Being There
by Jerzy Kosinski
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jerzy KosinskiEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1999-09-20
ISBN: 0802136346
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: Grove Press
Book Reviews of Being There
Book Review: "Candide" for the media age
Summary: 5 Stars
As the film and the novel differ only sligthly, I've decided to post the same review for both.
Kosinski's satire isn't limited to the effects of media culture on people and society -- it productively branches off into related areas. The satire is so rich for such a short novel that it becomes difficult to provide a coherent exegesis. But I'll try.
There's nothing cryptic about the title's meaning. A man who's "experienced" life vicariously only through what he's seen on television, suddenly finds himself "being there", in the "real" world, which he has essentially no understanding of. He has trouble making the distinction, as we see when he uses a remote control to try to shut off a disagreeable young man.
Chance isn't congenitally stupid -- he's been "stupi-fied" by watching so much TV. This is not accidental. The Old Man who took him in as a child paid no attention to his education. Chance provided labor for nothing more than the cost of feeding and clothing him; his development as a human being was of no importance. (It's noteworthy that Louise, the Old Man's black maid, though claiming to have raised Chance, made no effort to teach him to read and write.) The poke at capitalism is obvious -- even heavy-handed -- but it could apply to any society in which the worth of the indvidual is not of primary importance. *
Chance's vapidity is a "tabula rasa" on which others' values and views are written. But the projection is largely due to the listener's unwillingness to hear what the speaker is actually saying. People hear what they want to hear, and "Being There" is also an indictment of our failure to "be there" with those with whom we engage in conversation.
Chance's repeated "I like to watch" has obvious voyeuristic connotations, which were confirmed in a Dick Cavett interview where Jerzy Kosinki revealed that he liked to go to public baths to watch people having sex. Most people found (and still find) this shocking, but I've never understood why "voyeurism" is considered a disorder (unless it replaces sex). Humans are highly visual animals, and we all "like to watch" all sorts of things, which is one of the reasons television has taken over so much of our lives.
The projection of our inner lives on the outer world of television and movies can block the development of an "inner dialog" that can help us make sense of our own lives and what is going on around us. (Fundamentalist religion also has this effect.) Chance is lost in the outer world, in part because he has no inner world in which to retreat and figure out things. His is the ultimate "candidness", in which everything is on the surface. "There is no there, there", as Gertrude Stein said about Oakland.
It is all-too tempting to paint Ronald Reagan as a real-life Chance, and I won't resist the temptation. It is difficult to understand why such a vacuous idiot was elected to the Presidency, but it was partly due to his very shallowness, which allowed even people who disagreed strongly with his policies to find him "likeable". How can one like a stupid person who has nothing of any value to contribute? It is no surprise that, at the end, the power brokers are thinking that Chance should run for the Presidency.
The film was made at Peter Sellers' encouragement, as he viewed the novel as a vehicle for his acting skills. It's a near-perfect performance (unlike, say, Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man", where we're constantly aware we're watching an actor pretend to be something he isn't). Although the novel describes Chance as handsome and athletic, the older and somewaht vacant-looking Sellers is a better choice for the film, as removes the possibility people think well of him simply because he's good-looking. The other performances are mostly good, with Maclaine, Dysart, and Douglas standing out. Douglas's Oscar-winning performance, in particular, is a fine example of acting without appearing to act.
The ending -- not in the novel -- spins the story in a direction Kosinski did not intend. Is Chance the fool of God? Is he so cut off from the material world that its laws no long apply to him, and he can walk on water -- perhaps because he doesn't understand it isn't possible (as suggested by the tag line on Rand's tomb, "Life is a state of mind")? Either way, the story's meaning is softened and blunted. Chance is neither hero nor divine.
Other than this misstep, Ashby's direction is spot-on, giving the material the weight it needs to be believable. A lighter tone would call too much attention to the satire. The Blu-ray transfer is beautiful, highlighting Caleb Deschanel's rich photography.
Thematically, "Being There" recalls "Rear Window" (voyeurism) and "Network" (media corruption of the "inner self").
The film is very good, and the novel great, arguably one of the best of the 20th century.
* "Individualism" and "individuality" are not the same thing.
Summary of Being There
A modern classic now available from Grove Press, Being There is one of the most popular and significant works from a writer of international stature. It is the story of Chauncey Gardiner - Chance, an enigmatic but distinguished man who emerges from nowhere to become an heir to the throne of a Wall Street tycoon, a presidential policy adviser, and a media icon. Truly "a man without qualities," Chance's straightforward responses to popular concerns are heralded as visionary. But though everyone is quoting him, no one is sure what he's really saying. And filling in the blanks in his background proves impossible. Being There is a brilliantly satiric look at the unreality of American media culture that is, if anything, more trenchant now than ever.
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