Humanity and Judaism
Ok, I'll admit it. I felt a little like my personal humanity was being threatened Tuesday. When we delved into a discussion of the relative humanity of children produced by fertilization techniques and Ceasarian sections. I wanted to defend my own right to be alive and considered human. I always felt a sense of pride when I read Macbeth- "Look at me, I'm just like the hero, I'm a good person!" Professor Jackson pointed out what I didn't want to admit- MacDuff's birth made him something that wasn't wuite human by the standards of those around him. Of course, I understand that many in the rooom would probably have been dehumanized if we'd actually adopted a standard that eliminated fertilized and Caesarian babies... but nevertheless...
I also wanted to talk a little bit more about the use of Judaism for the characters in He, She and It. After class, I asked two of my Jewish friends (totally unpracticing, un-Bar Mitzvahed, terrible Jews from a religious perspective) whether they thought that being Jewish played a bigger role in informing their identity then being Christian did for those around them (say me, baptized, confirmed, somewhat practicing). After making a joke about Yod ("A Jewish cyborg? Twice the accounting power!"), they said, "Of course." They went on to add that being in a minority always makes that minority classification a bigger part of a person's identity, because cultural traditions of the majority are built into society's expectations.
This brings me to two points about the importance of Judaism in the book. First, since the world is divided into multis who expect and are expected to determine the religion of their employees, the importance of Judaism to Shira is key. Jewish practices were made part of her identity at home in a town where Judaism was taken for granted, but removed from that environment she continues the traditions of her religion. It becomes a concious part of her identity, even encouraing her to marry Josh, whose Jewishness attracts her with a sense of kinship. Secondly, since most of the story takes Jewish practices and language for granted, Judaism serves to give the (non-Jewish) reder a sense of alienation. In short, Piercy has turned the tables making those mainstream in modern American culture outsiders, and the outsiders insiders.
posted by lennearb @ 12:57 PM
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