The
story “Torch Song” by Charles Bowden centers on a Tucsonan newspaper writer who
spirals into depravity while working a beat that revolves around the cities
numerous violent sex crimes. One tactic that Bowden employs in relating this
disturbing story is a gradual slide in character from a relatively normal
writer in a conservative marriage to a young man with demons who cycles through
women as often as he cycles through his clothing. The voice is definitely that
of a writer, with punctuated quips and witty lines that allow the reader to be
drawn in to the story completely. The piece is especially relatable to other
writers who understand the toll such serious and destructive subject matter as
rape and murder can have on your psyche if you spend too much time wallowing in
them.
One aspect of the essay that I found compelling and deserving of analysis is the author’s constant struggle with categorizing sexuality and understanding what motivations drive people to commit sexual crimes. The author expresses these feeling in a way when he writes; “We all share a biology and deep drives, and what we have created- civilization, courtesy, decency- is a mesh that comes from these drives and also contains and tames them” (Bowden, p. 71). I found it very interesting that even as he delves into the scum of the city and the most disturbing and violent crime that as malicious a city as Tucson can offer, he still is able to find commonality that binds the perpetrators and the victims together under a banner of humanity.
In a lot of ways, I think the work devours the speaker of the narrative, even though it allows him great insight into human nature and the base reasons behind sexual deviance. Although he does discover some truths, the process by which they are discovered tears his personal life apart and restructures it completely. Bowden writes; “I do not want to leave my work at the office. I do not want to leave my work at all. I have entered a world that is black, sordid, vicious. And actual. And I do not care what price I must pay to be in this world” (Bowden, p.64). The speaker shows a complete lack of worry about the state of his personal life, but rather expresses a desire to live for his work. His passion for the work consumes him and nearly derails his personal life completely before he is finally compelled to stop writing these stories and leave the newspaper.
In his essay “Torch Song”, Charles Bowden creates a portrait of a tormented young writer on a savage news beat that drives him into sexual deviance. I thought this essay revealed a lot about the speaker, and created an extremely relatable protagonist who the reader roots for in his darkest hours in sunny Tucson, Arizona. Although it does relate a lot about the character, I’m not entirely sure I believe this story in its entirety. Writers have a tendency to exaggerate and manipulate, which is fine and expected, but it also shook my faith in the reliability of the narrative.
One aspect of the essay that I found compelling and deserving of analysis is the author’s constant struggle with categorizing sexuality and understanding what motivations drive people to commit sexual crimes. The author expresses these feeling in a way when he writes; “We all share a biology and deep drives, and what we have created- civilization, courtesy, decency- is a mesh that comes from these drives and also contains and tames them” (Bowden, p. 71). I found it very interesting that even as he delves into the scum of the city and the most disturbing and violent crime that as malicious a city as Tucson can offer, he still is able to find commonality that binds the perpetrators and the victims together under a banner of humanity.
In a lot of ways, I think the work devours the speaker of the narrative, even though it allows him great insight into human nature and the base reasons behind sexual deviance. Although he does discover some truths, the process by which they are discovered tears his personal life apart and restructures it completely. Bowden writes; “I do not want to leave my work at the office. I do not want to leave my work at all. I have entered a world that is black, sordid, vicious. And actual. And I do not care what price I must pay to be in this world” (Bowden, p.64). The speaker shows a complete lack of worry about the state of his personal life, but rather expresses a desire to live for his work. His passion for the work consumes him and nearly derails his personal life completely before he is finally compelled to stop writing these stories and leave the newspaper.
In his essay “Torch Song”, Charles Bowden creates a portrait of a tormented young writer on a savage news beat that drives him into sexual deviance. I thought this essay revealed a lot about the speaker, and created an extremely relatable protagonist who the reader roots for in his darkest hours in sunny Tucson, Arizona. Although it does relate a lot about the character, I’m not entirely sure I believe this story in its entirety. Writers have a tendency to exaggerate and manipulate, which is fine and expected, but it also shook my faith in the reliability of the narrative.
It is true, its hard to trust a writer completely sometimes. That being said, its hard to trust anybody completely anytime. Distrust is in our nature. That being said, one of the first lines in this essay made me gain Bowden's trust right away, "Or at least I think they're teddy bears. Almost twenty years have passed and I've avoided thinking about it" (p 56). I think the outright admission to not quite remembering shows honesty that I can appreciate. I also appreciate the fact how he continues to write about these girls and situations, even though it tears at him throughout the entire process. I think its amazing how after all these years he decides not only to re-open the stories he has told, but to do it in a way that opens up him and his vulnerability as well.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Dominique's comment, yes, distrust is a natural part of our life, and the inclination to distrust is usually (especially today, where we have six different media outlets reporting a story in six different ways) stronger than that of trust. But I like that you picked up on this self-admission at the beginning of the piece, and I think this self-admission (which occurs throughout the piece, even to a disturbing extent) is really what keeps me coming back to this essay again and again throughout the last few years. It's almost another layer of narrative, where we're being told the story and then told about that story, which--as I see it--makes the piece feel much more like a conversation than a lecture, or academic essay, or even a journalistic piece.
ReplyDeleteAnd, Charles, my thoughts on the post are first, well done. And, second, I like that you've hit on one of the most unique aspects of the piece: that it arrives at empathy for people/individuals we usually consider evil, vile, heartless, and then tries to extrapolate how these qualities exist in smaller ways inside the author and, perhaps, all of us (although we'd hate to admit it). I think this struggle to CONNECT with the villains, to tunnel through the hate and into their POV, is key to the lasting "timelessness" of this essay, and why it's still read today. But, then again, I wonder how much empathy is too much? Are we ever, as writers, responsible for passing judgment or should we always be trying to "see it" as the person/people we're writing about might have?
I'm curious as well if the story is completely true. There are plenty of grizzled cops and the like who have seen the horrors that humans can wreak and have come out of it more or less alright. The subject of rape is a heavy one to write about and I think the author did a good job of touching on how dark sexual crimes really are. I think the story was designed to make the read uncomfortable and it definitely did at times. I'm curious if you find it reasonable to assume that the author really had the thoughts he professed or if reality is as dark as he portrays it to be.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the voice of the author throughout this piece and how naturally the story flowed. I would also like to agree that I did develop a sense of trust from the beginning that is often hard to gain so quickly in a piece. For me, it was the simplicity followed by the intense story that made it so appealing and able to follow along, because it felt real. This is a real person telling a real story and account that is all theirs, and that is what made it so great.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I enjoyed about this piece was the concept of identity. As Charles mentioned, the author delves into the lives and intimate details of numerous characters other than himself. Human nature is a defining characteristic of this piece. I like how the author mentioned his numerous sexual partners and how sex was his way of avoiding the dark reality of his job.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of the story was page 74-75 when the stress of his job finally causes the author to break down as he's sipping on some whisky. This scene shows the humanity of the author, thus appealing to a wide audience. Overall I really enjoyed this piece.
I really have to say that I enjoyed this piece. The voice of the author really help to add to the story and even dealing with such a risky topic such as rape can be very hard. At the same time though I did get the same sense of Dominique of distrust but as the story progressed I became to trust him more and I felt that really help to add to my experience as a reader.
ReplyDelete