"Company" has three main characters: a man, a voice, and a "cantankerous other," indicated by use of the first, second, and third person, respectively. The man is still or moves, all while in a space that is usually dark but sometimes light. The voice is heard by the man, who knows little about the voice's identity or purpose. Sometimes it seems that the voice is directed at the man, and periodically the voice narrates memories. Meanwhile, the cantankerous other narrates events pertaining to the man and the voice.
Who is the eponymous company, and whom is the company visiting?
It seems that in "Company" there is only one individual, the man, and that the man hosts the company. The man's thoughts about himself constitute the voice. The man's awareness of himself—of both his physical self and his mind—is the cantankerous other. This other is an observer, but it is also called the divisor. The is because this other devises the others—it, as awareness, creates the man and his thoughts, or rather, it splits them apart from each other and it itself. By devising these aspects of the individual, the individual as a cohesive whole, a single existence, is destroyed. Creating company renders the self alone.
You did a great job in identifying the 'characters' of this short story and starting off by stating the multiple points of view taken, but I would like it if you showed some examples of these different voices and how they work as a whole in the story. I feel this will strengthen your response as a whole since it will give a reader who has never been introduced to Beckett a clearer understanding of how he applies these points of view. I thought the question in the middle of the post was a good thing to ponder on while reading your breakdown of the speakers present in 'Company.' The only other thing I could see really giving life to this piece would be the addition of pictures/videos/audio clips just to give the reader some nice to look at/see while also applying to the overall theme.
ReplyDeleteI really like your last paragraph, specifically the last couple sentences. When reading the story, I just figured that the company the narrator was devising within his mind was to keep him from feeling alone, even though he always is. However, I think I now prefer your idea that the devising of company destroys the individual's existence, leaving him scattered, separated, and alone (or at least this adds another layer to the interpretation I had, one that I had not even contemplated).
ReplyDeleteAdding your interpretation creates another sort of hopelessness within consciousness from the reading (possibly). If the narrator knows he is alone and attempts to devise characters or memories to keep him from feeling that way (but still ends up alone), and the devising itself leaves the individual even more alone, then all the devising is in vain.
This reminds me of the "losing game" in Malone. If in life, death, and writing, we are always losing then what are we to do? Perhaps just try, fail, try again, and fail harder.
I don't mean to flood this post with my ideas but yours significantly helped to improve/develop mine further, and I thank you for that.