Carnal Knowledge
Introduction
T.C. Boyle's "Carnal Knowledge" is the story of Jim the main character who is in love with Alena who in real sense is not in love with Jim but just taking advantage of him. The writer describes clearly the happenings of the story and displaying out the love Alena has for animals. Jim who is an imposter pleases Alena by showing him that he too loves protecting animals. Alena and Jim attend numerous anti campaigns on the fight against violation of the animal rights. Jim’s intentions in attending these campaigns are always false. His main intention is to please Alena and making her fall in love with him. At last Jim is disappointed when he is abandoned by the woman he claim to love and has done everything possible in order to please her. One can clearly argue out that Alena is not fair and she is so selfish since she realizes Jim’s intentions and instead takes advantage of him.
Irony is clearly used by the writer in his story which gives the story a good flow in describing the flow of the story in terms of the time events happen. It is clear to say that human beings are capable of adapting to different and unfamiliar surroundings in order to search for what they desire to get for example in the case of Jim the main character who clearly changes his mode of life in order to please Alena. No matter how one changes to be what they really are in order to maybe please others at long last they always go back to their origin behavior and character. Pretence is not permanent and is just a temporally endeavor. One can argue that irony is portrayed in the circumstance when Alena’s dog pees on Jim and he is comfortable and doesn’t get angry at her since he is on a mission to win her. In real sense, one would get angry if something of that sort is to happen but Jim in this case pretends as though nothing bad has happened when everybody else expects of the vice versa. Alena takes the shortest time possible to take advantage of Jim since she realizes how Jim loves her and is ready to do everything for her. This to me is so unfair and would argue that Alena should have treated Jim with much love and respect after Jim has expressed his love and does everything in favor of Alena. Alena is ironical when she leaves Jim for a guy who loves eating meat when she has manipulated Jim and he no longer eats meat in order to please her while earlier on he was a lover of meat.
Jim in the first sentence of the story says that “I’d never really thought about meat” (Boyle, Tom and Bill Buford, 63). This shows clearly that Jim who loves meat just like a normal American in real sense does not care on protecting animals. He goes too far in his attempt to win an animal right activist whom he loves. Jim does Alena a favor by agreeing to strike against a furrier to complete the mission in order to rescue a number of turkeys in the San Joaquin valley. He does this plus so many other demonstrations in order to please Alena who is a true activist for animals and fights for their rights. Jim according to the writer is so submissive and even though he is knocked down by Alena’s friends he does not revenge and jus assumes that things are okay even though they are not. I strongly believe that men can go to extra miles in order to win the woman they want and can even change their moral behavior and character in order to please the ones they love. Jim is a good example of this argument.
The author treats the animal movement with much humor and has a definite reason to do so. Jim’s first encounter with Alena was as a result of Alena’s dog Alf who Alena says rescued her from the cruel hands of a shoe company which was carrying out experiments on different kinds of booties using dogs and as an animal activists had the power of rescuing Alf. The author describes well the landscape in this story by clearing bringing up the issues of the valley where the turkeys were to be rescued and even showing that Jim had an off from work in order to spend his day alone at the beautiful beaches. This shoes clearly the different landscape in which the author requires the readers to realize the changing of the landscape within time. Jim is seen to enjoy and spend his nights with Alena in her house which is described as a large and seems comfortable. Alena makes Jim believe that she loves him which is not true. Alena only uses Jim in order to full fill her dreams of posting demonstrations and rescuing animals which is her hobby unlike Jim who is only pretending to be an animal activist.
At long last Jim is so disappointed in Alena whom he thought loved him and loved his company. Jim had transformed much by quitting his job and even changing his identity as a meat lover. He also used to love almost all the women and by loving Alena he had stuck only by her only to be disappointed later on. He becomes angry as per everybody else expectations and goes back to his home really discouraged. In his mind Jim sees change in his life in meeting Alena and it is obviously seen that though he is ill treated by Alena’s friends he still loves her and stick by her and her carrier. Jims shows clearly his ill treatments by saying that “The first blow seemed to drop from above, a shell lobbed from deep within enemy territory; the others came at me like a windmill churning in a storm” (Boyle, Tom and Bill Buford, 63). To me Alena behaves inhuman by lacking to protect her friend and helper. This is betrayal which to me is unfair. Alena is only concerned in her interests which worry the reader more since the reader expects Alena to be of great help and concern for Jim.
Conclusion
From the above point of view it is clearly evidenced that men’s interests come first. Men can do whatever it takes them in order to win over women. Women on discovering men’s weaknesses can really take advantage of men for example in the case of Alena who takes advantage of the fact that Jim is in love with her much. It is true to argue that human beings can change not only their moral behavior but even the character in order to alter their identities and gain favors and win over what they want to achieve or get. It is also correct to say that though one can change the character, it won’t always remain like that forever one will return to the original character.
Works Cited
Boyle, Tom C, and Bill Buford. T.c. Boyle Stories: The Collected Stories. New York, NY [u.a.: Penguin Books, 1999. Print.
