The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty - Essay Example

English Literature 17 December The Exorcist Entertainment The message which the puts across is clear and relevant. Blatty’s thought of sensationalism application in the exorcist novel serves right, to bring out the theme of his work in public performance, or for individual readings. Consider a novel written without a climax, but runs through in plain feeling. First of all, people would not like read the novel because it would look boring. It is much easier to reach out to the society by incorporating entertainment to express the theme, even if it had to introduce some fictions. Entertainment does not stand out just as comedy, but it covers a wide concept through horror, action, romantism, and narration. Blatty comes out as a transformational author from comedy to horror work, which involves use of supernatural powers. According to Szumskyj (9), Blatty approached the horror genre with intentions of more than just entertainment, even if he began his career by writing comedies and movies screen play. To deliver the content, in the vast population, the writer needs to employ creativity, since people have different reasons to reading such work. It may be arguable, but it is a fact that some just want pure entertainment (the majority); others want to criticize the delivery of the message and not focus on entertainment, while the combine the two aspects. Blatty’s use of the horror sensation creates an urge for the reader to keep reading, to unfold the causes and the impacts of the events. For example, when Regan gets ill, she undergoes physical and psychological changes that make everyone think that she could be going through puberty. However, they later realize that she is possessed by demonic powers. This is seen when father Karras tells Chris that “But your daughter doesn't say she's a demon; she insists she's the devil himself” (Blatty 421). Through this, suspense and curiosity is created in the reader. Past Reflection in the Modern Times The American history before the Exorcist novel was published in early 1971, showed numerous events of violence in political sphere, house hold, social and educational system disputes. For any future readers in the afterwards generations, they cannot be able to comprehend the situation that occurred in the times. These include the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, political and social attitudes in the times, religion, emerging cults and civil rights movements, family break ups and the entire violence inside the US, and the involved Vietnam war. The novel therefore had to make use of the extreme sensation in reflecting the life then, people, and general society concern. Violence is a crime and is spiritually viewed as evil. DiMare expresses the rising situation, American troops killing the Vietnamese, death of Martin Luther King junior, subsequent death of 4 Kent state university students and the uncontrollable young group of campus students, who went rage in violence and in the presence of increasing divorce in the families. Exorcist focuses on demonstrating the issues and impact of the religious roles, and encroaching independence in single families, which led to carelessness in parenting, unknowingly introducing young people into violent rebellion (155). In the exorcist, father Karras reaches a point when he doubts his religious faith and decides to treat Regan as a psychiatrist when she is taken to him. Father Karras is not sure if he can perform exorcism on Regan so he tells Chris that “to get their permission to perform an exorcism, the first thing I'd have to have is a pretty substantial indication that your daughter's condition isn't a purely psychiatric problem” (Blatty 428). The author intends to bring out the images in the past, so that the reader can relate with him, by invoking sensation. The story as narration of the past would slightly tell the situation, but both the narration and use of sensationalism illustrates the true story, and the impact it caused in the society. Symbolism Blatty makes it even more organized, when he uses symbolic figures in different situations, to support his metaphysics theme. The sensation brought out through the signs express how human thinks, and model the image of the cause after an incident. The noise at the attic was assumed to be rats scratching, yet Regan continued to claim that her bed was shaking. The author uses the sensation to communicate to people about what they knew, but could not conclude. He is able to use birds, spiders, zombies and rats among others to bring in the scary feeling, which can be associated with supernatural evils. In the exorcist rats in Chris’s attic are heard making light scratching. “Rats in the attic, for Pete’s sake! Rats...and then noticed the cold. The room, it was icy” (Blatty 27). The stressing in violence, sex, and sacrilegious matters was carried out to reflect the current issues that have persisted in the modern society. The toning down of the issues could have been overlooked as the readers focused on the entertainment part. Regan’s violence, stress on real life rebellion of young people under the care of lax parents like Chris and the divorced father, who lead them astray in their ignorance to cope with the child’s situation. According to Szumskyj (11), father Damien Karras is taken symbolically as a Christ like, martyr figure, who is haunted by the ghosts at the time his faith is weak, only to take away his life as a solution for removing demons from Regan into him. Sensationalism works best at deployment of such symbolic events allowing the reader to feel, bond, and generate interest. Religious ground The author illustrates the abnormality associated with the powers of darkness through Regan, to imply to the existence of supernatural evil, but he also convinces the reader of a more realistic supernatural good power, which surpasses the evil one (Cull). The evilness in the domain, consist of both human and supernatural facing the modern society, ranging from women sexual immorality, to murder cases among others. Blatty outwardly seems to aim at confronting great mysteries in the human life, and the supernatural world. He bases his story with the moral perspective in mind of how to conquer evil with good. Regan could twist her head 360 degrees among other extra-ordinaries. According to Blatty “She mewed like a cat. Then barked. Then neighed. And then, bending at the waist, started whirling her torso around in rapid strenuous circles” (216). Priests understood the cunning conduct of the demon, however, father Karras, who had the power to command the demon out of the child sacrificed his life for the sake of the child. This was due to his weak faith, had he firm faith like father Merrin did before, he could have completely exorcised the demon without having to die (DiMare 156). In the exorcist novel, the author talks of father Merrin who had more historical encounters with such demons that Regan possessed. Blatty can be termed to pull people back to the church, since the overcoming demonic powers were a matter of strong and undoubted faith. The three fathers mentioned, Merrin, Karras, and kinderman are the ultimate remedy for demon exorcism in a religious society; that is why the sensation comes up naturally in the conflict between evil and good powers, as demonstrated through Regan and father Karras before meeting his death. His thoughts well match the modern society inherent behavior of resorting to religious or traditional leadership, as the sole protection and trust in matters of faith. Work cited Blatty, William Peter. The Exocist: The Electrifying International Bestseller of Satanism and Possession. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1971. Print. Cull, Nick. “The Exorcist.” historytoday.com. n.d. Web. 17 December, 2012. DiMare, P. C. Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2011. Print. Szumskyj, Benjamin. American Exorcist: Critical Essays on William Peter Blatty. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2008. Print.   Read More