I want to dedicate this close reading to focus on a few lines from chapter nine of Autobiography of Red. The chapter, for me, was one a bit more difficult to understand, but I hope by writing out the thought process of my analysis, it brings us both, as author and reader, closer to the text. Or at the very least, to the deeper meanings associated with it.
The part of text that I’m most interested in is towards the end of the chapter. After Geryon’s mother asks about Herakles, Geryon has a small mental spiral of all the emotions and moments that Herakles represents (Carson 43). This detail bulks the emotion depth that I believe the following sentences offer.
“‘How does distance look?’ is a simple direct question. It extends from a spaceless / within to the edge / of what can be loved. It depends on light.” (Carson 43).
If you were to ask me how distance looks like, to be frank, I’m not sure I could give you an answer. However, keeping in consideration Geryon’s relationship with photography, distance is determined by the amount of light that is exposed to the lens of a camera. I would like to maybe stretch the bounds of this quote, and draw a comparison to Geryon and Herakles relationship. Naturally, when we fall out of love with our first love, life tends to feel like it can either brighten or darken, depending on your relationship. I also believe that this has to do with the idea that, just beyond the horizon (get it, horizon line in photography? no. alright.), there is a place where the light of love has yet to reach.
As Geryon is beginning to realize, Herakles is not nearly as impressive or amazing as he first thought. The spaceless, referring to our innate vastness of mind, to the end of what can be loved, in Geryon’s case, Herakles. I want to believe that the light in the novel refers to the likelihood of that relationship to work. In tandem with photography, a photo cannot be taken without light. The same way a relationship can’t work if the people are incompatible. Given this, you cannot see distance in the dark, the same way you cannot love without a spark, or light.
Please correct me if I’m wrong,
JAY WALKER
Dear Jay Walker,
I don’t think that you’re wrong.
I once heard that the most amazing thing someone can say to someone else is “I see you.”
It’s a powerful fucking thing to do, to see someone and to be seen in turn.
The emphasis on light, photography, and perception in this novel is an essential facet that I’m thrilled you’ve touched on.
Sincerely yours in the light,
Carmine “Red” Zingiber
I don’t think you’re wrong either. I know very little about how photography works but I really loved how you tied it into your ideas here. After having finished the verse part of Autobiography of Red, the idea of compatibility that you touch on at the end of your post stands out to me. I feel like the dynamics between Geryon, Herakles, and Ancash are super interesting when you bring in the idea of compatibility, because Herakles really doesn’t seem to be compatible with either of the other guys, personality wise, but they both seem to like/have liked him against their better judgement. To be honest, Geryon and Ancash seemed more compatible to me than either of them with Herakles. To tie back in your photography idea, I guess it was interesting how Geryon takes the photos of himself flying for Ancash on page 145.
I have to concur with the previous two commenters, you are correct. We might also consider these lines as foreshadowing to the later chapters where Geryon realizes that Herakles doesn’t know him at all. Perhaps, this question of how distance looks, and in the case of photography, how the light hits the lens is a metaphor for the disconnect between Herakles and Geryon. That this is the beginning of Geryon realizing Herakles doesn’t really know him. Thus further contributing to the feelings you mention in your post.