The Braid By Ian C. MacMillan - Essay Example

The Braid By Ian C. MacMillan Ian Macmillan’s The Braid centers round the coming together of two protagonists who are ironically brought togetherby a braid. The braid itself is symbolic of union and the tying off of loose ends. The hair which is loose and scattered comes together in a braid in much the same way as the two protagonists who live essentially unstructured lives are brought together. The connecting of these lives represents the importance of unity among humankind and the feeling of security and stability that closely connected human strive to achieve. The braid itself is a symbol for the significance man places on close familial ties. It has les to do with consanguinity and more to do with common humanity. Adrian who cares for his mother in New York is a nineteen year old alcoholic, yet his ability to think clearly makes him a sympathetic character. Just before his mother passes on she gets Adrian to braid her hair. His mother instructs him as follows: “’I want you to take this to a place and bury it…Listen, if you don’t, I’ll wander for eternity. Bury it with my people. Remember this. I know you will, because you remember everything.”1 The place is Hawaii, a place with which Adrian is loosely connected with by mere childhood memories. The impression MacMillan stirs is that Adrian will, by returning to Hawaii, his birth place will find himself and put his checkered life back together. This is the place with which Adrian has his closest human connections in terms of identity and family ties. Once Adrian arrives in Hawaii the reader is immediately stuck by the solitude and loneliness of traversing through life alone. Adrian’s walk along the freeway toward Honolulu depicts emptiness as he passes abandoned cars, chain linked fences and stray dogs. Despite this vacant journey, Adrian presses on in the direction of the city lights. The city lights represent humanity and ties for which Adrian travels toward. His first human encounter is with Tenley, who is a twenty yea –old prostitute and a recovering drug addict. In this encounter the reader is immediately struck by the significance of common traits that create human ties in the familial sense. Although disingenuous at first the pair eventually strikes a common bond as they aspire to stability. Adrian hopes that Tenley can assist him in locating his designated burial place for the braid and Tenley in turn hopes that Adrian might have some money. This disingenuous bond sets the stage for a coming together of two like souls which cannot be distinguished from universal concepts of familial ties. In hoping to travel through life in a meaningful and productive way, people need each other. This concept is at the root of Adrian and Tenley’s union. It is also another means of bringing Adrian to some understanding of his roots and keeps him as closely connected to his mother as the braid connects the loose strands of hair. The braid also represents Adrian’s reconnection with reality and by extension his reconnection with himself and his roots which is at the heart of universal familial ties. Adrian acquired a false sense of security via his drinking. MacMillan points this out as follows: “Cops and counselors and judges had lectured him on addictions, but they just didn’t know that for him what dulled reality, as they claimed, really clarified it and gave it beauty and meaning.”2 MacMillan ensures that the reader appreciates that Adrian is achieving a growing sense of realism through his connection with Tenley. It also demonstrates that he is growing in a more positive direction and as such does not have to depend on alcohol for reassurance. He can achieve reassurance via familial ties and relations. MacMillan writes: “[Adrian] felt around in his bag for the shorts. When he found them, he stopped, stuck in a little fit of anxious modesty.” 3 This is significant since Adrian who is on a beach for the first time he is not engulfed by a false sense of security. His perceptions here are not clouded by the absolute beauty of the ocean. Adrian is fully aware of the unknown depth and dangers that lurk beneath the surface beauty. He is also very much aware that, Tenley, a female is present. This section illustrates how closeness with humanity and family ties can serve as a clear connection to reality. It creates self, environmental and societal awareness. In this sense it provides security and reassurance. It is interesting that Adrian’s journey into self awareness comes at a time when he is searching for a place to bury his mother’s braid. The braid itself is a symbol of connectivity, the very thing that Adrian lacks until he goes on a mission to bury the braid. He manages to evolve in much the same manner as the braid he put together. Just as the hairs come together, Adrian comes together with himself and with Tenley. This coming together of the two people on the outer fringes of society demonstrates the importance of close familial ties despite the lack of consanguinity between them. The underlying message is that they become intertwined in much the same manner as the braid and as such they can overcome shortcomings as a union rather than as a single unit. Bibliography MacMillan, Ian. The Braid. Mutual Publishing. 2005 Read More