In the novel Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson, the main character Geryon is shown to be limited by the idea of captivity in his identity. I think that this stems from the difficulties he had in his childhood. His brother sexually assaulting him and his identity being different than those around him has limited him in how he sees himself.
Throughout the novel, the concept of “inside” connects to the mentions of captivity. After his brother assaults him for the first time he says, “He thought about the difference between outside and inside. Inside is mine, he thought” (Carson, 29). He then later says he writes about his “inside things” in his autobiography and says that he omits all “outside things. This connects to the concept of captivity because his inner thoughts are held captive in himself, he does not share them with any of the important people in his life. “Inside” are the parts that he can control and everything on the outside, his brother and Herakles’ treatment of him, are out of his hands.
When doing graffiti with Herakles later, Herekles says “All your designs are about captivity, it depresses me” (Carson, 55). To me this would have been an opportunity for Geryon to talk to Herakles about his feelings, but he does not because of previous experiences with his brother. I think his brother telling him not to tell his mom about his assault has led to his feeling that he cannot tell anyone about his feelings. Previously in the book, Geryon has also said that a cage is his favorite weapon when prompted by his brother. He has felt what a “cage” has done to him and thinks it is brutal enough to be a weapon.
Another interesting moment regarding captivity was when Geryon was talking about seeing a dog with rabies. He says “When the owner stepped up and put a gun to the dog’s temple, Geryon walked away. Now leaning forward to peer out the little oblong window where icy cloudlight drilled his eyes he wished he had stayed to see it go free” (Carson, 78) This makes me think more about the attitude that Geryon has towards his own captivity. If he is thinking about death being a“freeing” experience, has he ever thought about that regarding himself and his own captivity?
I think the dichotomy of inside vs. outside in Autobiography of Red is really intriguing. It’s sad to think about, but Geryon’s feeling of being trapped or captive really has always been a part of him, from the very young age when his brother would assault him. I think it’s interesting that Geryon considers “inside” to be his when it is (I believe) inside his bedroom that the assault takes place. It makes me question what is regarded as inside for Geryon. Just his own thoughts and emotions? What does he understand as belonging to him?
I think the moment where he talks about the cage is so important and shows how hurt and powerless he feels in his own home and in his relationships. I really like the way you suggest that death might feel like a release to him, or freedom, and i think it ties back to the volcano. When he is told about the people who went into the volcano, obviously they died and had that release that you suggest he sees in life ending. But they didnt disappear, and they didnt stay dead. They came back and they came back stronger because their death in the volcano had given them freedom from their mortality and previous lives.
I like how you connect the “inside” and “outside” idea with captivity. I think you were getting at the nuance within that idea: he feels safe thinking/writing about the “inside” things, but even as that is a safe space away from danger, it is still a form of captivity. It reminds me of how a cage could be used to keep something trapped inside, but also to keep things outside from getting in.
I love how you noticed all of these mentions of captivity. I think two other times where this showed up that I can recall in the novel are when he mentioned that cages are his favorite weapon and when he was talking to the bartender about the whales being help captive. I also think of Mala Ramchandin and how she was being held captive by her father and then how she thought she was keeping her father held captive in her house when in reality, he was dead.