“Abstract horror for the fast walkers when they fall behind the dawdlers. Invective, calumny. Finally maneuvering around to find the agent of delay is infirm, disabled,acquitted. They split up. They are left waiting at the meeting place and despise their companions. Excuses are tendered up and down the rows. You see that man hold something you want and wonder where he got it.”
The preceding is an excerpt from the beginning of Part Four, The Steel Driving Theory of Life found on page 347 in Colson Whitehead’s novel John Henry Days. I begin with this excerpt for one reason. Mr. Whitehead’s ability to develop details below the surface of the preceding scene as the narrator views it, is truly remarkable. For me Colson Whitehead’s pen borders on intuitive automatic writing. A pen that develops multi layers of a scene.
A town fair in West Virginia celebrating the life and legend of the great John Henry is the setting of this excerpt. Big John Henry was driving steel into rock of West Virginia mountains helping to advance the railroad in the 1800’s. In 1872, John Henry was challenged to drive steel against the newest technology of the day, a steam driven drill, John Henry beats the steam engine drill with just his mighty arms and his sledge hammer. As legend would have it, the price of victory was high for John Henry. In any case this fair is a celebration for the town of Talcott. The long weekend celebration is known as John Henry Days. The US Postal Service is anchoring the celebration with the issuance of their latest commemorative stamp honoring John Henry.
Back to the fair. Whitehead’s detail narrative is deliciously tasted with this tidbit I now share. The fair-going crowd is still the canvas before the narrator.
Out here all exposed. A mother disciplines her child and bystanders pronounce it abuse, but what can they do. Put that down come over here, don’t bother the nice lady. The soda is under carbonated. Stingy, bubble-wise. You should have gone yourself, you ask for a coke and they come back with orange drink.
Whitehead’s John Henry Days, is a multi layered novel. The reader is taken back in time where John Henry lives then the reader is asked to jump to the novel’s today time frame following the other main character, J. Sutter. I summarize it all as snippets of perception. Snippets of time layered in moments of the legend John Henry and moments of the life of J. Sutter. Moments of both written like snap shots, Kodak moments. But I am hungry so I will use the metaphor of a multi-layered cake with layers of written frosting. One frosted layer is Lucien, another is Pamela, still another Lawrence. There are a few others and of course the top is frosted by The List. Each snippet written exposes below surface details of these characters. Each character traveling through their own dimension at the the same time.
I ( barely) understand that the String Theory mathematically shows that there are not just three or four dimensions but eleven dimensions with only one dimension of time. Now I do not want to drop a name or concept like the String Theory as if I have any understanding deeper then a ripple on the surface of that subject. John Henry Days has many dimensions and reading it sparked me to revisit the String Theory. I found some theorists feel we are living in the 5th dimension now. That we are awakening to intuit this moment in calmness. Whitehead appears to create from his intuition and that makes sense to me as his first novel is The Intuitionist. One of the future novels on my reading list.
As I lean against my metaphorical lighthouse this month I reflect on the following; I create my reality, my world, by the truth I accept that is rooted within my belief system I adhere to. My beliefs create a selective perspective of truth. Years before when I functioned just from the level of my physical world it was too easy to resist and deny any understanding of unconditional love. Truth for me is a belief and the reaction it creates. What has changed for me?
My perception has changed. Those of you who follow this blog, know I am attempting to share my journey of greater self awareness. It is a heaven of a journey and the vehicle I am driving runs on intuition. My first destination was to accept myself unconditionally. Dare I say unconditional love for myself? Not egocentric or narcissistic love that is very much on display today, but humble love. Now on to my next destination to be intuited. Stay tuned I know I am!
Be in peace and joy!
Thank you for reading.
Mark