When I first picked up Less, I assumed the title was not referring to the name of the main protagonist, but rather to the definition of the word less, which is: of a smaller amount of or not as much as something. So far, every novel we have read has followed a main character who, in America, is perceived as less human by society because of certain, unalterable factors. In Americanah, Ifemelu travels to America where she learns that being black means having less privilege. In Interior Chinatown, Willis is treated as less desirable than his black and white counterparts on the set of Black and White. In Sing, Unburied Sing, we see how America's haunting and racist past still plagues African-Americans today, and has made a world that is less easier to navigate if you are not white. Throughout Less, author, Andrew Sean Greer plays with how the word, "less" is used. The chapter titles, for example (Less at First, Less Italian, etc.) use "less" by its definition. Greer could have picked any last name for the novel's main protagonist, Arthur, so why Less? Is it because of Arthur's sexuality, which has made people like Arthur treated as less human for the majority of American history? I believe that instead, Greer's choice was to assist in the characterization of Arthur. Regardless of Arthur's sexuality, he is always just a little less than others in his life in many aspects.
In the PBS interview viewed in class, Andrew Sean Greer explained how readers focus on Arthur as a character and not Arthur as a gay character. Less allows readers to easily relate to Arthur and his experiences regardless of his sexuality. Compared to the many people in his life, Arthur is less special and less significant. He is less brilliant than pulitzer prize winning poet, Robby and less brave and wealthy than Carlos. However, in the conclusion of Less, Greer shows how less can be more. "He asked me what I wanted, and though I did not answer then, because I did not know, and followed old conventions even to the altar, I know it now. It is long, past time to answer the question—and I see you, old Arthur, old love… what do I want from life? And I say: 'Less!'" (Greer, 261). Once again, Greer plays with what the final word in Less is referring to. Greer has made "less" and Less so easy to be interchanged that readers have to question whether Freddy wants less in life or if Freddy wants Less in life. The answer, however, is both. In the novel's conclusion we lean that Freddy has been narrating because the novel is his story too. Freddy decides not to take the easy way out of things, choosing not to follow old conventions, extravagance and the path people wanted to the alter. Instead, Freddy follows his heart to a man who may be less wealthy or less brilliant or brave, but will provide a relationship that is more easy and more loving.
I think something important to take note of when it comes to this story is that Less isn't actually "less special" than others - he views himself as such. Less, throughout the book, is shown to have a sincere impact on the people around him, whether it be through his writing, like when he won the Italian award for his novel Kalipso, or how "he kisses... like someone in love" and "even more mystical: his touch casts a curious spell"(Greer, 113). There are sincerely unique, intriguing, *more* aspects of Less that the novel makes certain to highlight. While he may be unassuming on the surface, it is the inside of Less that people have such a fascination with and love for. Even the beginning of the novel, where, in part as a humorous anecdote, the escort for Less believes him to be a woman because of the depth with which he wrote his female narrator in one novel. This moment is a clear example of how Less's work, something that can be considered directly from his soul, touches people so deeply. Why *he* can touch people so deeply. This is why Freddy returns to Less, not because the relationship would be easier or more loving, because it has been shown before that they both have their struggles in love, but because it is Less that he wants, that he sincerely loves. Less, to Freddy, is More.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting interpretation. I too found it interesting that Greer chose “Less” as the last name for his protagonist. I totally agree that Less is a relatable character regardless of his sexuality; and unlike other main characters in books that we have read so far who base their reflections off their innate identities, it seems that his identity as a gay man is not so much an issue to his inner self reflection, as is his identity as a writer. I think it is important to realize this idea of Arthur seeing himself as “less” than others stems entirely from his perception of self worth instead of being grounded in reality. There are multiple instances in the book where we see this self doubt and misinterpretation of the world around him. A quote that stands out to me comes from the chapter “Less German”, Less thinks, “They are setting him up for one of those humiliations. One of those writerly humiliations planned by the universe to suck at the bones of minor artists like him” (119). Readers can see how this is not at all the intention of the event and once more it is Less thinking of himself as less, when in actuality people love him.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that Arthur's last name, as used in the title of the book and its chapters, is a deliberate effort to portray the greater truth of the novel: that less is more. Throughout Arthur's journey, he deals with an extreme sense of inferiority and believes that he is not comparable to the successful people around him. Whether in life, writing, or love, Less believes that he will never measure up and is alternately vain and anxious about his status in life. He grapples with inferiority in his writing, as Robert is a Pulitzer-winner poet, and his age, as Freddy is not even close to turning fifty. The biggest way in which he compensates for these perceived failures is to travel around the world, doing perhaps way more than necessary to avoid these feelings of "less." It is no coincidence that in Morocco, the last and most extravagant stop on his around-the-world tour, is the scene of when Arthur starts to realize that less is definitely more. With even the birthday girl on the tour heartbroken, Arthur returns home to a more simple way of living. Finished with the flings and plane flights, his geographical extravaganza culminates in coming home to find Freddy living there. While his trip may have been eventful, his most grand revelation comes in the simple form of the person he loves.
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