunt, it is denial. Denial of the problem. Denial of self. Denial of needing help. Take your pick, it is all there.
There is an intriguing point based in the novel and found throughout the fabric of society, what is normal anymore? The structure of families, job descriptions, plutonic friendships, ambiguous hobbies, and the initiation of the internet, have changed the planning field. The 1950s cookie-cutter model not longer fits in post-post-modern society, we current find ourselves.
So again, what is normal?
To me, normal is realizing that the idea of normal, perfect, and average are a fallacy. Walking through life, exposed as the man I am, not the man I pretend to be. I think Kurt Vonnegut said it best, "Be careful what you pretend to be because you are what you pretend to be." You become a liar. A fraud. A charlatan.
Maybe it is time to walk out from under the veil. The candid photos need to be burned. The unfair expectations need to be shattered. The time has come to cast away the Catagelophobia and Gelotophobia. Time to walk into the society we live and confront the falsehoods of perception.
So you maybe asking, is this normal?
My retort will always be, normal is overrated.
great blog Nick! I love it when you write.