Carnivore Diet Review

Introduction

Carnivore Diet is a far from ordinary book in which the reader must look beyond the literal context to have a true understanding of its significance and purpose. One must be aware of the difference between the actuality of the story and the masked objectives Julia Slavin intends to uncover. The book is written from the perspective of two characters: Wendy, and her son, Dylan. The reliability of Wendy and Dylan’s stories are questionable, and the reader should take into account the bias of their perspectives.

Those who read Carnivore Diet should particularly be aware of its use of symbolism throughout the entire story. The most unusual character in this book is known as the chagwa. The chagwa is a fictional and treacherous beast, which is disrupting and causing many problems in the small suburbs of Washington, DC. The chagwa is a prime example of something that cannot be taken straight out of context in the book and is an important symbolic creature. Carnivore Diet would lose much of its worth and hidden meanings if it were taken by a literal standpoint. The chagwa can be interpreted as having more than one meaning beyond a beast. The chagwa seems to be related to the inability of characters in the story to find satisfaction or happiness in their lives. One could also imply the chagwa is a symbol for chaos and dysfunction. Furthermore, if readers understood the chagwa as only a beast, then there would most likely be little satisfaction from reading the book.

There are several major themes within Carnivore Diet, such as the balance of social and gender roles. Also the theme of the stereotypical nuclear family, which in this case is seen in the suburbs, in which everyone strives to live a perfect life and analyze other people’s problems rather than their own. The disruption of norms and resisting of such categories is seen throughout the story. Slavin opens doors to expose what is normally kept private in the domestic life. Self-deception versus the reality is another important theme in the story. When reading Carnivore Diet, one will find both literary and cultural values that can be applied to modern life.

Carnivore Diet is considered a humorous book with its foolishness and idiocy throughout the story. The humor is unique and very different than the humor seen in stories such as ones is Self Help by Lorrie Moore. Unlike Self Help, readers are able to find some sort of humor on almost every page in the book Carnivore Diet. Much of the humor in the book can be compared with the theorist, Henri Bergson and his views on why people use humor.

Henri Bergson on humor relating to Carnivore Diet
Bergson believed laughter was incompatible with emotions, and a person had to detach their emotions in order to find something funny. Bergson also went on to describe the comic as being individualized in which is must be inherent as well as arrogant. Bergson felt laughter was apart of a social function and can be used to “control our antisocial urges.” Laughter can be seen as a way for people to express secrets or their intimidations through humiliating others, while still having their actions being socially acceptable. Bergson describes laughter as“…a certain rigidity of body, mind and character, that society would still like to get rid of in order to obtain from its members the greatest possible degree of elasticity and sociability. This rigidity is the comic, and laughter is its corrective.” Although the scenarios in Carnivore Diet are serious subject matters such as broken relationships, fear and anxiety, and social pressures, the author uses humor continuously in the story. Carnivore Diet uses the humor as a way for the reader to unravel the true feelings and fears of characters in the story, as well as the humor behind resisting certain categories. Laughter seems to almost be counteractive to the situations and scenarios of the characters in the book. The use of satire is congruent with Bergson’s theories and can be seen continuously throughout this book. Satire is used in a sense to make fun of and reveal the reality of the social community in the suburbs as well as the seriousness and fears behind the chagwa. The context in which the community and chagwa are described can be seen as humorous, with a deeper meaning disclosed behind the wit and absurdity.

Relationships
This novel has a quite a few relationships between the characters, that the reader might need more help understanding. The most apparent relationship in this book is the one between Dylan and Wendy. Dylan has a father, Matt, but at the beginning of the story Matt is in jail. Wendy seems to have mixed emotions about how she actually feels about Matt not being there for the family. When Dylan is working as Harlan, things seem to be fine between Dylan and Wendy, but as soon as he gets replaced, that is when it becomes apparent that there are definitely some problems. Wendy is addicted to the tranquilizers called Solisan. That alone would make for a messed up home life, but Wendy also has affairs with two different men, Ben and Peter. Her having affairs could mean that she is insecure, and is always searching for happiness in some form. Wendy is not employed either, so when Dylan gets replaced as Harlan, there are some major financial burdens placed upon Wendy. At times in this novel, it seems as though Dylan is more of the parent-figure than Wendy. Dylan is trapped between childhood and being an adult throughout the story. Wendy is faced with personal and situational obstructions throughout the story. Her family is falling apart and she chooses to blame herself. Wendy deals with fears and anxieties as she tries to meet the standards set for her by society.

Though Matt was absent for about half of the book, he does come back into Dylan’s life when he is out of jail. This must have been quite hard for Dylan. To feel emotion about his father, he went to the Vietnam Memorial to cry, even though that really had nothing to do with his father being in jail. Matt eventually steps up as a parent when Wendy is institutionalized for being addicted to the Solisan. Dylan had been living in the house with some of his former co-workers, so he got used to doing what he wanted whenever he wanted. If it wasn’t for Ben, Dylan and his friends could have possibly starved to death. When the chagwa rips off Ben’s leg, Dylan is abandoned another time in his life. So Matt picked almost the perfect time to rescue the boys living with Dylan. Even though the boys are expected to live a boot camp style life with early morning, matching clothes, matching haircuts, extreme calisthenics, and teamwork, Matt and Dylan become closer, because Matt is playing the role of the caretaker. He cooks their meals, and is not as harsh on them as Billy is. Dylan seems to want to impress his father. At one point, Matt and Dylan are playing tennis. Matt comments on how well Dylan is playing, but that he should work on his footwork. "'You've got a terrific arm ,' he said. 'You connect. Good pace. If you were to get your footwork donw you'd be something formidable.' I'd never thought about my feet.." (247). After that comment, Dylan could not play as well, almost as if he was too afraid to disappoint his father. When Dylan gets really sick, towards the end of book 3, Matt is the best parent we have seen up to this point. He really takes care of Dylan when he needs him most.

Resisting Categories and Stereotypes

Wendy
Wendy Dunleavy is not what one would think of as a typical mother, and she sure isn’t going to be winning any mother of the year awards anytime soon. Throughout the novel, she is constantly torn by what it means to be a mother. She is addicted to drugs, and that is not what one would normally associate with the actions of a mother, therefore she is stepping outside of her role. She feels like she is responsible for the state her family is in, and therefore is not living up to the role of a mother or wife. We see this through her thoughts about Dylan, “He blamed me for the state of affairs, I knew. I didn’t do enough to keep Matt out of trouble. I didn’t do enough to keep his voice from changing. I didn’t make him handsome enough or tall enough or funny enough or smart enough”(46). This shows that Wendy is not able to help Dylan out like she would like to, and feels as though she has been unsuccessful. This is resisting the categories society places on the role of a mother, and as Bergson would say, by pointing out that Wendy is deviating from the norms and values associated with being a mother, it brings about humor.

Not only does Wendy not fit into her role as a mother, she seems to have the inability to fit into any particular category in her life in general. We see this through her interactions with men, particularly Ben Sotterburg. Ben is seen as a parody of a casa nova. Women just can’t seem to help themselves, and cling to him. He is accomplished in every arena of life and leaves women crying in his presence. When Ben and Wendy try to become involved sexually, she can’t even be one of the typical women who fulfills Ben. We see that she notices this when she says to Ben, “ ‘I’d like another chance.’ Ben replies, ‘Of course. There will be many other times like this’ ” (137). After a little while of driving she asks, “ ‘The others. They were all able to perform?’ ” He responds “ ‘Well…yes, most, remarkably’ ”(137). This is just another area in her life where she fails to be in the rigid category set up by society, of being one of the women who can please Ben. She is failed yet again by another man and failed yet again to fit into a particular category. At the end of the story, we as the reader see when she cleans out her house, that this is the sum of all her failures to fit into a particular category. Wendy has no sense of identity, and by getting rid of everything in her house when things are starting to get back to normal, we get the sense that she is lost because she is so accustomed to chaos in her life. At the end, when Wendy chases after the chagwa into the woods and gets lost, symbolizes how she has always been lost throughout the story, and is constantly running from all her failures.

Dylan
Dylan, Wendy’s son, is another character in this novel that cannot seem to fit into a particular category. Dylan is constantly trying to figure out where he fits into the domestic world. He is part of a dysfunctional family, his mom is a drug addict and his dad is in jail. At his age of fourteen, this is not what a normal child is experiencing. He steps out of his role as a child, and we see him doing things kids his age normally are not doing. We see that he has nobody to look to for guidance, and talks to a magic eight ball for answers and direction in life because he has no parents around to go to for advice. Along with that, we see how he finds a couple at the monument in the mall, and hits on the man’s wife. After being turned down by the wife he comes to the conclusion, “Eventually, everyone hates everyone”(190). This is a prime example of how Dylan is unfamiliar with the nuclear family. He has deviated so far from the norms of the typical family, that he is torn apart by it and thoroughly confused about life. We see this when his Dad calls to him “ ‘Dylan,come!’ His mom calls to him right after, ‘Dylan, stay’ ”(272). Dylan is stuck in a position of trying to fit into his role as an adolescent and a son, but he is trapped in a dysfunctional family left wondering where he fits into a family This too goes along with Bergson’s theory on laughter because once again, Dylan has resisted the categories set up by society.

Suburbs
The stereotype of the typical American suburbs is constantly resisted in this story. Suburbs are normally seen as upper class people living in houses with white picket fences, existing in a picture perfect world. The social norms of suburbia have been disrupted with the appearance of the chagwa, and there is a deep sense of anxiety present in Ruth Bay. We get a glimpse into the suburbs and the particular categories and stereotypes people fall into in the suburbs in this novel. At a neighborhood barbeque that Wendy attends she describes how, “The men looked at the women, but not for sex, more as a point of comparison. Who had recovered from childbirth, who was exercising. There was nothing strange about the evening. We’d taken the last of our Solisan”(45). This shows how everyone compares themselves to each other because people believe there are particular categories of behavior that individuals are supposed to fall into. Also, the fact that the neighborhood is taking the drug Solisan, shows that maybe the people living in suburbs aren’t so perfect after all, and have problems of their own.

Another time we see the stereotype of the suburbs brought about is when the neighbors are talking about the chagwa and say, “He’ll come for our children. Give him Dylan, Wendy, or we’re done for”(56). This buys into the stereotype that people in suburbs are selfish and only concerned with things that will benefit themselves. Slavin carefully picks the setting of this story, the suburbs of Washington DC, to display to the reader that stereotypes of the suburbs and to show how many times people who live in the suburbs are struggling to fit into a particular category.

Chagwa
The chagwa is another character in this novel that no one can seem to define what it is, so it therefore does not fit into any one category. The chagwa is an allegory for ways in which categories are fluid. The chagwa is seen as an indefinable gray area, the physical embodiments to all our anxieties. At one point the chagwa is male, and at another point the chagwa is female. At one point the chagwa is nurturing, and at other points he is destructive.

The chagwa is forced into gender roles because of the particular situation. In the beginning of the novel, the chagwa is male, and is shown killing animals, with violence and aggression. These are attributes that one would normally associate with a male. At the end when the chagwa is saving Dylan, it takes on the role of a female, going along with the stereotype that women are seen as more sensitive. The chagwa fits into the particular stereotypes and categories of how men and women are supposed to act, which have been set up by society. Nobody can understand this beast because it does not fit into one particular category, which is a parallel to how people don’t know how to define themselves into the particular categories society has set up. Bergson would agree with this because he sees shifts in categories as not laugh-out-loud funny moments, but as moments that bring about humor when characters are doing absurd things.

Conclusion
Overall, Carnivore Diet has appeared to receive many good reviews for its unusual use of mystical strategies to convey themes that associate with today’s society. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Carnivore Diet is “A darkly inventive comic fable that mixes surrealism and satire, creepy horror tableaus with giddily comedic set pieces…At one wildly imagined, precisely rendered and weirdly moving.” However, some have not found Carnivore Diet as appealing as others. One writer’s opinion from The New York Times wrote, “Slavin's delight is in mixing things up, crosscutting and recombining, like some disc jockey with A.D.H.D.” The aptitude and intelligence Slavin used to write and convey messages in her story can be a lot to take hold of and understand. There are many strange and absurd moments in the story which can make it hard to follow at times, but throughout the chaos, it is important to recognize the overall meanings and messages hidden behind the literal words written in the comical book. Some may find the ending of Carnivore Diet fragmentary and incomplete because there are still several lose ends not tied up in the end. However, many would agree that such a book cannot be taken literally, in order to enjoy its true essence and purpose that Slavin wished to convey to her readers.

Works Cited

Zeidner, Lisa. “Carnivore Diet: What Rough Beast”. The New York Times. 2005.

Harlan, Megan. “A Not-So-Mythical Beast Prowls D.C.: Slavin Adds a Bit of Horror to HerComic Satire on Modern Living”. San Francisco Chronicle, 2005.

Slavin, Julia. Carnivore Diet. New York: W.W. Noron & Company, 2005.

Posted by:
Karen Taylor, Amanda Recker, & Brittany Carlisle