I didn't have high expectations for In Persuasion Nation but George Saunders really impressed me with "Jon." It's a bummer that we won't get to most of the stories. I feel like I'd really enjoy his other writing as well.
The dystopian setting in "Jon" was a nice surprise since all the short stories we've read so far have been realistic fiction. I like how Saunders chose to put us right in the middle of things rather than use exposition to explain the world. My interpretation of it is essentially the corporate apocalypse. Society as we know it has become overrun with marketing to the point where children are brainwashed into mindless ad slaves. It's realistic enough in that it's not inconceivable yet it's ridiculous enough to be intriguing. Despite this unnerving picture, Saunders manages to keep the story light with narrative voice.
The dystopian setting in "Jon" was a nice surprise since all the short stories we've read so far have been realistic fiction. I like how Saunders chose to put us right in the middle of things rather than use exposition to explain the world. My interpretation of it is essentially the corporate apocalypse. Society as we know it has become overrun with marketing to the point where children are brainwashed into mindless ad slaves. It's realistic enough in that it's not inconceivable yet it's ridiculous enough to be intriguing. Despite this unnerving picture, Saunders manages to keep the story light with narrative voice.
The story is told from Randy/Jon's perspective. When I first read the story, I didn't notice the nuances of Jon's narration. We discussed in-length the countless grammatical errors he makes throughout the story. It seemed like most of the class found them humorous and amusing. Saunders (as Jon) brilliantly teeters along the line between incomprehensible and understandable and what it does is draw us more to Jon. Looking closer, I see the irony of his stagnant grasp of English despite having a job that involves a lot of writing. It's even more hilarious that he's looking back on his younger self yet he still continues to make mistakes. Or maybe, his eloquence was lost with the removal of the ever-invasive gargadisk? We did talk about a theory that he's conjured up the best recollection he can.
I found Jon to be an extremely sympathetic character. He was sold by his mom for (drug) money, lived for years with the illusion of an artificial, idealized surrogate, and is constantly interrupted with ads streaming out of his subconscious. Of course, the other children experience similar lives so I feel bad for them as well. I almost want to say he's the most sympathetic character we've encountered this semester but then there's the argument that he's blissfully ignorant. He's happy (for the most part) and is completely unaware of how controlled he is.
What are your thoughts on "Jon"? How are you liking Saunders so far?
What are your thoughts on "Jon"? How are you liking Saunders so far?
