I hope I’m not going to get in too much trouble for this, but I won’t be devoting much of this post to talking about the “monster” in Clive Barker’s “The Yattering and Jack”. I can’t. I don’t think there was one. Yeah, I know the “antagonist” was a demon, but I didn’t find him particularly antagonistic or frightening. I don’t think Barker intended for him to be either, which was part of what made this piece so engaging.
You can’t help but sympathize (and empathize) with both Jack and the demon who tries so hard to torment him. After all, the Yattering is just doing his job; he is more frustrated by his inability to faze Jack or ruffle his victim’s calm, patient demeanor than Jack is bothered by the Yattering’s horrifying and yet hilarious antics.
Oh, I loved this story for a veritable cornucopia of reasons. It’s funny and it’s deep, and the end of it warms my atheist’s heart.
First off, the humor: This piece is resplendent with it. Beginning on page 44, when Jack backs out of the bathroom so his adulterous wife can finish cuckolding him, I laughed heartily, and I found myself in stitches on every subsequent page. Jack’s response to his daughter’s announcement that she’s a lesbian was priceless. Other examples include Barker describing how the Yattering’s existence is so uneventful that he looks forward to the mailman coming, or the fact that the creature spends its day watching game shows and hoping to catch a glimpse of the neighbor woman walking around her house naked. Even the imagery of Jack pissing on the drowned cat was amusing, in its way.
Second, I loved this story because I really related to it. Some of my classmates in the genre readings course posted that they empathized with the Yattering’s plight in that they too have been up against seemingly insurmountable obstacles and subject to the demands of “Evil Overlords”, but I related more to Jack. I say this because I live with a Yattering; an honest-to-god crazy person who is prone to flip out on me at any given minute. Jack’s reaction to finding his cat floating in the toilet (or spontaneously combusted in the living room) is roughly akin, I suspect, to the frustration I often feel when I encounter the latest evidence that my roommate is batshit insane. I only wish I had Jack’s unflappable demeanor.
Speaking of his calm demeanor, I want to draw what I thought was an obvious comparison between Jack and Job of the Bible. “The Yattering and Jack” is near parallel the story of Job, when Satan torments Job with the loss/death of his wife and children, the ruination of his crops, and the wreck of his personal health, all in an attempt to make Job renounce God.
Speaking of God, I adore the fact that at the end of this piece, Jack acknowledges that although he now has control over the Yattering, his contact with and apparent condoning of the creature has, in fact, barred him from entering the so-called gates of “Heaven”. So, to an extent, the Yattering has (post-disgrace) served his purpose; he has kept Jack Polo from spending the afterlife in “paradise”.
Nicely done, Mr. Barker!
Yeah, ambiguous is the best way to describe the end feeling for the two major players here. I have to agree. The Yattering is just doing his job, but he's trying to collect on a debt that isn't strictly Jack's. Jack is trying to outwit the demon, but he puts his daughters and his cats in harm's way to do it. I guess a reader has to pick a side and live with it. I chose the Yattering.
ReplyDeleteI too loved the humor in this piece. Who hasn't felt like the Yattering bored all day and when bored many of us do stupid and destructive things (though blowing up cats really does cross a line).
Dave J
I never thought of the ending in that manner before, but your completely right! Despite breaking the laws, the Yattering really does prevent Jack from attaining entrance in Heaven, and ultimately fulfills his job.
ReplyDeleteI also liked what you had to say about Jack being a parallel between Job in the Bible. That didn't even cross my mind, but that's an interesting analysis that you brought up.
Oh, and I too cracked up throughout the entire book. I think when he pissed on the cat was my favorite part though... gotta love Jack Polo.
So, who should we sympathize with, Jack or the Yattering. I agree that the Yattering wasn't much in the way of a monster. Sure it was a demon, but it held a low rank and was only doing the job it had been trained to do. This being said, what was Jack's role in this. He, an importer, only lived to defeat the demon and enslave it. Even though in the end his decision to not abuse the power he now has is abusive in and of itself. If there is any monster in this story it is Jack.
ReplyDeleteCraig
Sorry to hear you live with a batshit roommate, Carla. Do you at least get to live cool and Gothic and batshitty... a castle, say?
ReplyDeleteGreat point about the ending. Both characters succeed and fail, really. The Yattering botches the job and earns enslavement that ends up blocking the victorious Jack Polo from entering heaven. I'll second your nod to Barker. That's a neat twist.
I guess I got caught up with Jack Polo getting The Yattering to say "que sera sera" that I overlooked the fact that Jack absolutely is not getting into heaven. D'oh!
ReplyDelete