Money 4

Edmondson discusses John Self as Amis’ well created “Postmodern Man.” His definition of the postmodern prose, which Amis “mastered,” is to have multiple layers of fiction and “a deluded narrator imbedded somewhere in the middle” (1). This interpretation serves as a clear introspection into the world of Money. Due to John Self’s alienation from the rest of the world -- his narrow-minded, damaged, and stupid character -- he is “removed from any sense of humanity” (4). By inserting himself into the narrative, Amis reveals the clue that Self’s reality isn’t the most appropriate to understand the world he lives in. That is, Amis reveals to the readers, with subtle clues, that there are many things which are not what John says there are. For instance, John proclaims “I’m in hell somehow, and yet why is it hell? Covered by heaven, with its girls and deceptions and mad-acts, what is the meaning of this white tent” (206)? It is obvious that John isn’t in hell, but it isn’t obvious to John that he is the creator of his own hellish life. Perhaps that wasn’t the best example. However, it is clear through many passages that what John says or thinks isn’t actually true. Edmondson explains, “the contradiction forces the reader into the awkward position of wondering exacelty where Martin Amis is in all this, who is telling what, and what degree of truth is present in what is being related” (2). Although Edmondson is describing Amis’ novel The Rachel Papers here, this concept still remains imbedded into the framework of Money. We, the readers, read on well aware of the various levels of truths, realities, and dimensions of John Self’s world as he travels through time. This idea of time traveling I’ll save for the final post on Money.