Autobiography Of Red Geryon Summary

True Colors Francis Tan
As Carson mentions in her introduction, adjectives are “small imported mechanisms in charge of attaching everything in the world to its place in particularity” (Carson 4). Autobiography of Red is filled with colorful adjectives, but they are not simply innocent attributes to nouns. Carson literally paints Geryon’s life using colors to illustrate his emotions and give reference to the events in the original Greek myth. The colors help readers interpret the underlying meanings of the ambiguous descriptions of Geryon’s experiences, especially how Geryon experiences his ‘death’ and struggle between love and freedom. Carson’s
When Herakles asks Geryon to go home, the phrases “heart and lungs were in a black crust” and “sudden strong desire to go to sleep” (Carson 62), illustrate Geryon’s pain and aching for death. Furthermore, Geryon then gives an interesting description of volcanic rock: “Most volcanic rock is basalt. If it is dark and blocky that means very little silica in the composition. Very little silica in the composition, said Geryon as he climbed out.” (Carson 63)
Silica is actually a compound white in color. Geryon’s emphasis on the lack of silica lets us interpret that he has very little life left after being rejected.
In the autobiography, Geryon is particularly interested in the story of Lava Man, who defies death by surviving a volcanic eruption. He is described by Herakles grandmother:
“I am a drop of gold he would say I am molten matter returned from the core of earth to tell you interior things- Look! He would prick his thumb and press out ocher-colored drops that sizzled when they hit the plate- Volcanic blood!” (Carson
Although Geryon has the freedom to leave Herakles once and for all, he is still conflicted about his feelings for Herakles. At one point Geryon allows Gladys to take over: “Herakles’ mouth came down on his and blackness sank through him” (Carson 119), then he illustrates how people had ‘little red flush marks on their cheeks’ (Carson 119) when they slept. The changes between red and yellow, black and white illustrate Geryon’s struggle between love and freedom with subtlety, which is the fundamental theme of the autobiography.
The story reaches a climax in the chapter “Car” with an outburst of colors when Geryon finally chooses to leave Lima and meets his death. Upon leaving Lima, it is as if he sees his younger self:
“Children in spotless uniforms with pointy white collars emerge from the cardboard houses and make their way along the edge of the highway laughing jumping holding their book bags high. Then Lima ended.” (Carson 132)
These images of children reference the young Geryon at school, who is “small, red and upright” and “gripping his new book bag tight” (Carson 25), as if he is bidding farewell to the boy filled with life. He then sees “green walls of sugarcane” but then “sugarcane ended” (Carson 132), which suggests how the love of the free-willed Geryon ends for Herakles. Nonetheless, he finally