Chuck Palahniuk's Lullaby is a strange book. Aside from the necrophilia, it's a fun read too. The fabulist fiction convention of the novel is that certain combinations of sounds have direct effects on reality, whether spoken or thought (spellcasting). The title comes from a children's song found in a book which, when read, results in the death of all who listen. I had to write a goofy response to the novel (one of those pieces of busy work assigned to make sure students actually read). You can find it below... it's not very enlightening.

"A Dichotomy of Stances"

Chuck Palahniuk's Lullaby can be seen in generalized terms as a book exploring the empowerment of four kinds of people, each represented by a passenger of Helen Hoover Boyle's car. Each person maintains a different stance in the presence of society. The following chart bares this out:

	SELFISH	ALTRUISTIC
PROACTIVE	Helen	Mona
REACTIVE	Oyster	Carl

While certainly reductive (and not necessarily true for these characters by the end of the novel), this dichotomy of stances helps convey, perhaps, what Palahniuk may be saying through his characters.

To begin with, it is evident that each of the selfish passengers have power over their altruistic counterparts. Helen, for instance, appears to lead Carl by the nose. This power culminates in the scene where Helen, in possession of Sarge's body, has her hand up Carl's anus. This image, in a prison context, makes Carl Helen's "bitch." It also suggests that Helen is controlling Carl much in the same physical manner in which a ventriloquist controls a dummy.

Mona behaves like a battered woman: she is codependent on her abusive boyfriend. Oyster calls her stupid, and throws away her Indian book. From Carl's perspective, Oyster's demand that Mona leave with him when he gets kicked out of Helen's car is "not about love, it's about control" (188).

The altruistic characters, however, appear to maintain some shred of their humanity. Carl turns down immortality and feels duty bound to kill Nash and turn himself in to the authorities. He empathizes with the bitter man in the trailer, shares his tears, and ultimately kills him out of mercy.

Mona keeps the culling spell away from Oyster, claiming she "wants to save the world… but not Oyster's way" (259). Mona's altruism is perhaps symbolized in her breasts which "seem to reach out, trying to touch people with her pink nipples" (98). In fact, some of Mona's actions resonate with Jesus Christ. She washes Carl's feet wishing to be empathetic so as to heal him with her touch. Helen even drinks her blood (the wine prepared as a sacrifice to The Goddess).

Both Oyster and Carl react to society. Carl wishes to turn the volume down, to thwart Big Brother. He is perhaps subconsciously motivated to kill his upstairs neighbor because of the noise of his stereo. Oyster's reaction to society, on the other hand, is to increase the noise. To infiltrate society and plant Burroughsesque media viruses. His end goal is for everyone to die, for anyone to rule.

Helen is opportunistic and indifferent toward society. Mona doesn't seem concerned with the ills of society, but focuses mainly on individuals. She exerts influence over Carl, as he admits that "Mona would have me tell the truth… To save myself and Helen. To reunite us with humanity" (173).

Admittedly, this simple dichotomy is not sufficient to provide a holistic reading of Palahniuk's text. It may provide a helpful lens, however, for distinguishing his characters and wrestling with the implications of their stances toward society.

Labels: 4 stars