Cortazar's Tribute to Disillusion

Social standards are ever changing. The fictional works of Julio Cortazar offer insight to the human condition, and it's digression. "Our Demeanor at Wakes", "Axolotl", and "The Continuity of Parks" are three specific examples that show this trend. The fake presentation of care and the acceptance of suffering has lead to a world of disillusion.

The times of genuine compassion have fallen to the wayside. From newspaper headlines to phony facebook status updates, humans have become increasingly good at imitating genuine emotions. They have become so good at it in fact, that they often times believe their own fallacies. In Cortazar's short story, "Our Demeanor at Wakes", this is shown perfectly.

The reader is quickly introduce to a family of frauds. This family participates in a pass-time that is sick, twisted and disturbed. They are funeral crashers. More specifically, they deal in wakes. With a plan of precision they invade. Their movements, actions, and words are perfectly coordinated. The initial insertion begins swiftly. The soft sobs of the sister at the foot of the coffin gathers some attention. As soon as this initial task is accomplished, the onslaught begins. She begins to bellow, and let go of all control. The flood gates are opened, and act two proceeds to center stage. The takeover is underway before the family of the bereaved even has time to recognize it. From the tears of grown men, to heartfelt eulogies, the family pours it on, until the seizure is complete. Once their mission is seen through, they dismiss themselves in an orderly fashion.


This is more relatable to the world around us than it is not. The world around us is moving so fast, it is nearly impossible to grab hold of an emotion for long enough to even understand it. The complexities that are in the face of the masses that often times, things are said or done without rationale or thought.


Cortazar also tells a story of a little animal called an Axolotl. In "Axolotl", the audience is introduced to a stifled soul. A prisoner of the mind. The axolotl's that the reader comes to be is in an aquarium, in a zoo, in Paris. 


The initial introduction is made speedily. The axolotl lives in the rocky bottom of a fish tank. He has deep, reading eyes. He shows pain without speaking. He is one of many. He exists in an overpopulated and constricted world. Afraid to move, life for the little axolotl is a claustrophobic nightmare. The acceptance of this suffering has already taken place. He has doomed himself. He is a prisoner of his own doing. He is us. We are him.


Our lives are intermingled. Our damnation is self inflicted. We suffer the tragedies around us, because we condemn ourselves to it. We perpetuate the cycle of acceptance. The ability to distinguish ourselves from the little animal, who is not an animal, at the bottom of the tank is impossible. Our worlds are one and the same.


In "The Continuity of Parks", Cortazar shows that our eyes are closed. We burry ourselves in anything we can. We find websites, and forums in order to hide. Our only ability to escape the sad reality is in fictitious realms. The books, we go to the books. Disillusion is sought. It is fought for and killing takes place in it's name. The occasional breaks from this disillusion, only drives us to go back to it quicker, and for longer periods. Because when we look up, all we see is pain. All we see is fake lies. All we see is suffering. Disillusion is our answer.