Mao II- last chapters

I am surprised by how much sympathy Karen expresses for the individuals mourning the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.  DeLillo writes: “ Karen could go backwards into their lives, see them coming out of their houses and shanties, streams of people, then backwards even further, sleeping in their beds, hearing the morning call to prayer, coming out of their houses and meeting in some dusty square to match out of the slums together” (188).  Karen develops such a deep concern for these people and feels like she knows them personally. She feels she is right there with the mourners, experiencing the anguish and grief at the hands of death.  This perhaps demonstrates the power of a crowd’s influence on a person. Maybe Karen is particularly vulnerable to be swayed by crowds, indicated by this example and her involvement in the Moonie ceremonies. This is in contrast to Brita who maybe has the tendency to remain independent.  The conflict between individuality vs. mass identify is once again presented.  After she notices that Brita is completely emotionless and unattached from the pictures on the screen, Karen questions how some individuals can remain unscathed through times of pain. DeLillo writes, “If others saw these pictures, why is nothing changed, where are the local crowds, why do we still have names and addresses and keys?” (191) Really, this is legitimate question people ask when bad events occur. Because one person’s life is turned upside down, it is hard to comprehend that others are still perfectly okay. Since Karen is wondering this, it suggests that she is experiencing the sheer anguish with the masses, as if it were happening to her alone.

     I was also struck by the prisoner’s longing to write. “The only way to be in this world was to write himself there. His thoughts and words were dying. Let him write ten words and he would come into being again” (204). He seems to be very independent, identifying himself not from the masses, but through his own writing. He has to express himself to know he is alive. This is in contrast to those who merely follow the masses to form their identify through others.
 
      I know I probably missed important themes in this book that became lost in the dull dialogue, descriptions, etc.  Even though this was not an easy read, I still glad I read it.