It took me a while, but I finally finished Pat Conroy's The Great Santini late last week. It's one of those books where I couldn't pick up the momentum very quickly. Usually, these books tend to be disappointing, but Conroy's work took a different turn. The most climatic and suspenseful moments occurred in the latter half of the story, but without the essential background, character motivation, and tone set throughout the first half, the ending would not have evoked such an ambivalent reaction from me.
The only other novel I read that is revolves around a military-based theme is Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, so I was very unfamiliar with the context surrounding military family life. It was thought-evoking and eye-opening to have detailed descriptions of military children's reactions and dialogue. We especially get to see how Ben Meecham, as the oldest child, deals with and faces the pressure and expectations from his father, Bull Meecham (aka "The Great Santini").
1. The Unfiltered Dialogue and Descriptions
Conroy does a great job of keeping his characters real to the point where their voices are the only sounds occupying my mind. Bull Meecham's inexorable pride and vulgarity, and Ben's inherent fear yet simultaneous hatred and admiration for his father are straightforwardly addressed to a level where I felt uncomfortable (in the best way possible as a reader; it's the kind of uncomfortable writers strive for). My discomfort emanates from the power behind Conroy's honesty. There were far too many times when I thought, "Oh no, definitely didn't mean that," and the text is simply laughing at me and saying "Oh yes he did!"
Conroy is also extremely open in describing sensitive subjects, such as the racial conflict and gender imbalances. In particular, a frightening rape scene written with absolutely no strings attached was the most emotionally unsettling. I am reminded of how prominent these issues still are today - if we have access to so many personal accounts, one would think that humankind should know better than to continue such bigotry.
2. Sarcasm, Comedy, and Laughable Insults
Conroy made me realize the need for comedy even in the most daunting and sensitive situations. While I may cringe because some characters make morosely sarcastic comments, the Meecham family found the need to use a mixture of sarcasm, comedic comments, and insults in order to free themselves from a rigid family structure. Mary Anne has the best hits in the family. She calls Ben "feces face." She tests Bull's patience on the phone with incestuous comments. She threatens others through the claim of committing suicide while inserting seemingly cruel jokes about how nobody will miss her because of her unattractive appearance. In hindsight, these comments may seen indicative of a hurtful and inconsiderate person. However, Mary Anne used sarcasm as a coping and defense mechanism for her insecurity in being a marine's daughter who is self-deprecating in comparing herself with her mother's beauty. Underneath the tough marine family facade, the Meechams use exaggerated and laughable role-play games in order to cope with the nature of the impermanent marine lifestyle.
3. Who do I root for?
Conroy creates his characters so that it's difficult to completely invest in a single one of them. It is natural to side with a member of the Meecham family and identify any antagonists, but within the Meecham family, each character possesses countless admirable qualities and flaws. The Meecham family dynamic is constantly changing; their interactions and reactions often surprised me. It's easy to feel sympathy for all of them at a certain point, yet cringe due to the nature of the obscene words and choices.
4. Cyclical Storytelling
I was expecting a maximal climax point in the novel, but Conroy chose to tell a series of short, small stories with small climaxes, all of which revolve around very similar themes. Bull's marine parties, Ben's basketball games and cryptic excursions with Sammy, Toomer's business.. each conflict kept me in extreme suspense, and the desired result isn't what usually plays out. However, the cyclical storytelling method kept the military family theme in-tact and set the stage for the ending.
Highly recommended book. Conroy is a gifted storyteller, and I certainly plan on reading another one of his works soon.
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