Freedom (2010)
5 Stars out of 5
Jonathan Franzen
576 pages
Just as he did in late 2001 with “The Corrections”, Jonathan
Franzen brings his superlative control of language and narrative to 2010’s “Freedom”.
Just as in “The Corrections”, Franzen brings his unequalled eye to human nature
and ear for dialog to this newer book. And just as he did in “The Corrections”,
Franzen’s view of humankind is so critical, at times so toxic, that most
readers will be wondering why they continue to read about such horrid
characters as the Berglunds, people that just about anyone would rather run away
from than interact with; and yet at least partly because of the artistry and
themes Franzen brings to his novels, the typical reader reads on. Language,
narrative flow, artful constructions, incredibly detailed characters and theme
are the reasons to read Franzen. Swallow your distaste for his characters and
jump in to any of his books, you won’t be disappointed.
The theme for “Freedom” is not a new one for literature, but
in Franzen’s hands, its exploration is a big part of the pleasure you will
receive in reading this book. The title tells you the theme but not its
implications. Where does your freedom, your “personal liberty” start to
imprison or at the very least infringe on someone else’s freedom? Or worse, as
in the case of lead character Patty Berglund having obtained her personal
liberty from husband Walter, and finding out that you still hate yourself, does
one end up like Patty just that much more disappointed in the loving and kind
man that granted you that freedom to be yourself, or that much more
self-despising, or even that much more disappointed in the son that you have
poured your adult life into when he turns away from you. These are the issues
that suffuse the theme of freedom or personal liberty throughout “Freedom”. And
you will find in this complex tale of interweaving lives that it is not just
Patty that suffers from these questions and outcomes.
On the surface, “Freedom” is a long exploration of the
Berglunds and those around them. We first meet Patty in late 20th
century St. Paul, MN. Patty is the wife of Walter Berglund a lawyer for 3M and
the mother of a daughter and son. Patty is a kind of iconic suburbanite, unable
to criticize anyone with a word more forceful than “weird” and who is very
likely to show up at your door with a plate of cookies to welcome you to the
neighborhood. Walter in a seemingly similar manner is the nice guy at work,
assigned to the philanthropy section of the legal department since he is too
"nice" to argue a case in court. The
reader knows if he’s read “The Corrections” that this Edenic landscape the
Berglunds inhabit is destined for a change, and little surprise will occur when
it does. It largely but not solely arrives in the form of Richard Katz, a rock
musician of little success in music but considerable success with women. He is
the college friend of mild-mannered Walter, and the secret desire of Patty.
This long-standing triangle will result in some graphic sex and three broken lives.
A key to understanding Patty is revealed in Franzen’s
exploration of her earlier life: she was the daughter of a successful and politically-liberal
New York family where Patty was somehow considered a disappointment due to her
athleticism. Indeed, Patty is no mere athletic dilettante but in fact is an
All-American basketball player. This background on Patty works on multiple
levels as it allows Franzen to explore the hypocrisy of those that play at
liberalism even as they glorify the superficial definitions of success (Patty’s
artsy sister is the family hero, while Patty is the black sheep), but it also
introduces a key factor in Patty’s temperament: her un-abiding competitiveness –
she must win. Thus Patty is defined as someone who has lived her life feeling
unloved by her family, and is thus suffering from a diminished self-image, and
is also quite paradoxically determined to win every battle she enters; and to
her, everything is a contest.
In contrast to Patty is Walter, a third generation
Scandinavian émigré to America. In a family characterized by unmet expectations
by the previous generation in the next, Walter is descended from a string of alcoholic,
angry men that hate everyone around them, most especially their sons. Just as
Walter's son (Joey) will do to Walter later in the book, Walter will defy his father by being his
exact opposite: a teetotaler that will bend over backwards to please everyone
he meets. However, just like his father and grandfather before him, Walter will
end up angry at the world for never meeting up to his expectations, and this
most certainly will include his son Joey. Joey will turn to far right
Republicanism (one wonders if this only out of spite) as Walter has already turned to far left environmentalism. This
clash of generations allows Franzen to provide a voice for each political side of the
argument during the George W Bush war years in Iraq. It is not that clear who
wins the fictional argument between Walter and Joey as both are such damaged
goods, but it seems pretty clear that Franzen’s political tendencies are to the
left as he gives extensive voice to Walter on the subject of over-population
and describes a pained sense of late-arriving conscience to Joey once Joey learns some of the
truth behind how American forces were “supported” by greedy arms suppliers (including Joey).
One of the most brilliant aspects of how Franzen tells his
story is how he switches voices from 3rd person omniscient to 1st
person voices for various members of the primary story to a curious 3rd
person Patty. This latter voice is remarkable. It is ostensibly Patty writing in
the 3rd person about Patty as a form of therapy. In this treatise
introduced early in the overall novel she explores her personal history in New
York as a “jock” that is out of sync with her artsy family, but more
tellingly describes the adult Patty’s motivations and thoughts as she considers her
children, her husband and her heart’s desire, Richard. This self-examination by
Patty is as acerbically written as all of Franzen’s writing and if there is a
flaw in this book it is that: the voice of Patty describing Patty sounds all
too Franzenian. Be that as it may, sounding Franzenian is really quite an art
in itself. Patty’s insights about herself (like Franzen’s about all his
characters) make this part of the book the centerpiece. And of course, Patty’s
writing becomes in time more than a clever exploration of Patty, but a plot
device as well.
This book is one of the most intelligent and thoughtful examinations
of American values and priorities in the early 21st century that I have yet read. It is
at times vulgar, profane and highly sexualized. However, it is an example of
how modern literature can investigate in a thorough manner, topics as big as
the environment and can do so while it is exploring in great detail human
behavior via equally big themes such as freedom. In hindsight, it is not hard
to see how these two themes of the environment and freedom can overlap (one man’s
freedom to pollute is another man’s crime against humanity), but it is a
profound pleasure to read about these topics while enjoying the remarkable
understanding of the human condition and witty misanthropic dialog that Franzen has so thoroughly
mastered.
This book is well worth reading by every adult. It has many
sexual situations so beware if this is an issue for you. You may well come
away from the book largely disgusted by the characters that Franzen so expertly
defines in this book. However, if you enjoyed “The Corrections” or if you enjoy
reading a modern master of American fiction, then is book should be on your
reading list.
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