In the past texts that I have read throughout the duration of the course, various metaphysical, philosophical and spiritual topics have been presented and discussed, but Taiga syndrome feels the most esoteric. We never know the name, or even the gender, of the detective that the story of the novel focuses on, almost as if the character themself is not important, only their ideas and their experiences. The main focus of the Taiga Syndrome, is the clash and interconnectedness of humanity and nature, as the man who contracts the detective to find his missing writes, even says that the Taiga kind of ‘consumes’ the person that steps foot inside of it. The taiga acts as a completely sterile environment, not sterile as in ‘clean’ as there as plenty descriptions of blood, sweat, urine, semen, vomit, bile, saliva and fecal matter, but sterile as in completely isolated from the ‘civilized’ world and social hierarchies. There is not a clear authority in the novel, perhaps the only authority is the Taiga itself, each character that is presented, both human and non-human, lives their own separate lives in complete freedom, and while it can be self-destructive as with the foreign couple or the feral child, it can also be liberating such as with the detective and translator.
While the theme of this week is the relationship between humanity and nature, I would say that Taiga Syndrome, shows how nature can corrupt humanity and how humanity can corrupt nature. The feral child is interesting, because of how it is describe as both a wolf and a human, living a dual existence in an isolated world, while the lumberjack is a conqueror of nature who creates a swimming pool and visits the bar and brothel, however even in the brothel it is shown that humans succumb to their ‘natural’ desires.
My overall impressions of this novel are somewhat mixed, and I cannot decide if I ‘enjoyed’ in the sense that it made me laugh or took me on a pleasant adventure, but I did ‘enjoy’ it in a spiritual sense about what is important in life, the objects and physical location we associate with, or the people and social relationships that we maintain and seek out, perhaps it is neither and the only thing that gives ‘life’ and substance, is our desires and what we each individually decide is important to us?
My question for discussion is: What do think is the symbolism behind the wolf attack, why did the detective say that the wolf gave them a compassionate or graceful look before attacking them?
“There is not a clear authority in the novel, perhaps the only authority is the Taiga itself…” Very good comment. I would dare to take this observation further, following what you wrote in your blog post this week: perhaps Rivera Garza wants to dislodge our human senses, to go beyond our reactions as “enjoyment”. We are used to certain types of sensations and reactions that avoid other ways of relating to Nature. Is it possible to maintain other contact mechanisms that go beyond human corruption? Is the search for enjoyment, for example, the origin of this corruption?
I completely agree with your observation that the book emphasized the interconnectedness of human life and nature. Your interpretation of the Taiga forest being portrayed as “sterile” was also particularly insightful! I believe that the forest’s portrayal in such a state is essential to accentuate the theme of returning to a primitive state of the world (without a trace of civilization), which also added to the primitive ambiance that was created throughout the text, with the use of fundamental human instincts and sensations, such as smell, touch, sound, etc.
Hi!
Thank you for your blog!
You captured the novel’s esoteric nature and its focus on the clash between humanity and nature. It’s interesting how the Taiga acts as a sterile, isolated environment where characters live with freedom and self-determination. Your observation about the symbolism behind the wolf attack and the detective’s perception of a compassionate or graceful look is thought-provoking.
“sterile as in completely isolated from the ‘civilized’ world and social hierarchies.” Love this quote here. Great observation. To be honest, the wolf was the part that I least understood from the book. Even after the lecture/ class discussion, I have no idea what the wolf symbolizes. Perhaps the attack itself was a symbol of the attack faced by the forest?
– Daniel Choi
Hi David! I agree with your take on the unnamed narrator. In detective stories written by Agatha Christie, sure the reader wants to figure out the mystery, but another one of the main draws are the detectives themselves, like Hercule Poirot. By having an unnamed detective, it makes the reader focus more on the environment and plot, rather than the personality of the detective. Maybe the wolf recognized the Taiga within the narrator and saw a kindred soul. Honestly though, I have no idea.
Hi there!
The part of your blog post where you say, “Taiga Syndrome, shows how nature can corrupt humanity and how humanity can corrupt nature,” really intrigued me – and maybe it’s just because I am a Geography student who studies humanity, nature, and earth’s processes and the way in which everything is connected. Right now, we are in the Anthropocene, which is the geologic epoch that portrays how humans have altered the world through anthropogenic processes. The Anthropocene is a result of how humanity has corrupted nature.