Meat as Faith: Jims Transformation in T.C. Boyles Carnal Knowledge - Essay Example

"I saw those ads in the magazines, the ones that showed the veal calves penned up in their own waste, their limbs atrophied, and their veins so pumped full of antibiotics they couldn't control their bowels," says Jim "but when I took a date to Anna Maria's, I could never resist the veal scaloppini." Jim is aware of the cruelties that animals suffer hands of humans and has seen the "ads" about the treatment of animals but does not care enough to act about these cases. Rather, Jim allows his stomach and carnal sense to dictate his decisions, which is why he can "never resist the veal scaloppini.

" On a larger level, Jim represents anyone who understood the reasons for choosing a path of morality but declined because the road appeared too difficult. When Jim is prompted to act, it is not out of a deeper understanding of the hardships animals face but rather because he is intent on the direct rewards of his protesting, Alena's affections. "I thought about meat and jail and the heroic proportions to which I was about to swell in Alena's eyes and what I intended to do to her when we finally got to bed.

" Jim evokes Christians who place faith in God for the sole reasoning that they will be rewarded in heaven, rather than accept their faith because Christianity represents the correct path towards a just and moral life. Thus, Jim cares about Alena and what he intends "to do to her" much more than he does about the actual rights of animals, which will, in turn, cause Jim's transformation back to his "old" self. Throughout the story, Jim finds himself sympathizing with and missing being a meat eater.

Although Jim's love of Alena has managed to make him act in a certain manner, his affection for Alena are unable to completely sway his beliefs. During the turkey escape scene, Jim says "I was thinking of all the turkeys I'd sent to their doom, of the plucked wishbones, the pope's noses, and the crisp browned skin I used to relish as a kid. It brought a lump to my throat and something more: I realized I was hungry." ( ) Alena has been unable to shift Jim's thoughts about animals entirely because Jim's love and appreciation Alena is based on a carnal lust rather than a deeper appreciation of her character.

Like the turkey that is splattered against Alena's dashboard at the end of the story, Jim and Alena's relationship is ultimately doomed. Some readers may argue that Jim lacks the ability to support animals' rights, which is the reason why he returns to being a meat-eater at the end of "Carnal Knowledge". Jim's recognition, however, that "it's only meat" shows that he has now weighed both sides of the animal right's issue. Also, while Jim eats a McDonald's sandwich at the end of the story, he reflects about "the cavern opening inside me and how to fill it.

" Not only does this "cavern" represent the physical element of Jim, it also stands for his spiritual side. Alena only served as a distraction for Jim and never fully managed to "fill" the "cavern" within him. Jim develops in "Carnal Knowledge" from a non-supporter of animals' rights to someone who recognizes the reasons why he does not believe in protesting animal abuse. Jim is lured into the world of animal rights supporters because he seeks a physical connection with Alena. In turn, Jim's characters shows that we are only as strong as our convictions.

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