Reading this story, I entertained a lot of empathy for the narrator, because every spoonful of "The Empire for Ice Cream" was blissfully rewarding, but ultimately resulted in cataclysmic headaches.
Oh WOW.
I don't even know where to begin.
Personally, I adored this convoluted story, but I don't want to give away anything major. Since I'm supposed to discuss it on Wed., I figured that I would present a set of questions that I scooped out of this tale:
1. How do you feel about the narrator throughout the story?
2. Why does the flavor of coffee call up his hallucination?
3. What comments does this story make about the nature of art?
4. So what is William, anyway, and what is his fate?
5. Did the ending make you CRY? Cuz I practically melted. Seriously.
*SPOILERS BELOW*
The way Ford presented art as a sentient creation was simply staggering. It made me think about god and the general nature of the universe (even though I don't think there are any overtly religious tones in the text). Synesthesia, I believe, symbolizes artistic creation. In order to be an artist, you have to take something, take the color purple for instance, and transform it into something else, like a nauseating odor. The musical composition has color; the painting sings notes. This is the very basis of metaphor: transformation. To a true artist, a river isn't just a river: it's the creative process, innocence, a memory. That's a terrible example, but whatever.
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2 comments:
So, coffee flavored ice cream is delicious! Okay, but I also liked this story. I read another story where a woman had synesthesia and saw everything in color. It was fascinating, because she thought that she was dying because of the gross yellow-green color she saw in herself, but it was really just her appendix about to burst or something. That has nothing to do with anything, but whatever...
That was a gorgeous description of art - not only on Ford's part - but yours as well! The concept of art in general has always fascinated me so much. It's (like you said) a manipulation of materials such as earth, ink on a page, or colored chemicals to create a thing that does not exist: a thought, an emotion. Yeah, we have a love-hate relationship, Art and I.
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