I recently finished Synconium. It was... an interesting work. Dense and difficult to understand, often, but interesting.
One thing that has stuck out to me, now that I've finished it, is the division made between the Wild and Society. XX (well, she's struggling against her Fig persona) and Other XY take the side of Society, but frame themselves as opposed to Green XY, who represents the Wild. It's true that the sexuality Green XY is associated with is associated with the Wild, but Green XY cannot experience sexuality during the time period he's in the comic. And interestingly, while sexual violence is common among wild animals, the form of sexual violence Green XY is committing are not Wild things, they are things of Society too. Green XY uses sex as a tool of power and control, and I'd argue that's profoundly civilized rather than wild.
This makes me question whether or not the conflict being represented is really one between Wild and Society, and if Green XY is really as much a creature of the Wild as he seems to present himself as. I mean, think about what he does. His concern for sex is a concern for making sure other people mate, with the intensity and devotion he feels is appropriate; he sticks guards all over the place to make sure no one thinks about anything else. He uses poison, manipulation, or alembics to kill rather than his own teeth. He's obsessed with symbology and domination, rather than focusing on survival or immediacy.
It seems to me he's more an exemplar of a corrupted form of Society, which tries to root itself in primal forces but ultimately cannot understand them. His need for control reflects Society more than the Wild, and this makes me see the story less about the dichotomy between wildness and civilization and more about how the worst elements of civilization will try to warp elements of nature to their own ends.
I'm pretty sure this was intended. Other people might've picked up on it, but I haven't seen them talk about it if so--and maybe there's context I missed, but it just stuck out to me.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2023-07-01 05:52 pm (UTC)One thing that has stuck out to me, now that I've finished it, is the division made between the Wild and Society. XX (well, she's struggling against her Fig persona) and Other XY take the side of Society, but frame themselves as opposed to Green XY, who represents the Wild. It's true that the sexuality Green XY is associated with is associated with the Wild, but Green XY cannot experience sexuality during the time period he's in the comic. And interestingly, while sexual violence is common among wild animals, the form of sexual violence Green XY is committing are not Wild things, they are things of Society too. Green XY uses sex as a tool of power and control, and I'd argue that's profoundly civilized rather than wild.
This makes me question whether or not the conflict being represented is really one between Wild and Society, and if Green XY is really as much a creature of the Wild as he seems to present himself as. I mean, think about what he does. His concern for sex is a concern for making sure other people mate, with the intensity and devotion he feels is appropriate; he sticks guards all over the place to make sure no one thinks about anything else. He uses poison, manipulation, or alembics to kill rather than his own teeth. He's obsessed with symbology and domination, rather than focusing on survival or immediacy.
It seems to me he's more an exemplar of a corrupted form of Society, which tries to root itself in primal forces but ultimately cannot understand them. His need for control reflects Society more than the Wild, and this makes me see the story less about the dichotomy between wildness and civilization and more about how the worst elements of civilization will try to warp elements of nature to their own ends.
I'm pretty sure this was intended. Other people might've picked up on it, but I haven't seen them talk about it if so--and maybe there's context I missed, but it just stuck out to me.