In class, a question asked was: What were Madame Crommelynck’s most impactful lines when speaking to Jason? In my opinion, one idea she mentions resonates with both Jason and me during their conversations, this being: “True poetry is truth. Truth is not popular, so poetry also is not” (155). This concept applies to how Jason chooses to live his life. First, he is constantly on the watch for when Hangman will block his words, and tarnish his reputation. He lies about his true thoughts because he believe his peers will find out about his stammer if he voices them. He also chooses to post his poems under the pseudonym: Eliot Bolivar. Not only is this name a lie, but it is also an effort to detach Jason from the, sometimes, painful experiences he recreates in his poetry.
This line that Madame Crommelynck says to Jason also connects back to one of their earlier conversations about beauty, and what beauty is. “Beauty is immune to definition. When beauty is present, you know. Winter sunrise in dirty Toronto, one’s new lover in an old cafe, sinister magpies on a roof. But is the beauty of these made? No. Beauty is here, that is all. Beauty is” (148). Madame C. explains how the question, “What is beauty?” is unanswerable. But after her conversation about the truth with Jason, she then elaborates on her previous statement, saying; “One week before, we agreed ‘What is beauty?’ is a question unanswerable, yes? So today, a greater mystery. If an art is true, if an art is free of falsenesses, it is, a priori, beautiful” (155). Madame C. uses this train of thought to explain to Jason that, only by being true, will he achieve beautiful art. By hiding who he really is behind this Eliot Bolivar, Jason can never create true beauty in his poetry.
This kind of explanation is great for Jason’s development because he has an authoritative figure tell him to stop hiding and embrace who he is. It will be interesting to see if Jason will follow Madame C.’s advice as the book goes on, even if he can’t have his weekly Saturday meetings with her anymore.
I really like that first quote that you mentioned. He has always avoided the truth for the purpose of popularity. The only thing is he actually successful at is the poetry, which shows his value when presenting truth, albeit still behind a pseudonym. Therefore, I hope he begins to realize how important the truth can be.
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