Spectacles In The Book Of Daniel

E. L. Doctorow’s text, The Book of Daniel, is full of spectacles that are intertwined with war. Spectacles are used in wars for two reasons: to inspire and to instil fear in others. Daniel uses fear spectacles to gain power is his war in the home. He renders his wife and child powerless in the spectacles he uses against them. The Cold War also uses a number of spectacles to either fight for or against the government of the United States. Spectacles that provoke the characters into action include bomb drills and presenting the Isaacson children in a rally that supports Paul and Rochelle. The FBI also use a number of spectacles against the Isaacson family to attempt to gain control over them. The media and other ordinary citizens also imply spectacles

When Rochelle and Paul are arrested a rally is held to help convince people of their innocence. To increase the power of this spectacle Daniel and Susan were forced to attend, “he and Susan were transfixed by placards, the oversized pictures of their mother and father everywhere above the crowd, going up and down in rhythm as the crowd roared Free them free them free them” (Doctorow 22). In this moment of the text the spectacle is not designed to instil fear in the ones that spectate it. Instead this spectacle is designed to provoke action in the audience. Many believe that Paul and Rochelle Isaacson were innocent and should be released. By presenting their young children in front of a wide audience Ascher is hoping to encourage the world to believe their parents are innocent. If enough people believe that Rochelle and Paul are innocent they might have had a chance at being acquitted of all charges. A defendants lawyer’s job is to plant doubt in the jury that the defendants are not guilty. By having the children become a spectacle Ascher is attempting to plant this doubt. Therefore, by having the children attend the rally for Paul and Rochelle, Ascher is attempting to use the children as a spectacle of war to inspire people to believe the parents are

After an event celebrating free speech for the leftist movement people that attended the event are attacked, “The rocks, some of them as big as my head, are propelled by the motives of education. ‘We’ll teach you!’’ the enraged voices cry. ‘This will teach you, you commie bastard kikes’” (Doctorow 49)! The spectacle these angry people are employing is the teaching method they have chosen. Fear can be a great and fast teacher. Harsh words, as well as the real potential for bodily harm, come together to create this terrifying spectacle. The people outside the bus are threatening the people on the bus who they believe they be an enemy in the Cold War. They do not want these people in their country and attempt to use a fear tactic to demonstrate how they are unwelcome, wrong and need to leave the United States. Therefore, fear spectacles are intertwined with war by having ordinary citizens empty them to try and evict who they believe to be unsavoury people from their