Confusion

Confusion1

A three screenplay2

Trilogy3

By Thomas McClure4

I. Introduction5

1 Sam. 20: 30 6

30 Then Saul’s aanger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother’s nakedness? 7

Fate is the heavy hand of history and the forbidding inevitable future upon the enduring presence of a man among other men and women in his life.8

What was inevitable in Saul's life was the perverse rebellious woman who was Jonathan's mother, who gave birth to confusion in his choice of David.9

This trilogy is written to examine other's feelings and attitude toward gays.10

My hope is that we can see into ourselves more attitudes of volunteers than victims, more giving than taking, more faithfulness than faithlessness.11

If man yet will enter into his heart 12

by the power of God, 13

he will see what God hath prepared 14

for them that love him, 15

for the Spirit will enlighten him, 16

making known unto him 17

the secrets of God's will.18

This story trilogy may be outrageous, as if we must be free of rage at stories. 19

But it is the fact that we feel rage about things that reveal our values and prejudices. Tad Walch said about Mike Sager's Wounded Warriers, 20

"Gritty 'Warriors' …" [SLC, Utah Des News, Sun Nov 9, 2008. E5], 21

"A half of his brain that still works to remember the name of … that guy."22

"… maybe you should avert your eyes, but … should [not] … we need to know, what these men and women feel and experience so we can empathize and act."23

Who are we? If Christ is like us among us, then Guy like me is another revelation of myself. There, but for the grace of God, go I. I, here by grace.24

This theme will be made manifest in three stories: (1) TKMB, from To Kill a Mocking Bird, by Harper Lee, (2) SC, from Snow Crash, by Neil Stephenson, and (3) TMF, from The Maltese Falcon, by Dashell Hammett, a screenplay.25

II. Synopsis of Guy26

Confusion is the name of these synopses. The name comes from I Samuel 20:30. After King Saul becomes angry with his son Jonathon, together with David, who are confused, as was his mother's nakedness.27

In the first screenplay, TKMB, Harper Lee for Scout has confused her brother, Edwin for Jem, with Truman Capote for Dill. Truman has confused Perry, the murderer, with Harper for her brother, for Scout, for Edwin for Jem. Jem is her imaginary creation. Truman and Harper have a confused relationship. 28

When Scout and Jem find that Dill gave up his life in suicide they do not glorify self-demise. But they see more clearly that neither one is to blame. They are blameless and faithless. What they must get is faith to make progress. Losing blame does not make faith happen. Only volunteer of self does that. Self-in-death can never become an escape from this probation.29

III. Synopsis of Snow Crash30

Both are seeking what they cannot have. It is this confusion -- of seeking what we cannot have; that is at the bottom of this back-story. It is a story we all see clearly in our own disjointed life of wanting what we cannot gain.31

Ernest Hemming found in The Sun Also Rises that the haunting theme of same sex attraction permeated life in Paris. It was the impossible consummation of sexual longing in Jake - a dysfunctional apparatus; he is incapable of making the object of his love find sexual ecstasy. It was seeking for what he could not find. And also finding the same happening in another.32

IV. Synopsis of The Maltese Falcon33

The theme of wanting what we cannot have brings us confusion. Our escape is to stop blaming others or us. It is to see us more like volunteers rather than victims, giving charitable services to others at our own expense. It is to become selfless instead of selfish. But it is not giving up in self-death. 34

V. Synopsis of the Novella of the Wizard of Oz.35

Substituting for the Tin man, the name of Scout, who has no heart; she is heartless. Substituting for the Straw man, the name of Jem, who has no brain; he is brainless. And substituting for the Lion, the name of Guy, who has no courage; he is fearful. These three are themselves this trilogy. TKMB is the heartless Scout; SC is the fearful Guy; TMF is the brainless Jem. 36

The Novella allows us to see the yellow brick road as a journey to the Emerald City of the Future, where lives the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy and Toto may be both Scout and Dill interchangeably as observers or participants.37

No amount of wishing for Oz can make these things change. Even they cannot make themselves fearless, brainy, or hearty. Harper cannot be a boy; ever she is a girl. Truman can never be masculine; ever he is a girlish boy. Edwin can never be Jem; ever he is married, dead, and imaginary. Guy cannot be straight; ever he is gay. Dill can never be Truman; ever he is Guy.38

Dill will wade into the gang of tough guys protecting their turf in TKMB. Truman will wade into NYC with a torrent of words, brilliant in OVOR, Other Voices, Other Rooms, and his novel about what might have been what he is.39

Harper too wades into NYC, more recognition for a recluse she avoids them.40

VI. Conclusion41

In short, the theme of this drama is that the cards dealt to us cannot be changed - no matter how we play them. Jem will get married and then die - he cannot live on to change things for Scout and Dill. Even through both of them, they hope to change the unchangeable by writing it into their books.42

Harper cannot make Dill marry her; even he has asked her to be his intended.43

Truman cannot marry Harper, even he has kissed her naked in the stream.44

Both are sexual cripples to their fondest hopes and dreams. Like Jake and the English Lady, they long for the lust lost to them. They cannot soap it over.45

When Jem and Scout volunteer instead of victimize, they cease to blame themselves or God. But they are nevertheless victims of a fate, to them worse than death. Perhaps they should give up on life like the one Guy did. But hope is still there in a promise of a life next where all things, evil or good, are made right. In this life, they must persist on in love for one another.46

TKMB confuses us between Jem and Dill. Edwin died in real life. Scout and Dill live on. But Dill is Guy and Guy is gay. No hiding can confuse us readers.47

In OVOR, Joel and Isabel wrestled in soapy nakedness; neither can say why.48

But Joe and Isabel live on in Harper and Truman. Both are confused by fame.49

Fame makes her a recluse, and fame makes him flamboyantly famous.50

In between, TMF and TKMB is Paranoid Park, PP. It is the story of a boy skateboarder who kills another man on a train -- the yellow brick road. He is convinced by a nice girl to write his story. It is clearly something more than stories about solving a murder case. It is about a crime we do not really see.51

TMF brings us back to the reality of Bogart and Astor. He has a thing for gays. 52