Allegory and Intention about TGU
Aug 9, 2024 11:32:10 GMT -5
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Gregor Anwhistle and tricky like this
Post by Optimism is my Phil-osophy on Aug 9, 2024 11:32:10 GMT -5
I'll talk about some things regarding the allegorical interpretation of The Great Unknown (TGU) at the end of "The End" (TE). I don't particularly enjoy discussing allegorical interpretations because anyone can come up with their own, and to me, that makes me lose the boundaries I prefer to impose on myself when theorizing about ASOUE. But I'll make an exception with one rule (a rule I don't usually follow in other cases): What was the author's intention? Generally, I prefer to stick to what was written rather than what the intention was (especially since Daniel Handler's intentions varied greatly throughout the writing of ASOUE, which is totally acceptable and good, but leaves traces. Thus, among my personal rules, what he wrote holds more weight than what he intended while writing). But in TE, since it's the last of the main ASOUE books, his intentions at the end of the story don't alter ASOUE's future much because that future only exists in our imagination. (Which makes me both sad and happy at the same time).
Many believe that the author's intention was for TGU to represent death itself, which I disagree with. What TGU represents is a question, and the very question mark shape is strong evidence of what I just said. The question is "What happens after the end?" This question has thematic similarities to the event of death, but it is not the same as death. "End" and "death" can be synonymous in some contexts, but not always. In the case of ASOUE, the last book is literally called "The End," and the question "What happens after the end?" becomes poetically interesting. (At this stage of life, Daniel Handler was fascinated by wordplay. Poetry that heavily plays with the semantics of words and expressions has always been very present in Daniel Handler's life). Thus, physically representing the question "What happens after the end?" with a mysterious entity that takes away the characters we love is a very interesting way to end the 13 books. "What happens after the end?" is basically Daniel Handler asking his readers to write fanfics and headcanons. He handed us the pen and told us, "You can continue the story."
I've read many books, but the only ones that moved me to theorize and write fanfics were those in the ASOUE universe. So, I think that question mark truly entered my soul and never left.
Many believe that the author's intention was for TGU to represent death itself, which I disagree with. What TGU represents is a question, and the very question mark shape is strong evidence of what I just said. The question is "What happens after the end?" This question has thematic similarities to the event of death, but it is not the same as death. "End" and "death" can be synonymous in some contexts, but not always. In the case of ASOUE, the last book is literally called "The End," and the question "What happens after the end?" becomes poetically interesting. (At this stage of life, Daniel Handler was fascinated by wordplay. Poetry that heavily plays with the semantics of words and expressions has always been very present in Daniel Handler's life). Thus, physically representing the question "What happens after the end?" with a mysterious entity that takes away the characters we love is a very interesting way to end the 13 books. "What happens after the end?" is basically Daniel Handler asking his readers to write fanfics and headcanons. He handed us the pen and told us, "You can continue the story."
I've read many books, but the only ones that moved me to theorize and write fanfics were those in the ASOUE universe. So, I think that question mark truly entered my soul and never left.
