Sargeant, the main character of Langston Hughes' On The Road encounters classical examples of both an ideological state apparatus (hereafter referred to as the ISA), in the form of religion and apparent culturally grounded widespread racism, and the repressive state apparatus (RSA), represented by the police. Under those circumstances where labor perpetuation, as necessitated by the state apparatuses, is impossible, they revert instead to simple control, in this case doing it so thoroughly that Sargeant does not simply consume it innocently but is instead entirely unaware of its existence. In this instance, the RSA serves to reinforce and protect the ISA's efforts. To this end, when Sargeant accidentally breaks though the metaphorical ISA, the RSA are immediately on the scene to prevent any further damage to the figurative structure of the ISA.
The ISA, as defined by Louis Althusser in his Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses, is one of the varied "realities that present themselves to the immediate observer in the form of distinct and specialized institutions" (Althusser, 1489). Including, but not limited to, the religious, legal and cultural systems in play within a society, the ISAs present Sargeant with his first obstacle, the Reverend. However, the Reverend is presented with a conundrum: while the inherent goal of the ISA and RSA is "reproduce the conditions of its production at the same time as it produces," (Althusser, 1484) this is not possible "one early evening during the depression" (Hughes). The Reverend is, as a result, not generous, for his generosity would bear religion as an ISA no positive benefit.
Along with the Reverend, Hughes brings the metaphor of the white snow into play while keeping Sargeant entirely unaware and "not interested in [it]." The snow covers everything, a perfect ISA, at once hindering Sargeant's progress by "seeping down his neck, cold, wet, [and] sopping in his shoes" (Hughes) and serving as a visual cue for the Reverend Mr. Dorset, who, upon opening the door, immediately notices the snow on Sargeant's face, it indicates that Sargeant has spent enough time outdoors (presumably not willingly) and, following the metaphorical concept of the snow, is under the influence or control of a state apparatus. In fact, Hughes' entire first paragraph focuses on how Sargeant does not acknowledge the presence of the snow. Seven paragraphs later, the first time Sargeant sees the snow, it invasively falls directly "into his eyes" (Hughes).
The issue of Sargeant's race is a counterintuitive one. Sargeant claims that his constant rejections were because "the beds were always gone and supper was over, the place was full, and," he adds as an afterthought, "they drew the color line anyhow" (Hughes). Given that the setting is the great depression, his race not being a major issue in this case is, at the very least, plausible. Instead of looking at Sargeant as being black, he can also be approached as simply not being part of those under the control of the ISA/RSA. This contrast is brought up several times; first when the Reverend notices the stark difference between Sargeant's black face and the white snow, and later again when everybody he meets, and is in conflict with, is white. The only instance of his race actually mattering is when Sargeant himself mentions it, acknowledging that he "knows it's a white folks' church" (Hughes). To fit in with the overall Marxist theme, Sargeant's blackness can be interpreted as his being of a different class than all the other characters, except color-coded for the reader's benefit.
Religion as an ISA plays a major role in On The Road. Upon seeing the snow, a metaphorical moment of awakening for Sargeant, he begins to push against the door, eventually breaking it down, allowing himself unsanctioned entry. In doing so, he does the opposite of what's expected of him as a good subject, "submission to the rules of the established order" (Althusser, 1485), going so far as literally smashing down the figurative representation of the ISA. The walk with Christ that follows his resulting sample of police brutality is likewise filled with metaphors. The first words to come out of Sargeant's delusion of Christ are "you had to pull the church down to get me off the cross," (Hughes) indicating that religion is itself a subject to those controlling it as an ISA.
The police, a perfect example of the RSA, focused on repressive means more than its ideological ISA counterpart, arrived "just when the [church] door gave way" (Hughes), coming to the rescue of failing ISA. Skipping past Sargeant's delusional walk with Jesus, we find him in a jail noticing that while his clubbed fingers are bruised, the club itself, representing the violent nature of the RSA, is not. In this way, the ISA is "behind a 'shield' provided by the RSA" (Althusser, 1492). The police officer who beats Sargeant while he's in his cell is implied to be enjoying it; there is no reason for him to insult Sargeant ("You crazy coon!") or to keep assaulting him other than to inflict pain. This parallels reality of the situation, where an RSA needs to exceed the necessary amount of force in order to uphold a certain level of intimidation.
Sargeant is an oblivious subject. This is blatantly visible from his initial inability to perceive the snow. His religious delusion is equally the work of an ISA. Even after the church has turned him down, he still turns to what it offers, religion and, by extension, Jesus, in a moment of need. His delusion also serves the double purpose of obscuring his removal from the church; we see his abuse at the church and at the jail, but we do not see the RSA physically ridding the ISA of the intruder. In this situation, the ISA is not able to do what it's primary goal intends for Sargeant. Instead, religion (as an ISA) offers what is seemingly an escape from his plight but is in actuality a gentle transition to the grasp of the RSA. Though Sargeant breaks through the ISA, he is not aware of it, which is perhaps the greatest accomplishment of the ISA: nullifying its own downfall. Sargeant does consumes the ideology not innocently, but without even knowing it exists; he stumbles through two ISAs, the cultural and the religious, and into the RSA without realizing it.
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