A few lines from Thomas Russo's novel
Straight Man caught my attention. These lines come during a discussion between the book's protagonist, Hank, and his son-in-law, Russell. The topic at hand is Julie, Hank's daughter, Russell's wife, who keeps buying furniture she and her husband can't afford, being already underwater on their new house. Her behavior baffles both men:
How did two people like Lily and me manage to raise such an acquisitive daughter? is what he wants to understand. He actually seems to want me to explain it to him. What I'd like to explain is that I don't think Julie in her heart of hearts is all that acquisitive either. She's just unhappy and frustrated and she hasn't yet discovered how to "be" in the world. Unsure what to desire, she simply wants. Or this is the conclusion I've come to. A father's too generous theory, perhaps. Applied evenly, it might be a rationale for acquisitiveness in general, not just in my daughter. Who is truly at home in the world? Who is sure what to desire? Well, lots of people, I answer my own question.
The implication in part here is that a man's actions are motivated by his ambitions; and so a person without ambition will act inconsistently, inscrutably. Is understanding one's goals the key to understanding one's self?
Continuing with Hank's line of thought: A person who "simply" wants, as opposed to desires, is overly invested in the material world. Being "at home in the world", then, is entirely a spiritual act, an original act. So, what is the world?
In
Straight Man, Hank is a self-avowed student of William of Occam, and so he believes the simplest explanation is usually the best. But when it comes to people, he comes to see that the matter is often not so simple.
