Jerzy Kosinski

Jerzy Kosinski's "Being There" presents an unusual perspective of the world from the eyes of Chance, the chief protagonist. Chance is a mentally retarded man who has lived most of his life in isolation from the rest of the world. By using Chance's narrative viewpoint, Kosinski transforms the mundane details of daily life into an unpredictable and thus dramatic spectacle, full of wonder and excitement. Because Chance is a simple man, the dramatic suspense of his entry into the unknown and treacherous world is heightened. Although "Being There" is a witty satire against the rich and powerful, Kosinski's real triumph lies in his ability to show realistically how such a vulnerable man manages to navigate his way through life to the upper echelons of society.

At the start of the book, Kosinski plunges the reader into Chance's life by giving a meticulous and intimate glimpse of his inner world. Distanced from human life, Chance's world revolves around plants. In spite of his mental retardation, Chance possesses an intuitive ability to take care of plants: "Very gently he let the stream touch every plant, every flower, every branch of the garden" (Kosinski 3). In fact, Kosinski paints an endearing portrait of Chance with a poignant analogy between plants and people. Unlike typical people, Chance shares the innocence and fragility of the plants in the garden: "�no plant can do anything intentionally: it cannot help growing, and its growth has no

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Category: Literature - J