Danielle Jago - Fatalism in The World Made Straight

My reaction to this book is anger, so much anger. Travis infuriates me throughout the novel in a way that I have not been annoyed by a protagonist in such a long time. I found it excruciatingly difficult to become invested in the book, and it was only after Rash introduced us to Leonard and Lori that I cared about this plot in any way. The beginning was especially difficult, because of the lengthy descriptions of fishing and also just Travis. I do think the parts of Rash’s writing that were more poetic were beautiful, but all of the words between those moments were not particularly enjoyable for me.

            Because of the Travis, this text reminds me of Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and Krakauer’s Into the Wild. In both of those texts, I also found the main characters to be completely insufferable people. I just see this connection between Travis, Holden Caulfield, and Chris McCandless in that all of them are people going through their lives with a chip on their shoulders, angry at everyone, and blaming other people for their constant agitation. On one hand, I try to cut Travis some slack because of where he comes from and because of how his father is, but I just cannot. I have so many people in my family who grew up with near identical home lives and in near identical towns as Travis, yet they manage not to blame everyone else and be mad at the world, even when that world is trying to help them. On a less hostile note, this book reminds me of those because it largely follows a young male protagonist going through a journey regarding his beliefs and his actions (which now that I type it sounds incredibly vague).

            Aside from my diatribe about how much I hate Travis, I think this book does a great job at portraying adolescent issues. I think you see this stereotypical teenager archetype in Travis, because he is moody and unsure of himself (his intelligence, his masculinity, etc.), and you also see characters like Lori who are trying to make lives for themselves in this crucial time period.

            I think Lori’s character in this novel is interesting, because we see her trying to go to school and escape this life that she has by working to give herself something better. In the novel, we see all of these characters completely content with their stations in life and even if they are not content, they would rather continue than try to change their circumstances. The members of the town featured in the novel largely seem to live in the way that Kera describes Leonard, in the passive voice. The characters are in this state of stagnation for most of the story, Dena at Leonard’s home popping pills, Leonard at his home selling, Shank and his friends being disgusting, etc. I forget what page it is on, and I cannot seem to find it, but Rash refers to this concept of “land as destiny” in the book. So, it almost makes me wonder if Lori will, like Leonard, eventually come back. Will Lori be pulled back into that town? And would that necessarily be a negative thing for her like it was for Leonard? Lori is described a couple of times throughout the book as being strong and fulfilling this role of protector, she is so motivated as well, so I just wonder if this land is also her destiny.

            Also, on the topic of destiny, I think one of the biggest themes in this novel is destiny. Leonard, especially has this fatalistic point of view. On page 157, it says “A certain comfort in living like that, Leonard believed, the universe’s machinery set up to run oblivious to any human tinkering.” This quote almost seems to imply a symbiotic relationship between fate and choice. By finding comfort in a pre-established destiny, he denies the impact of choice in his life. So, if one were to deny these comforts, would the influence of destiny still exist for them? Or does the existence of fate rely on whether or not we validate its existence? Basically, I just wonder if the power of fate only exists, because we endow it with power. I cannot really answer these questions with fact, but I think it is definitely something to consider.