Monday, February 10, 2014
Rush #4
Just prior to pausing Lawrence of Arabia in class last week, a scene was beginning to unfold where Lawrence was dancing around in his new clothes, and experiencing a new version of himself. This idea was beginning to develop in the scenes previous when he returned to the arabs after rescuing one of their men. It is the morning after that night where we realize that Lawrence is clearly at a stage where he is starting to question his identity and his role in the world and he is dressed in full Arab garb. He is questioning his loyalty and where it lies. The most interesting bit of this scene is surprisingly not the moments we see him watching his own shadow with his new garments, but the moment someone approaches and immediately identifies him as a soldier. In that moment not only are we reminded of his roots, but he is also reminded and simultaneously disoriented. As if he had forgotten for a moment where he came from.
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This is definitely a powerful example of the structure of "uncanny self encounter" we're exploring in this rush. And in assessing the "local garb" scene from this perspective, you've produced a really nice insight: the key shift here is the sudden transition from Lawrence's view of himself (his shadow) to this experience of seeing himself through the eyes of another. The function of this "other" is elsewhere performed by another English soldier (in the canal scene that we've discussed a couple times).
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CS