“Born Again”
Book 1, chapter 3; Book 2, chapter 13
Characters
1.3 “Claudia” an embittered estranged wife of Warren, an unnamed daughter.
2.13 Ralph (who’s experience a moral rebirth at marriage), Inez (his wife), Claire (an old friend of Inez whom Ralph has an affair with and impregnates), Ray (brother of Claire), Bill (lover of Inez)
General Subject/ Plot
1.3: An embittered woman angrily reflects on how her ex-husband has used Christianity to absolve himself of past crimes.
2.13: Ralph imagines he’s been “born again” morally through marrying Inez, but his behavior soon becomes very shabby and selfish.
Motifs
1.3 Lingerie and dresser (first “in the bedroom”), white chemise, Jesus, a letter, Bomba (the jungle boy)
2.13 a dim bulb, Jesus, pregnancy/ still birth, rape (second “in the bedroom”), black and white tiles of bathroom floor, San Francisco, Clothes, Groucho Marx, Land of Heart’s Desire
Notes
“somewhat fragmentary couple, perhaps sketchy is a better descriptive.” … Warren, born again, excuses himself for his moral failings in a past marriage but is “the fake recipient of a fake grace.” Ralph feels morally born again by marriage, but it’s an illusion — he’s inescapably unfaithful… The Paris location of 1.3 is unusual — “Claudia” for Claire? […]
Notable that Jesus is mentioned in quite a few of these stories, but almost always as an empty expression, as swearing. In both the “Born Again” stories, a deep cynicism toward the idea that people may change who they are. In the second “Born Again” Clara’s pregnancy results in a “stillborn” — which echoes what happens in the first “Lovers”.
“Eight months” seems the gestation period for Ralph’s old ways to be “reborn.”
In 2.13 Ralph’s rape of Claire in a bathroom, and her incestuous relationship with Ray, are here taken as spurious allegations, elsewhere they are portrayed as fact.
.i`` * ^ / . . . . . ` `~ 