Being there

Jerzy Kosinskis Being There is the story of Chance Gardener, a man with moderate mental and social potential, yet raised by his environment to the level of fame. Referred to as a blank page person, he is, at the same time, seen by his immediate environment as quite a personality mainly because of his exterior qualities he has a beautiful voice, is manly and well-groomed. Not merely the Manhattan society, in which Chance finds himself after being hit by a car knows nothing about Gardiners past the reader is also approach with the same puzzle.The opening chapter provides that some information about the protagonists enclosed life in the hoar Mans house, his rage for gardening and his life reality, which is entirely formed by the pictures seen on video recording. We get to know that the Old Man sheltered Chance as a do by when his mother died, that his name is Chance because he was born by chance, that due to his mental disability inherited from his mother he could neither read n or write. The wholly people that Chance initi each(prenominal)y communicates with are the Old Man, who eventually dies, and the maidservant Louise.Louise is soon forced to return to Jamaica due to an illness and a new maid comes to substitute her. Chance the Gardener seems to lead a blissful life while watching TV or working in the garden the only activities that form his view of reality at the onset of the narration. However, when the Old Man dies he is forced to leave the house as no will is left by the deceased and no record of Chance as either a resident or employee can be found in the Old Mans documents. It remains a riddle for both the lawyer who comes to handle the estate and the reader why Chance was left out of the records.For all that, this riddle appears to serve as a good tool for creating suspense in the account of the heros changed life style after the accident. With no social and family connections whatsoever Gardiner becomes the center of attention among the educ ated high class society of Mr. and Mrs. gum benzoin Rand. He soon meets the US President and a enactment of political and corporate figures, and becomes a strong candidate for one of the vacant seats on the board of the First American Financial Corporation (35).The developments that pass appear hilarious as none of the persons Gardiner gets acquainted with is aware of his physical disabilities. Two aspects that save his positive image are his interest in television and love for gardening. The first helps him think of proper ways to behave in social situations and the latter is a basis for the only factual knowledge he can refer to when participating in discussions about American economy. For instance, when engaging in conversations with Mrs. Rand Chance resorted to repeating to her parts of her own sentences, a practice he had observed on TV.In this fashion he encouraged her to continue and elaborate (24). Also, during a meal Chance ignored the wine because On TV, wine stick peo ple in a state they could not control (26). Later, when invited to participate in a TV show, Gardiner could experience the making of a program in person Chance was astonished that television could portray itself cameras watched themselves (37). Similarly, his story about seasons and growth in the garden during his meeting with the President led to his being recognized as an expert in the field of economics.Towards the end of the novel the suspense is even greater when the President keeps demanding that his administration provides him with background information about Chance. However, they are unable(p) to find out anything substantial. Mass media is also concerned about the lack of such information. However, Chances future looks positive especially with the death of Benjamin Rand. Mrs. Rand is very much in love with Gardiner and sincerely hopes he will stay with her after her husbands death. Gardiner appears to also have acquired a plastered image in the reality eye, which will no t be easily shattered in case politicians find out who he really is.On many occasions Gardiner was very explicit about his disabilities to write and read, but the public interpreted it in its own way, the wishful thinking way. The latter is, ultimately, the problem of the public and the American society in its wider implications that interpreted Gardiners words the way it wished to. Works Cited Kosinski, Jerzy. Being There Groningen Wolters-Noordhoff, 1996 Brothers Judd Daily. Ed. 23 Sep. 2000 htttp//www. brothersjudd. com /index. cfm/fuseaction/reviews. detail/book_id/294/Being%20There. htm