I think that the last chapter of this book is about Susan hanging Friday and then committing suicide out of the frustration of never getting to hear Friday talk. This would explain the marks around his neck in the following passage: “About his neck- I had not observed this before – is a scar like a necklace, left by a rope or chain.” (155)
I think that the reason why she had Mr. Foe continually trying to pry his mouth open was an illustration of a final attempt at hearing something come out of his mouth. For example:
“His teeth are clenched. I press a fingernail between the upper and lower rows, trying to part them.” (154)
“I pass a fingernail across his teeth, trying to find a way in.” (157)
However, now that Friday is dead there is no sound that can be heard from him. The only sound is nothingness which coincides with the notion that the Island does not exist and is only a figment of Susan’s imagination. For example:
“The skin, dry as paper, is stretched tight over their bones. Their lips have receded, uncovering their teeth, so that they seem to be smiling. Their eyes are closed” (153)
“Closer I press, listening for other sounds: the chirp of sparrows, the thud of a mattock, the call of a voice. From his mouth, without a breath, issue the sounds of the island.” (154)
The reason that there are two versions of the discovery of the bodies is because one is from the perspective of Susan as she would imagine Foe to discover them, and the other version is that of Foe’s actual discovery of the bodies and the suicide note left by Susan. My guess is that Susan could not make up her mind how she wanted Foe to discover their bodies. Therefore she decides to write a story where Mr. Foe would discover their bodies and then return for another viewing of the bodies and discover the elaborate suicide note that she wrote. For example:
“The room is darker than before…” (155)
“About his neck- I had not observed this before – is a scar like a necklace, left by a rope or chain.” (155)
Wow this was a really cool take on the last chapter. I didn't even think about it that way. I had thought the chain around his neck was from having the letter of his freedom around his neck from earlier chapter and I hadn't even considered it could of been a production of murder. In addition, your notion of Susan Barton still having a narrative part in the last chapter and that it was basically her last attempt to get Friday to talk was really interesting. I hadn't even considedred her to have any part in the last chapter in relation to narration. However, I saw that you thought the anonymous narrator was in fact Foe. What made you think that? I'm still grappling with the idea of who it could be.
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you Jacqueline! I honestly was really confused about the chapter and I read it over and over again trying to dissect it and draw conclusions, even if they were a stretch. I thought that it was Foe reading it because of the part that said "Mr, Foe I can row no further" or something along those lines. I think that perhaps (Just like most things in this book...lol)the chain around Friday's neck had a double meaning. I am thinking that literally it may have been an indicator of cause of death, while on the other hand figuratively it could have alluded to him being a slave/ the lack of freedom.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that you think that Susan committed suicide at the end of the book. What other signs would you say pointed to this theory?
ReplyDeleteAnd is it mainly motivated by her fruitless efforts at trying to get Friday to simply communicate his thoughts to her even once?
It never occurred to me to interpret it this way so I would just like to hear you maybe expand on the subject.
I also found this chapter (as well as the majority of the book) very confusing because it seems open to an endless variety of interpretations. Thought I did also interpret the chain as alluding to either slavery or a lack of individual freedom. Susan could not hear Friday because she will never understand his life. As Prof. Barnard mentioned, maybe Coetzee kept Friday dialogue free because then it would seem presumptuous of a white African author to speak of any oppressed black Africans. I didn't really think of that argument before but it could be one explanation. In the later part of your post with the quotes "The skin, dry as paper, is stretched..." and "Closer, I press..."
I thought maybe the first part was narrated by an omnipresent narrator while the second was Susan Barton. It's really hard to tell who the narrator is supposed to be especially at the end. I feel like it could change voices at any instant. But I like how you saw it as two characters viewing the same situation with different perspectives. I guess one of the great things, even if it gets confusing, about the ending is that it can be shaped and absorbed in so many ways. The motivations and attitudes and the story arcs also must change in the minds of each reader after the end of the book.