Bonk on the Head and Artistic Amnesia in the Underworld

Bonk on the Head and Artistic Amnesia in the Underworld
John-James Ford’s Bonk on the Head illustrates the outlandish and exhausting journey of an ordinary man, which culminates in an ironic and irrecoverable downward spiral. The purpose of structuring a narrative in the symbolic framework of a descent is to emphasize its theme, which is very direct: “The general theme of descent, we say, was that of a growing confusion of identity and of restrictions to action” (Frye as per Hurley’s handout). This loss of identity during the descent thrusts the protagonist onto the archetypal quest for truth, and this theme is latently emphasized within the allegorical underworld. In literature, those who embrace art and language are empowered with the ability to transcend suffering, while those who reject these are condemned. In Bonk on the Head, Herbert rejects the essential truth within his reach that is made available through art and language, and their intrinsic ability to communicate and evoke thoughts and feelings; consequently, this rejection plunges Herbert into the night world, accelerates his dehumanization and prevents him from ever realizing the essential truths. Art and language operate within Bonk on the Head as the essence of fulfilment and identity, and this theme is emphasized within the framework of the descent narrative and the ironic model.
Art and language operate as a central theme within descent narratives and the ironic mode. The ability to express thoughts and emotions and communicate are fundamental to the essence of humanity; consequently, the loss of identity and humanity depicted by the paradigm of the mythic descent is further emphasized through the loss of expression. The Colonel is an explicit personification of this inability to communicate; he is clearly objectified through his identification as the Colonel and his restriction to “MilSpeak” to the point that he can no longer carry out a dinner conversation. The Colonel represents the