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... mankind's search for the truth and perfection of existence. Man always has at least two parts of him to contend with, the moral side and the more human side. He is able to come to terms with himself through ritual.
With worship, man is able to grasp a small understanding of immortality and God. Ritual is the tool with which John Updike uses to reach the point of existence and meaning. What seems to be dull and monotonous is actually a celebration of life. Most people associate ritual as a process that is repeated "without any thought and without any significant meaning" (Contemporary Vol. 7 486). Society has become empty and petty, degenerating ritual into "an empty form" that fills "the void with meaningless, unthinking activity" (Contemporary Vol. 7 487). Ritual plays a very important role in life.
John Updike uses ritual in a way that points out the significance of actions in a normal life. The daily routine has a fierceness that is not normally seen or noticed (Broadening 278). He uses ordinary situations and actions and draws out their "emotional significance. " He presents ceremonies and makes their usage meaningful (Contemporary Vol. 7 487). Through this usage of ritual, man is better able to understand time through "this human principle of recurrence" and through repetition (Contemporary Vol. 7 486). Ritual may still hold strong if it can "discover new patterns, new myths, [and] new ways to reintegrate man" (Contemporary Vol. 7 487). John Updike recognizes the importance of routine.
Ritual put meaning into life, and it fights for recognition of itself and time. Rituals are present in every aspect of life. There are the obvious and the subtle ones, weaving in and out of the people themselves. Humans have come to depend upon them. The first is that of living itself. Life is dear to everyone, and there are many steps that are steps in it.
Our bodies breathe, our blood circulates, and our individual cells live. Food is eaten to give the power of life, and sleep is needed to sustain that life. These rituals are then meaningful. Another ritual evident in daily life is love. People have always sacrificed for the people they love.
Love, unfortunately, has also become a ritual that has lost meaning and has become commonplace, but for some in The Centaur love is all that they have. That love "suffr eth long, and is kind... seeker not her own, is not easily provoked, [and] thinketh no evil. " Though this, there is meaning (World 3758). Thus, love can also hold things together and give purpose to living. Caldwell feels that his love for his family is all that he has to offer, and love will be able to help them in the future after he has passed away. The ritual of love is very important to him, for he has come to depend upon it to sustain his life along with that of others.
Celebration has also become a part of human existence. People use celebration to make others aware of themselves and each other. Celebration can also be seen as a ritual because of the exaltation of "the union of past and present, of the sensual, emotional, and rational. " The main purpose and function of celebration is "the externalization of mans religious feelings and the tangible embodiment of the transcendent" (Contemporary Vol. 7 487). Celebration allows one to become part of the greater picture of truth and existence.
The celebration of joy and triumph is also part of that of the universe. Death is the last path taken in life. It is the final step as one moves from his present world to the next one. Death can be seen as a ritual of sacrifice or passage from the mundane and overwhelming details of life (Broadening 285). For example, in The Centaur the father George Caldwell sacrifices himself for his son Peter. He hopes that from his efforts his son will go on to live a better life.
This can be compared to how Chiron, the centaur, sacrifices himself for Prometheus (Magills 1993). By undergoing the monotonous, drudgery, and painfulness of his normal life, Caldwell feels that his family will benefit from a fixed source of income and location. He gives all that he can of himself to everyone else, almost to the point that he has nothing left to sustain his own life. Caldwell has sacrificed in a way that many people nowadays also have to sacrifice for their families and friends. In this way, death can actually overcome itself as it prolongs life for others. Myth is also a strong part of ritual. "Myth is a dramatic human tale, " one from the "human imagination. " It deals with existence, life, and death.
Myth tells a tale of "what really happened. " It serves "as a dynamic guide for mankind's present life and activities. " Here, "myth is linked with ritual" (Contemporary Vol. 7 486). Myth adds substance to the present by capturing the past. In a way, the figures and characters involved in the myths have become immortal. In The Centaur myth is used to bring the past alive. It adds meaning to the book and the characters themselves. Myth helps explain some of the actions and the consequences placed upon George Caldwell Through ritual, though at first unchanging and unimportant, existence is better understood through the patterns of everyday actions.
The symbolism of ritual is very strong. It holds many things together and gives them a place in time. The presence of ritual cannot be escaped. It has become a necessary part of us. With myth, ritual has found a connection to the past. Ritual will always point out the truth.
John Updike has many philosophies and beliefs that he has incorporated in his writings. He shows that there is conflict between man and God on the issues of morality. Worship can bring a better understanding to man of God. Man uses religion to retain a bit of immortality, to reach the greatest section of existence and truth, and to overcome death. Ritual gives substance to the present. It has connections to the everyday world, to the past, and to the future.
Thus, ritual is able to symbolize life itself as it discovers new patterns for growth and fulfillment. Through myth, the past becomes immortal and meaningful. Ritual, along with worship of God, is able to satisfy the great desire for truth, existence, and meaning. Works Cited Updike, John. Broadening Views, 1968 - 1988. Vol. 6.
Ed. C. E. Frazer Clark Jr. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1989. Updike, John.
The Centaur. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 1963. Updike, John. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 5.
Ed. Carolyn Riley and Phyllis Carmel Mendelson. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1976. Updike, John. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 7.
Ed. Phyllis Carmel Mendelson and Dedria Bryfonski. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1977. Updike, John. Magills Survey of American Literature. Vol. 6.
Ed. Frank N. Magill. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 1991. Updike, John. World Literature Criticism: 1500 to the Present.
Vol. 6. Ed. James P. Draper. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1992.
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