The story of Pym, by Mat Johnson, is filled with situations, symbolism, and characters centered around race and racism in America. The theme is constant and very apparent in every part of the novel. Chris Jaynes and his childhood friend Garth represent and contradict a variety of stereotypes associated with black and white culture and norms. However, the characters I found most interesting were the Karvels. Thomas Karvel and his wife, Mrs. Karvel, live in a Biodome located in Antarctica. It is a slice of “natural” heaven in a winter wasteland. The Karvels do play into the central idea of racism, just in subtler and less obvious ways than many of the other characters.
http://piersidegallery.com/artists/kinkade/kinkade-4-2012-central/kinkade-2009-princess-frog-art-painting-thomas.jpg
Thomas Karvel calls himself, The Master of Light. It quickly becomes apparent that he is a satirical version of Thomas Kinkade, who is known as The Painter of Light. Garth loves the work of Karvel and enjoys finding the landscapes and scenery the artist uses as inspiration for his paintings. “I like seeing the original site of the art. It’s like being able to climb in one”(36). Thomas Kinkade is a popular artist and his work is filled with pastels, pretty colors and serene scenery, much like the work of the character Thomas Karvel. Basically, both painters focus on recreating idyllic and commercialized scenes of a perfect American society. It is artificial and sweeps issues such as racism and inequality under the rug because these issues are not, so to say, picture perfect.
Chris Jaynes makes sure to point out that no black people ever make appearances in Karvel’s work, a fact Garth does not find important. I took the time to examine some of Thomas Kinkade’s paintings because I imagine this is what Karvel’s work mirrors. The paintings are classic American moments from sleigh rides in the snow to picnics in the park that all feature white figures. Kinkade even dabbles in the world of fantasy, creating paintings showcasing Disney characters, who are again, all white and considered All-American. Garth expresses a sincere interest in the paintings of Karvel, which can be seen as an attempt of a black man trying to fit into a white man’s world.
http://landofblogging.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/thomas-kinkade-oil-painting-526-8.jpg
When Chris wakes up and finds himself in the Biodome of the Karvels, he describes the overwhelming environment: “Yes, there was the noise of the voices, but it was so beautiful. The more I looked, the clearer that was. As a matter of fact, with the white doves flying by and the clouds which hung above perfectly billowing, it was so overwhelming that it was almost too much for my mind to negotiate”(233).
A lot of emphasis is placed on the white doves and the white clouds that filled this utopian bubble. It never gets completely dark in the dome; there is always a bit of white light. Garth and Chris are cleansed and decontaminated when they enter this new world. The Karvels are subconsciously trying to prevent their blackness from spreading. Not only are Chris and Garth stripped of their clothing, they are then forced to work for their stay, and this can be seen as another abstract form of slavery. The work they have to perform is physical and difficult labor. They are placed into specific roles from the start.
Once Chris and Garth are allowed into this alternate and perfect universe, it begins to fall apart. The seamless and ideal world filled with hand-selected and manufactured items that America values and praises cannot withstand the invasion of black people, even though the Karvels, (especially Thomas) continue to try to cover everything up with standardized American aesthetics and imagery. To me this represents the White America that still exists in today’s world; a clean-cut society that with is still trying to do away with an underlying obsession of racial purity and comfortable culture monotony.
Below is a link to Thomas Kinkade’s paintings for reference (an interesting fact I came upon is that 1 in 20 Americans have one of his paintings in their household)
http://www.thomaskinkade.com/magi/servlet/com.asucon.ebiz.home.web.tk.HomeServlet
Olivia Chaves
