Series of Quotes: 06

Walter Benjamin tangled with the idea of a book that is full of quotations. This is in line with his thought, which is often fragmentary and non-linear; as a challenge to the pre-existing discourse and method of discourse in Philosophy and Art. Quoting is Rettung, for the the forgotten voices. Here, it goes beyond being a mere repetition, bringing to the fore various voices, forgotten or otherwise. It is the re-situating of the quotation in a different context and in doing so giving it a new meaning, critiquing historicism and continuity.

Taking my queue from Benjamin’s idea, I want to present a series of quotations/ works in different posts. These will differ from posts to post, depending upon the context. I do not wish to explicate my thought process behind the selection of the quotations, that I leave up to your interpretation.

However, with the readings being shortlisted for these posts, I find myself choosing readings that are deeply personal. That was never the aim of the series but it has become an avenue of self expression, along with the larger detached narrative derived from Benjamin. This might mean a stop to the series and transition to more essays. One is not sure.

For this edition, I look at the dialogue between the charcters of Brick and Big Daddy from the play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams.

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BIG DADDY: What makes you so restless? Have you got ants in your britches? BRICK: Yes, sir… BIG DADDY: Why? BRICK: — Something — hasn’t — happened…. BIG DADDY: Yeah? What is that! BRICK [sadly]: — the click…. BIG DADDY: Did you say click? BRICK: Yes, click. BIG DADDY: What click? BRICK: A click that I get in my head that makes me peaceful. BIG DADDY: I sure in hell don’t know what you’re talking about, but it disturbs me. BRICK: It’s just a mechanical thing. BIG DADDY: What is a mechanical thing? BRICK: This click that I get in my head that makes me peaceful. I got to drink till I get it. It’s just a mechanical thing, something like a — like a — like a BIG DADDY: Like a — BRICK: Switch clicking off in my head, turning the hot light off and the cool night on and — [He looks up, smiling sadly.] — all of a sudden there’s — peace! BIG DADDY [whistles long and soft with astonishment; he goes back to Brick and clasps his son’s two shoulders]: Jesus! I didn’t know it had gotten that bad with you. Why, boy, you’re — alcoholic! BRICK: That’s the truth, Big Daddy. I’m alcoholic. BIG DADDY: This shows how I — let things go! BRICK: I have to hear that little click in my head that makes me peaceful. Usually I hear it sooner than this, sometimes as early as — noon, but — — Today it’s — dilatory…. I just haven’t got the right level of alcohol in my bloodstream yet! BIG DADDY: Uh — huh. Expecting death made me blind. I didn’t have no idea that a son of mine was turning into a drunkard under my nose. BRICK [gently]: Well, now you do, Big Daddy, the news has penetrated. BIG DADDY: Uh-huh, yes, now I do, the news has — penetrated…. BRICK: And so if you’ll excuse me — BIG DADDY: No, I won’t excuse you. BRICK: — I’d better sit by myself till I hear that click in my head, it’s just a mechanical thing but it don’t happen except when I’m alone or talking to no one…. BIG DADDY: You got a long, long time to sit still, boy, and talk to no one, but now you’re talkin’ to me. At least I’m talking to you. And you set there and listen until I tell you the conversation is over! BRICK: But this talk is like all the others we’ve ever had together in our lives! It’s nowhere, nowhere! — it’s — it’s painful, Big Daddy….

Longing for the click, Former friends house

- Ali Zakaria