Summary Of Walter Benjamin's The Things They Carrie

4. Junks on the façade As is shown in our discussion above, euphoric eroticism and uneasy pregnancy are mixed in Saturday. The euphoria and misgivings might be correlated with the contrast between inner space and surface. Walter Benjamin, in his famous thesis on mechanical reproduction, invokes surgeon as follows:

The attitude of the magician, who heels a patient by placing hand on their body, is different from that of the surgeon, who intervenes in the patient. The magician maintains the natural distance between himself and the patient. . . a surgeon, on the contrary, slightly increases the distance because of the gingerly manner with which his hand moves under the organs. . . . at the crucial moment, the surgeon gives up confronting his patient in person-to-person way; he penetrates him much more operationally. (29-30,

The contact with surface is fraught with danger as long as they are attempted in person-to-person way. On the other hand, naturally, Henry is entirely relaxed when he can avoid contact with others in enclosed privacy, which shows his denial to interaction. Also, his one-way relationship as a superhuman surgeon to the patient as an object or a field of operation is the proof of his inhuman attitude that makes him complacent. Incision and privacy both occurs inside the surface or through penetration of the surface. The surface of the buildings, in other words façade, is frequently described. The façade of the Post Office Tower is repaired after a terrorist attack, and Henry reconstruct the head skin after operation. However, the surface, which can be repaired and cleaned again and again, and the inner space are both overspread with junks. The institutional food which Henry is fond of, the seemingly healthy breakfast Theo makes, and the fish stew Henry cooks for the party all produce a heap of