Being a kook
In the first few pages of Kook, Heller describes what it’s like to learn something new and to try to join a community of experts even though he himself is just a “kook.” What are some of the things he has to learn? What specialized knowledge does he need? What norms does he encounter that he has to adjust to? What does this tell you about the complexity of this world of surfing?
Heller has to learn many things. In the beginning of the novel that man with the snake tattoo confronted Heller after he cut him off. Heller was confused and terrified and that moment because he didn't understand what was going on, because he didn't understand his place. Probably the biggest thing that Heller needs to learn is his place, he has to understand his abilities and not push his limit. He also needs to learn knowledge and techniques about suffering. He is isn't a very good surfer at first so he goes to the Saint in order to get lessons on how to surf, he also learns a lot from Bruno, the guy who made his surfboards, about different types of boards and waxes. He also learns a lot from just talking to other surfers, as they teach him about being part of the surfing community. In general, at this point in time Heller needs to learn the basics because, even to himself, he is a kook. Heller encounters all of the unspoken codes that are involved in surfing, whether it is when to go, where to go, or all the different boards and waxes associated with surfing in addition to how surfers act. As time goes on and he is in the surfing world longer, he will become better adjusted to the ways of a surfer, but with the extreme complexity of the sport along with the new lifestyle it may take a while. Surfing isn't only riding a wave whenever you feel like it, it is a lifestyle and you can't learn all the unspoken codes and rules in a book.
ReplyDeleteHeller goes into learning surfing thinking it will be easy. After all he learned how to kayak just off watching others and asking a few questions. However, he is utterly shocked by the complexity to surfing, and how uninviting it is to newcomers. "Most sports, at first entry, balance the initial strangeness and difficulty with some immediate rewards... Everything works this way except surfing. Surfing is one of the only pursuits on earth that can drub you into numb exhaustion and blunt trauma time and again and give you nothing in return... And you return. You are glad to do it. IN fact, you can think of nothing you'd rather do." (Heller, 21) Heller says this when he is putting his first couple days of surfing into words. He is able to pick up on the material side of surfing relatively easy. He could get wax and a board; however, he didn't know how to use them. He put the wax on incorrectly, he struggled his first few days with everything. Especially with the rules of surfing. As a newcomer in the world of surfing, he broke so many of the rules just on his first day. He stole a wave and he got in peoples way. He severely overestimated his abilities and the force and power of the waves showed him repetitively that he isn't a very good surfer, by beating it into him. He has to adjust his mindset to truly understand the complexity of surfing so he can eventually join the world of surfers.
ReplyDeleteHeller has to learn and become acquainted with the new surf culture. He is similar to a person from another country coming to a new country and having to understand and get used to the customs, traditions, and culture. He also has to become familiar with the unspoken etiquette of surfing which he has trouble with when he crashes into the other surfer in the beginning. He gets sworn at and called a kook. This situation is similar to high school at KO in which a freshman doesn't know all the rules and they walk on the senior green and then a senior yells and swears at them. On a physical side Heller has to learn how to execute the actions of surfing correctly to ride a wave. He also needs to learn the whole equipment side as well. As he said in the beginning there are many different ways to apply just wax to a board and he would have to learn them, how to ride left breaking and right breaking waves, how to maintain his board, life vest, wetsuit, and body. He would also have to learn about the environmental side to surfing by becoming able to decipher ridable waves from unridable ones. In addition he would need to respect the sea, the ever powerful force that provides a field for which the sport of surfing can be played but it can also kill him with ease. He needs the specialized knowledge of the environment, equipment, skill and culture to start becoming a real surfer and not a kook. Heller encounters the norms of surf culture from the correct etiquette in the water to the right actions in preparation and maintenance on land. This all shows him that surfing is much more complicated then standing on some fiberglass and riding it down a wave it is a world that is made of a very intricate culture within which there are rules and customs that take years to fully understand and become part of.
ReplyDeleteHeller has completely taken himself outside of his own little bubble, and he needs to learn to broaden his mindset and be openminded in this new culture. He has extracted himself from the comfort and security of his daily life and immersed himself in a world of particularity and specifics. Heller quickly learns that he, as an outsider, must quickly adjust to the ways of surfing culture as a mechanic for avoiding confrontation. He needs to learn not only the movements of surfing, but also the rules of the road. He must learn his place on the food chain, and how to adhere to this structure. He must learn that he is not yet advanced enough to run with the big dogs. The many problems Heller comes against are simply norms in the surfing world, regulations that only a kook would have never learned. The world of surfing is complex. The unspoken rules and expectation can only be learned from observation and mistake. The lack of instruction manual coming with his egg comes with its own challenges. Heller has to use his mistakes to navigate this new, complicated world.
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