Why Snyder's Philosophy Is Different

            One thing I've noticed in learning about the Beat Generation is that the writers encourage or enthuse their own philosophy. Despite this, some philosophies seem easier to live by than others, and some writers may not practice what they preach. If one were to live precisely by Burroughs's ideology, it is not likely that they would get far in life professionally or socially. In any case, living with a strict philosophy may be impossible in that some things may contradict others. However, I do not believe that any of these poets were being literal enough to cause controversy within their theoretical system. I believe they were merely pressing these lifestyles onto society through their writing with the hopes of seeing some sort of positive change in society.

            The writer from the Beat Generation who I believe has a stronger philosophy, and one that he lived by for much of his life, is Gary Snyder. This week, our class discussed Snyder's work. Buddhist influences are evident in both his poems and his essays. His writings consistently involve themes of nature, and more specifically, the idea of people and nature joining without institutionalization or influence of systematic power.

            Not only did Snyder write about these ideas, and perhaps delve lightly into the culture that he preached (as other Beat writers have), but he lived for some time in Japan, where he studied Zen. He later traveled to India in a similar cultural pursuit. These travels were not for the mere sake of an impermanent good time, as they would outline his values for the rest of his life. The video gives a short perspective of some parts of Snyder's life as well as the philosophy in which he lives by.

            Many have deemed Snyder the "Thoreau of his generation," as Beat writer, Lawrence Ferlinghetti once said. I can appreciate Snyder's beliefs because they are not harmful or selfish, as many of the writers from the Beat Generation have demonstrated. While the Beat Generation as a whole represents those writers' responses to the state of their nation and its society, those responses taken individually were all considerably different. Snyder's response was hopeful, unlike some writing of Ginsberg, Burroughs, or even Kerouac (such as in "The Vanishing American Hobo").

            Snyder returned to the states and still lives life according to his Zen Buddhist beliefs. I cannot imagine living a lifestyle such as Burroughs' or Ginsberg's past my youth, but I can imagine that Snyder's values can logically be maintained throughout a person's life without being greatly compromised. I do not say this to give the impression that I plan to pursue such a philosophy for myself. I only mean to argue that it is reasonable in comparison to those of the other Beat writers thus far. I will leave with these words from Snyder, which not only support his philosophy, but can also be considered for general encouragement:
 

"We are all indigenous. We may not transform reality, but we may transform ourselves. And if we transform ourselves, we might just change the world a bit."

What Vanished With The Hobos

"In America there has always been a definite special idea of footwalking freedom."
-Jack Kerouac, "The Vanishing American Hobo"


            Within the Beat Generation, a reoccurring concept is that "the geniuses of America" (as Ginsberg puts it) are not those preaching from behind a podium with their strings being pulled, or those working as a doctor and making more money in one paycheck than you'll ever see at once. The idea is not to look on the television to find the heroes of our nation. Perhaps check police records or street corners or pool halls.

            In Kerouac's short story, "The Vanishing American Hobo," the concept presented is not only  that the American hobo is a waning breed, but that the culture and intelligence responsible for the foundation of our country is disappearing with it. Kerouac mentions multiple examples of these "hobos" who built our nation and our beliefs, listing Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, W.C. Fields, and even Jesus.

            As Kerouac sees these infamous figures as hobos, it is likely that he assumes himself to partially belong to the hobo culture as well, despite that he does not see himself as a real hobo. Kerouac's empathy toward the vanishing hobo is so powerful due to his recognition of a great loss for America. As the last hobos creep into to the shadows, demonized by society, perhaps his hope for the raw pursuit of freedom in America parallels this fate.

            Although Kerouac insists that in the loss of the American hobo, so goes our true identity, the ending of the story indicates that he does not anticipate change. Leaving on the looming note that "The woods are full of wardens," it seems that all hope for this American hobo, this genius symbol of individuality, is truly being hunted to obliteration. I understand that the Beats were not considered to be a lost generation as the artists in the 1920s, but in this conclusion to a tradition far older than the building of our nation, I believe Kerouac may be more lost than ever, as the rawness that America once was is now vanishing with the last of the American hobos.

"The Junky's Christmas" and "Pull My Daisy"

            Coppola's take on Burroughs' "The Junky's Christmas" opens up the story revealing Burroughs as the narrator, reading from a cozy living room decorated accordingly for the holidays. The video ends with Burroughs surrounded by friends and family celebrating Christmas together. Although this representation of Burroughs adds a Hollywood-esque loop to the story, I find it ironic, as I never previously pictured Burroughs in this setting. I also think it was a good decision by Coppola to contrast the lifestyle of Burroughs in this setting to that of the junky in the story.

           One would not likely think to read such a story on a holiday. However, Burroughs likely wrote this story to question the construction of happiness and family tradition which comes hand-in-hand with a holiday like Christmas. By making the holiday a dark tale of a junky looking for his fix, rather than meeting up with his family as most citizens are doing, Burroughs writes about a non-traditional holiday miracle. The character's consistent curiosity as to where everyone is at is a sign of how truly aloof he is to the holiday.

            I was surprised to see that Coppola chose to present the work in Claymation. However, I believe it added to the irony of the situation. The contrast of family values and societal norms to a junky's search for his fix is only extended in the use of Claymation, as such techniques are often used in Christmas films to represent the former.

            The effects of the different medium were mainly highlighted by the Claymation, as I obviously did not imagine the story to be played out as such. I also did not imagine the characters speaking in Burroughs voice. The use of both, though, did work well. I initially thought that Burroughs would remain quite monotonous throughout the story, and that the Claymation characters would not be capable of showing the actions and expressions as I felt right. Despite this assumption, both techniques worked well to represent the film, and the emotions were conveyed even more than my first reading of the story.


            Personally, Kerouac's film, "Pull My Daisy" did not have a similar effect on me. Rather then properly expressing emotion, I had a hard time understanding what was being said, and who or what was being referred to. I enjoyed the themes of opposition to institutionalization, religion, and traditional family values as shown in the character of the Bishop as well as in the family. Perhaps it was merely that I am so unaccustomed to the non-romanticized ways and the pace of the Beats Generation that I did not become a quick fan of it. I have seen Coppola's works, and I trust that he had a large input into his film, whereas "Pull My Daisy" was likely more largely influenced by Kerouac, which is a less familiar and less Hollywood perspective.

Burroughs and Societal Morality

Some Advice For Young People From William Burroughs:

- Never interfere in a boy-and-girl fight.
- Beware of whores who say they don't want money.
- If you're doing business with a religious son-of-a-bitch, get it in writing.
- Avoid fuck-ups.
- Do not offer sympathy to the mentally ill.

            Even in his late seventies, Burroughs disregards the boundaries of morality, perhaps more than ever. Unconcerned with being politically correct, Burroughs continues to make remarks that make most Americans cringe. As learned through his works, his philosophy is to key into desire, eliminating values, fear, emotional ties, or any social construct that stands in the way of that desire. This perspective is evidently opposed to institutionalization, government intervention, religious influence, traditional family values, and general concern for others. Although one could argue that Burroughs' beliefs, if being held true to the majority of a population, would likely demolish all benefits from societal ties, I can see why Burroughs would choose this lifestyle in the context of American society.

            If everyone in a society acted only with concern for themselves as Burroughs apparently does, there would be no societal benefit. According to Rousseau's "Social Contract Theory", that societal benefit is the singular reason for morality. I doubt that Burroughs, in his elderly state and still preaching this advice, would survive in an animalistic society based on the survival of the fittest. However, Burroughs is giving advice to young people at this point, perhaps lacking concern for himself in his assistance to others, and therefore contradicting himself. Despite the slight contradiction, it is evident that no philosophy is solid.

            In Burroughs' short story, "The Twilight's Last Gleaming", the morality of America is questioned considerably. Each character represents the struggle of the survival of the fittest, and the fittest are those who are the most vile and manipulative. Those on the sinking S.S. America, are American citizens who have concealed their desires in order to reach them. Their indifference for one another has possibly lead to the sinking of the ship. Because this parallels with Burroughs' view of America as it is formed by societal construction, it is imperative to take note that all of the characters are represented as being innately self-concerned, rather than momentarily. One could argue that Burroughs contradicts himself once again in that the ship is sinking, and so, perhaps we should be honest with each other and ourselves in order to keep it afloat.

            However, I believe that Burroughs hopes for the ship to sink, as he would anticipate that in the abolishment of all social constructions, Burroughs would benefit the most. I do not believe Burroughs is correct, though. Although I do see some dark honesty in his beliefs, I can see his methods working much more successfully on a naïve society. As can be observed in the video as well as in his writing, Burroughs simply uses those who are of slight use to him until they aren't any longer, and he ignores those who he sees as being useless, such as the mentally ill. He is only concerned for himself, and he would not be able to take advantage of others in a country with no societal norms or moral boundaries.