I have a confession to make: I did not finish the story “Torch Song”.
Now, if you’ve read the story, you probably know why I didn’t finish reading it. You are also probably laughing at me right now, but I don’t care. Call me a prude or a square or a child, but I couldn’t finish it.
The writer of “Torch Song”, Charles Bowden, presents a fairly descriptive piece of writing that delves into the world of sex crimes, child molestation, rape, and, well, just sex, in general. It follows his experiences as a reporter, covering stories on some of the worst sex crimes imaginable (although I’d say all sex crimes are equally horrid) against both women and children.
I cannot stand these types of stories. They make me second guess every situation in which I am alone, every relationship I have with a man, and basically turn me into a paranoid-man-hating-woman-warrior. (Well, I guess I usually have the man-hating woman warrior persona, but these talk of these situations add the paranoid factor). I can’t even watch Law and Order: SVI (Special Victims Unit) because of this issue. It frightens me. I carry mace frequently.
But Charles Bowden doesn’t stop there. For some twisted, man reason, he decides to divulge all the details of his own sex life for the readers to get a little bit of a closer glimpse into his world. His world of sex and crime and even more sex. (Never did I think that I would write the word “sex” in this type of frequency for a class assignment. What would my mother think).
Let’s just say, Charles gets some. He gets some, a lot.
I wouldn’t care if he wrote that. If he changed the scene, right as he and his lady-friend are gettin’ friendly, to the next morning’s scrambled eggs--like they do on tv. Yes, this is the part where you call me a child and laugh. But hear me out, I have come a long way since college started, let me tell you. For instance, once, in eleventh grade, I got David Sedaris book Me Talk Pretty One Day out of the library. I had to stop reading it after seeing the F-word too many times. Maybe I’ve just heard devotions on Philippians 4:8 one too many times. All that Jesus talk has been affecting my education and intellectual reading. Still, I think Charles Bowden used the F-word too much in his essay too. Maybe he’s friends with David Sedaris.
Anyway, I guess I am still a little bit of a wuss when it comes to ‘things of this world’. I think that there is a time and a place for swearing in literature. I don’t believe in censorship. I know that sex is all over the place and, according to Professor Reek and in the right context, really great. But I do not want to read about it in my class assignments. I don’t care how old I am or Charles Bowden is. I am still a child. And Rule Number Four (“Don’t talk about it; no one wants to hear these things”) needs to be remembered and followed, for goodness sake (pg. 62)!
I'm a little bit offended that you call it a 'man reason.' Please don't lump us all together.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, I'm with you on things that are simply uncomfortable to read; I get the same way with depressing complain-fests (I took to heart the whole 'if you can't say something nice' shpiel). In a lot of ways, that's probably a good thing. It shows you're not wholly influenced by what you read.
Amen, sister! I stopped reading this after the third page. I don't know what kind of stuff this dude delves into, and frankly, I don't want to know. Maybe this essay helped him cope with whatever he went through, but that does not mean I have to read it. Sex crimes, murders, molestations, etc. happen. I realize this. But so do a lot of things I don't want to read about. Just because we're surrounded by the filth of human sin doesn't mean we should celebrate it. People are bad and do bad things. I'm satisfied to leave it at that without the details.
ReplyDeleteGood decision!!
ReplyDeleteAs a writer, you choose your own influences. That choice is always a yes-or-no choice. I'm glad you chose to preserve your sense of what is right and wrong here.