The national anthem, written in 1814, immortalized America
as “the land of the free.” It’s been a core value of America for centuries. Yet
Jonathan Franzen’s novel Freedom is
hardly a recommendation for it. Of the characters whose inner monologues the
reader becomes privy to, freedom seems to bestow onto them a sort of anxious
purposelessness. If anything, freedom is the toxic cause of all their problems,
and the characters only find happiness when they give up their freedom.
Katz, when “freer than he’d been
since puberty” is simultaneously “closer than he’d ever been to suicide.” He despairs
in the “approval and plentitude” of his fame, wishing for adversity for which
to pit himself against – in other words, some clearly defined ‘other’ instead
of the openness of freedom (193). It isn’t until he embraces his role as a
member of the New York music community that he is “busy and successful” and “contented”
(536).
Patty’s moment of freedom is
quickly followed by the knee-wrecking injury that ends her basketball career
and drives her even closer to Eliza; later, the freedom of going up to Nameless
Lake is “killing her but she [Patty] was unable to let go of.” Patty struggles
constantly because she looks for freedom personified by Richard Katz, who is free
to be an asshole when Patty feels so constrained by her ‘nice-girl’ persona. Each
time the misery is reduced when she throws herself into some role; as
housewife, or as yuppie. She only gets a permanent kind of peach when she goes
back to Walter and they drive off together, recommitted to their duties as
husband and wife.
Joey, wishing for someone to
contact after getting himself hopelessly embroiled in the shady business of
arms sales, regrets asking for his freedom from his family: “they’d granted it,
and he couldn’t go back now” (241). He twists and turns, almost bankrupting
himself, almost committing adultery, screwing over his best friend, until he finally
embraces his role as a husband and a responsible citizen.
In Freedom, Franzen writes contrary to the ideal that most American
have, which is that freedom is something integral to the American experience
and should be valued; instead, he paints a picture of freedom as something that
causes conflicts and gets in the way of living a truly happy and contented
life.
While Franzen's novel places a more significant focus of what freedom means, his opinions are reflective of several other authors we have read this semester. Similar to Katz finding the reality of freedom quite disappointing, Oscar, Jimmy Corrigan, and other various characters seek to have a little less freedom. Freedom is a word with good connotations, particularly in the United States, but in most novels we have read this year there seems to be a linear relationship between freedom and unhappiness. Even in The Known World, we see some examples of slaves without freedom being happier than those who have it. Augustus Townsend becomes significantly less happy than his son who has much less freedom than his happy son. In Freedom by Franzen we can observe similar themes. Richard Katz spends his happiest years tied down- those years where he has no money, and has multiple dependent relationships. His lack of money keeps Katz tied to work, roommates, and especially Walter. As Katz becomes well-known and financially independent, he gains freedom but loses happiness. With this monetary freedom, Katz is also freed of his most dependent relationships, like his relationship with Walter. Although this liberation would seem to make any person happier, Katz is deeply depressed when he no longer needs others or is needed by others. Similarly, Jimmy Corrigan and Oscar Wao spend their lives searching for less freedom. The more relationships that these characters manage to form, the less freedom they have but the happier they are. In all these examples, freedom is synonymous with a lack of personal relationships are therefore, a lack of happiness.
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