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Motifs
Definition of Paradox
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar Wilde's famous declaration that "Life is... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel... read full definition
Chapter 43
Explanation and Analysis—Blind Faith:
In Chapter 43, the narrator describes Gately's surreal process of realizing the AA works for him. Through the use of an idiom, he reflects that it seems like a paradox:
[O]lder guys...will tell you in terse simple imperative clauses exactly what to do, and where and when to do it (though never How or Why); and at this point you’ve started to have an almost classic sort of Blind Faith in the older guys, a Blind Faith in them born not of zealotry or even belief but just of a chilled conviction that you have no faith whatsoever left in yourself; and now if the older guys say Jump you ask them to hold their hand at the desired height, and now they’ve got you, and you’re free.
Gately and other newcomers to AA want more than anything to be free from addiction. Gately is suspicious about the way the program promises freedom through faith. Participants are encouraged to have faith not only in a vaguely defined "higher power," but also in the process itself and the older people who have been through it. Gately never quite settles into the idea of a higher power. It also feels strange to him to trust strangers simply because they say they know how to help him. Gately is a bit of a folksy character, and so a paraphrased idiom ("When I say jump, you say how high") helps him wrap his head around his feelings. If these older men say "jump" and Gately just complies, is he not simply submitting to another form of control? It does not make sense to him that this kind of submission could make him "free."
And yet, it does free him. By following AA, even the parts he isn't sure about, Gately is able to quit using substances for the first time in his life. His ability to form healthy human connections is entirely transformed. This personal experience is evidence enough for him to keep trusting the process without thinking too much about it. The novel, on the other hand, can't quite seem to put down the paradox. It portrays AA in a mostly positive light, but it remains skeptical that the program isn't itself just as limiting as addiction.
Related Themes:
