The essay Deep Play is from the book named The Interpretation of Cultures by an anthropologist named Clifford Geertz. Clifford Geertz was an anthropologist who went to Bali to study their culture, life style, and ideologies of the Balinese in 1958. In this essay Geertz talks about a cockfight that he witnessed, which is now illegal. He talked about the symbolism, irony, and the deeper meaning behind the representation of the roosters and the fights. The strength of the “cocks” symbolizes the strength and masculinity of the owner of the rooster.
When Geertz arrived at Bali with his wife they felt as if they were outcasts, not fitting into the environment for the first couple days. He noted that in that moment it was as if they were not there, their presence was not acknowledged by anyone. Then a cockfight broke out and while they were watching, the police arrived and everyone “. . .raced down the road, disappeared head first over walls, scrambled under platforms, folded themselves behind wicker screes, scuttled up coconut trees.” (Clifford Geertz, 1973, pg. 3).
After witnessing this bazaar
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He is trying to show the underlying purpose of the cockfights and how it has such a deeper meaning than just a source of entertainment. The reasoning he concluded with is that it represents the owners’ status and masculinity. Due to the rules of the game, there is no one to blame but the owner who loses the fight. “It is little wonder that when, as is the invariable rule, the owner of the winning cock takes the carcass of the loser – often torn limb from limb by its enraged owner – home to eat, he does so with a mixture of social embarrassment, moral satisfaction, aesthetic disgust, and cannibal joy.” (Clifford Geertz, 1973, pg. 7). This portion from the article shows the emotions that go through the winner’s head; the winner gets a feel of dominance and the defeated rooster to depict his