In Let the Great World Spin, a novel by Colum McCann, a reader is able to experience life in a way that contributes to the connections made between themselves and the characters. A connection between the reader and even their own communities as well. These connections can be shown by relating the novel to two other articles we have read in class, “The Lifeboat” scenario, and “Becoming Your Own Best Educator”. These articles, along with the connections made, allow the reader to make connections between their own life and the character’s, in ways that are sometimes morally questioning. The underlying themes within the novel can be seen when analyzing it for more than simply the words on the paper, but rather as an emotional connection. Some of the themes within the novel include political unrest, moral questioning, the union between love and grief, violence and war, and human connection. While these themes may be swiftly referenced, they hold a major effect on the characters themselves within the novel, and a reader.
The ever-revolving question of “who’s responsibility is it?” is exactly the type of question that the author of this novel needed the reader to seek. This can be seen throughout the novel, specifically starting after Corrigan dies in the car crash. As a reader, one can hear the thoughts of those who were affected by the crash, and who each of the characters are blaming for his death. There's the obvious answer, the driver of the car, and there’s the not-so-obvious answers, such as Lara and her boyfriend Blaine. Blaine and Lara hit the car that Corrigan was in, having a major effect on the rest of the book. Lara seems to be thinking only about herself, and for her relationship to stay safe. Blaine also seems more concerned with the damage done to their car, than with the horrible tragedy that he may have just inflicted upon a stranger. After they hit the car, Lara tells Blaine, “Come on, let’s go, quick, get in, Blaine, quick, get a move on.” (McCann, Chapter 3) as if it wasn’t their fault for the crash. The question of who is really at fault for the death of Corrigan comes into play. This theme within the novel can remind a reader of The Lifeboat scenario, read in class, where the Captain tells his crew that it is not their fault if the woman in the water drowns, they didn’t put her in the water, “Why should we disrupt our cosy set-up here?” he says, which is a major moral dilemma to consider. Is it the fault of the person who does not save them, or is it the fault of the person who caused the accident?
From a bystander’s point of view, the fault is blamed on those that were at any point able to help, or stop the incident from happening, which in the novel, would be the passengers of the car: Lara, and Blaine. From The Lifeboat scenario, the fault would be on the entire crew, for not saving the woman, and especially on the Captain for convincing others to not save her, “If she dies, it’s not because we killed her.” But was it really their fault? Blaine’s, possibly. But the Captain was merely looking out for his rations, and the driver of Corrigan’s car was merely a victim, with no way of knowing what the future held, and Lara had no control over anything, as she was not the driver of either car.
Throughout the novel, there are an abundance of underlying themes that make a reader question the motives behind the writing itself, and behind the characters. One of which begins to be prominent even in the first chapter: the union between love and grief and which hurts worse. This is seen by Corrigan who must choose between his love for Adelita and his faith. He begins to realize which decision he should make, and as he mourns for the loss of his faith, “I walked about and screamed at Him" (McCann, 51) you can also see the growth of his love for Adelita, “and I could still feel her touch there, on the inside of my arm” (McCann, 51). The part that makes the theme even more prominent is after Corrigan dies in the car crash, Adelita begins the same theme, having to grieve for the loss of Corrigan at the same time as asking herself if Corrigan every truly loved her or if he was planning on abandoning her to return to his faith.
Another major theme we see come out through the duration of the novel is political unrest. Political unrest can be in the form of racism, stereotyping, or just simply a defiance of authority. This theme can be seen very clearly in many places. For example, the tightrope walker. While there is no one system that he is defying or providing a cause for, a reader can sense the feeling of rebellion. Perhaps the walker is defying his upbringing, or maybe he is defying the police, or maybe he’s simply defying the laws of physics and gravity, but the main reason behind his walk is beauty. “Everything was rewritten when he was up in the air. New things were possible with the human form. It went beyond equilibrium,” (McCann, 164). So even while he might be defying authority or others, he is really just attempting to find beauty.
Politically unrest moments occur throughout the novel, seen again within the novel with the portrayal of Tillie. Tillie is stereotyped by the way she looks, rather than her skills. Because Tillie is a street worker, she is never expected to succeed in life, and is only seen as a lifelong drug user and prostitute. This comes in contrary to the fact that she has an above-average IQ and defies the odds of her lifestyle. This defiance and unrest reminded me of the excerpt we read from class from “Becoming Your Own Best Educator”, in the way that judging the students in the excerpt by who was decided to be ‘special’ or not, determined how much they excelled in the class. The same goes for Tillie and the Tightrope Walker. Their onlookers seem to determine that they are nobodies, or that they do not deserve more than the allowed amount of attention. They are ultimately frowned upon, when, in reality, they are simply the people who were not ‘chosen’ to be special and seen as an excellent example of society.
A reader can see the underlying theme of violence and war within this novel as well, coming from many characters within it. Ciaran, within the chapter “All Respects to Heaven, I Like it Here,” shows that he moved from Ireland to America because of the wars that were occurring in his home land. This is why he does not like the way that Corrigan acts in the beginning of the novel, because it felt too violent, and was a resemblance of home for him. In the chapter “A Fear of Love,” Blaine is shown to have a strong taste for Vietnam films. Also, the fact that this book references 9/11 very often should be put into consideration. A reader is put into the perspective of what the public saw the Twin Towers as, which was mostly unnecessary. This can be proven many times within the novel, such as when the character Claire calls them “monstrosities” in the chapter “Miro, Miro, on the Wall.” The people of New York initially thought of the Twin Towers as an obstruction to their natural beauty, or even something that migrating birds may be harmed by, but they grew to love it.
The Twin Towers are referenced all throughout the novel, but not always with a sense of uselessness. The fact that McCann references them so often, shows the significance and importance of the buildings, especially since he wrote the novel post-9/11. Another theme within the novel is unification. The Twin Towers are meant to be seen as a unifying factor within the book, since almost all of the short narratives within the story revolve around one man walking a tightrope between them. The Tightrope Walker literally unified the two buildings with a rope, signifying his strive for beauty again. Since the author of this novel made a reference to this event with the Tightrope Walker in almost all of the chapters, this means that all of the seemingly random chapters are actually tied together in some way.
Human connection is another theme, shown in subtle ways within the novel, or obvious connections. For example, an obvious connection is the network of prostitutes within the Bronx, who are almost like a family. The subtle connection is that they are all also friends with Corrigan, who helps them out in times of struggle, even though he is not a prostitute. Another human connection that occurs is the witnessing of the walk across the tightrope. The citizens on the streets below can clearly share a bond of being present for such an event, while others, like Jaslyn in the chapter “Roaring Seaward, and I Go,” have a more removed relationship from the actual event, yet is still connected.
Throughout the novel it is obvious that there are recurring themes that build to its overall status as a great read. The novel questions moral responsibility, political unrest, and the union between love and grief, all in order to bring the reader into the story and relate to it even more and feel it inside their minds. Using writings like “Becoming Your Own Best Educator”, and “The Lifeboat” scenario, a reader is able to relate themselves to the novel and the novel to the real world, even when it is set majorly within a timeframe that seemed to have no other event to occur except a man walking along a rope. Small connections can be made without the reader even knowing that they have made it, and it allows the reader to feel more immersed with the novel, and not want to set it down. The number of underlying themes is also one of the reasons this novel is used in Literature classes, because they seem to be hidden from the conscious mind of the reader, yet the subconscious tells the reader that there is more to be understood than just the surface. “Let the Great World Spin” by Colum McCann is a novel that anyone can easily read, and is yet also one of the most difficult to analyze and assess, outside of just simply reading the novel, because of the number of underlying themes, and the format of the novel jumping around to different characters so often.