Monday, January 25, 2010
Past and Present
In The Lost World, Doyle makes a clear distinction between past and present and how different and separated they are. For example on page 128, Doyle writes "The two things were separate and apart", referring to the two plateaus, which could symbolically represent past and present or civilization and the wild. Evolution, which Doyle mentions by referring to the missing link, involves building on the past and improving. So is Doyle contradicting himself? This joining and separation of past and present is also prevalent in our own world as seen in developing countries and even developed countries. Can the past and present really be separate? Can past and present coexist? Is the present built upon the past? Do things that happen in the past stay there?
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Personally, I do not think that Doyle is contradicting himself; by saying that these two plateaus that are symbolically representing the past and the future are "separate and apart," it seems to be he is actually agreeing with his definition of evolution. If the two plateaus are symbolic of England, acting as the present, and South America, acting as the past, then there seems to be obvious evidence that people have built upon the past and improved it. Despite not mentioning much about England's setting at the time, it is most certaintly a cultured, civilized setting, especially when compared to the setting of South America, which Doyle seems to develop as uncivilized and ravaged, with dinosaurs, ape-men, and indians as the only inhabitants. The only ironic part about the situation Doyle creates in the novel is that usually one will build upon the past and improve upon lifestyle--essentially evolving into the present--but, the situation Doyle forms forces the characters to devolve from their advanced lifestyle into that of one that is untamed, savage, barbarian.
ReplyDeleteI like your point about the characters devolving, I had never thought of that. Know that I finished the book, I definitely see that Doyle views the past and the present as more intertwined. I guess we could still say that much of Europe is considered more developed and civilized, but I wonder if as South America becomes more developed that it should surpass Europe and people will view Europe as kind of an older place, having more to do with the past.
ReplyDeleteDoyle mentioned the missing link which connects the past and the present, and since the scientists haven't discovered it yet, he wasn't contradicting anything when he said it. If it were found, however, like how the explorers discovered the ape-men, the past and present would connect. Unless there exists no evidence [the link] of the past in the present, the present is always built upon the past.
ReplyDeleteBtw, isn't it surprising how they actually made it back to civilization? I thought it would be the cliched ending of what happened in the lost world, stayed in the lost world.
Yes, I do agree Cosmo with the ending of the book being a surprise. I was shocked to learn they return to England and civilization, only because as the book progressed, I was positive it would end with them being stranded on the plateau and have to devolve into these beings of ape-men, or them having the responsibility to evolve them into a more civilized, cultured race, or they would all be killed by the ape-men. So yes, I was shocked indeed. On the other hand, the very ending of the book (wanting to return to the plateau) seemed typical to me, only because it seems to exactly replicate the TV show Lost. Or technically, Lost seems to replicate the storyline of The Lost World. In the show, after being stranded on an island inhabited by the unknown, they finally manage to return to civilization; however, Jack, the leader, desires to return to the island because on the island he was somebody important, he meant something to the people--he had a responsibility to protect and lead the people he left behind on the island, and felt it was his duty to return. I feel the same concepts adhere to Roxton and Malone in the end of the book. For Malone, in England, he was just an everyday person; however, on the plateau, he was a more evolved, advanced individual and essentially was significantly higher on the "ladder" than these ape-men. By returning to the plateau, Malone would be the bearer of power, dominance, purpose; ultimately, it would be up to him to help civilize and enhance the lives of the ape-men living there, and more so be a reason to return to the plateau.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's awesome James. I never thought about how Malone and Roxton had more power in the lost world. It kind of parallels how in England the professors were the ones with power, and then how Malone and Roxton had power in the lost world, because England and the lost world are supposed to be opposites.
ReplyDelete