1,000 Years (Life after God)
By Douglas Coupland
In the shortstory 1,000 years (Life after God) by Douglas Coupland we meet a group of young suburban people who represent a post-modern world in which superficiality and consumerism affects the Society. The main character of the text is going through a development, in which he realizes the emptiness of the world he is living in and thereby
The main character seems to be reversed this postmodernism and we find that he needs to be modernistic in order to feel like he's living a meaning full life.
The main character seems to be reversed this postmodernism and we find that he needs to be modernistic in order to feel like he's living a meaning full life.
Emma:
SvarSletOur main character talks about how he believes that he and his friends have been granted a life lived in paradise. This 'paradise' is on earth and we are not talking about the vigorous one such as in the one heaven, instead we are told that this kind of paradise is the one in the hills full of luxuries. The one were all the wealthy people live.
“Ours was a life lived in paradise and thus it rendered any discussion of transcendental ideas pointless. Politics, we supposed, existed elsewhere in a televised non-paradise; […]”
He describes the general life in the hills as a life that one would desire, and you could think that that one person would be a believer in God and those who are less fortunate then himself. And this is why he also believes that transcendental ideas aren’t worth much when he already is in paradise.
When he mentions politics as if it’s a phenomenon that’s non-existing in the part of the world that he lives in. It’s sort of a way of glorifying wealthy people.
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SletEmma:
SvarSletGenerally speaking, a lot of people find meaning in their life through their faith and believe in God. This short story is called 1,000 Year (Life After God), so indirectly the title could be telling us that this text is about life without meaning. And the main character that we are reading about is indeed a person who troubles with the meaning of his existence and feels that there isn’t any substance in his life. Now I can point out that this probably is a of post modernistic content, because of the whole ‘life without meaning’-thing, but instead it seems to me that the main character is struggling with having an unaware modernistic feeling for life. We are told that he are having anxiety and is greatly depressed, but on the other hand, we are never initiated in properly with this side of the story.
We are never told about any of his deep feelings and there isn’t a deeper explanation of this anxiety or depression, but still the reader is very clear about his sad spirit. The only time we actually read about one of his feelings is when he describes the waters temperature when he sticks his foot in the river. Although no deeper feelings are ever describes is impressive how easy it is for the reader to be able to pick up the mood in this story and for one to be very clear that it is about a sad soul that suffers in a post modernistic world.
Marie:
SvarSletI think you’re absolutely right Emma in your description of the text as being about life without meaning – a “Life after God” may be a world in which God isn’t momentous anymore and thereby people in the text have other values contrary to an earlier period of time, in which religion, among other things, was an important basis to many people.
This comes clear in the description and understanding of “paradise”, as you have also mentioned, which is in the text characterized by luxury and superficiality and thereby the stage the ones in the text achieve diverges from how the bible as an example presents paradise. But what is also remarkable is that people have used religion and God to find hope, believe, love and meaning. And in this text, all these things have no value.
The main character is telling us about how he has been going through a rough time: “(…) depression and anxiety mostly, and not simply a case of “the blues”. It was bigger than that.” In this quotation he describes how the hard times he has been going through not only has been a case of “the blues” which means that he has not only been sad and depressed, but “it was bigger than that” – it has been a big issue in his life and he has actually been sick. Additionally we are told that he fixes this by taking a “magic pill”, he gets from his doctor and which provides for him to be more efficient at work and overall a more productive member of society, we come to know that even when a human being who is so obviously sick with a core that needs solicitude and a person who probably would profit by seeing a psychologist– the solution is instead a pill which is a superficial and apathetic way of “helping him” through a tough time. You can actually compare him with a machine which just needs oil to take effect - the emotionally side is erased, it is useless and is not dealt with at all. Therefore he lives in a postmodern world.
The thing about the main character is though that he ends up escaping from this world: “My secret is that I need God – that I am sick and can no longer make it alone (…)” from this quotation we find out that the “magic pill” which has been a soothing remedy to his pain and feelings earlier in the text is not enough for him – the superficial isn’t enough, now he understands that he needs to carry his core and heart too and therefore he needs God to show him the way to his feelings and his capability of giving, loving and so on.
SvarSletBy the description of the water he enters I think is a symbol of him finding his way back to his heart. It seems like he gets clarified by the water because of the repetition of the descriptions of his hands clapping and the descriptions of how he holds on to his knees and forgets gravity. And when I read how the water surrounds him and how it roars while doing it, which is a human ability and thereby becomes a personification of the water, I get the feeling of a very spiritual experience where I understand it as if our main character is regenerated in the very powerful and “clean” water which we also talked about maybe is some sort of a baptismal front.
Thereby the story ends with the main character who gets in touch with his feelings and thereby he finds his way back through religion, which plays no role in the postmodern world he lives in, and thereby the main character becomes a contrast to the world around him.
I’m not sure you can talk about the following as you do in your intro: “The main character seems to be reversed this postmodernism and we find that he needs to be modernistic in order to feel like he's living a meaning full [meaningful] life.” It’s not a choice that the individual has to be either postmodern or modern.
SvarSletIn the first post, you talk about him living in paradise, not needing transcendental ideas. However, could you clarify what you mean? He describes life after God: “The act of endless motion itself a substitute for any larger form of thought […] Ours was a life lived in paradise and thus it rendered any discussion of transcendental ideas pointless […] Life was charmed but without politics and religion.”
And later the narrator says: “It [the above] is something I think about every day. Sometimes I think it’s the only thing I should be thinking about.”
How would you characterize his approach to life based on these quotes? What are transcendental ideas? And what conclusion does he come to near the end when he confesses to the reader as to what he needs?
I know you comment a bit on this in the second post, but I need you to explain the questions asked. I’m sure you have understood it, though. It’s about being closer to the text
Also, you are correct in saying that the narrator is sad and suffers from anxiety. How does he cope with his mood swings? And how would you characterize this solution? Furthermore, what happens at the ending when he descends into the water? Can this be seen as a solution?
Asta:
SvarSletWhen we describe the main character as ”reversed post-modernistic” we basically mean that he is modernistic. Not in the traditional lamenting-the-early-industrialization way, but that he is lamenting what the world has become after the society turned post-modernistic and overall he is lamenting the death of the grand narratives. So in order to lead a meaningful life he does not need to be modernistic, he needs the grand narrative of Christianity.
The main character is of the belief that the people in a post-modern society has lost their ability to see the bigger picture. As you say, Michael, life after God is described in the following quote: “The act of endless motion itself a substitute for any larger form of thought […] Ours was a life lived in paradise and thus it rendered any discussion of transcendental ideas pointless […] Life was charmed but without politics and religion”. I believe this has striking similarities to the exact opposite of Carl Marx thoughts on religion; “religion is the opium of the masses”. Marx believes religion to be a way of keeping the masses doped so they cannot see clearly and be able to question the authorities. The main character has, if not reversed this thought completely, then created contribution to the debate on religion and its influence in the society. In the quote on life after God he said; “The act of endless motion itself a substitute for any larger form of thought”. Which could point to the focus on the individual and its daily, personal struggles in the post-modern society is blocking the individual’s ability to see the bigger picture and debate religion or politics.