Maps to Anywhere Response #1

Typically one of the most important parts of any text is the begging. It can set the tone, setting, theme, etc, for the rest of the work. In the first chapter of Maps to Anywhere, entitled “Beacons Burning Down”, there seems to a several unrelated stories at a glance. However, upon further investigation it is clear that all of the stories have a common theme of discovering the truth. In the passage about the miracle chicken it is shown for the father to be an attorney, one who helps to decide what is considered to be truth.  In the first passage and the final, the mother of Bernard seems unable to remember certain things and events, even her own son’s name. For this reason, in the last segment of the first chapter “Chapter after Chapter”, Bernard has difficulty with writing the book for his mother as it would be too far off from the truth. In addition, Cooper seems to mock religion with the segment entitled “Herald”, where he describes religious followers in a slightly comical and unserious manner, which demonstrates his disdain for depending on faith for truth. Consequently it makes sense why the name of the chapter is called “Beacons Burning Down”, as the beacons of light illuminate the hidden truth found within the texts. This is an appropriate preface for the rest of the story as the following chapters can be viewed as Cooper grappling with struggles in life or exploring them in order to better understand himself and those around him. It is also interesting that the significance behind the title of the first chapter isn’t explicitly revealed until the second to last paragraph of that chapter. This was likely intentional to show that understanding doesn’t come immediately, as it is necessary to fully explore what is before you thoroughly until a judgment on truth can be made.

In the chapter, “The Wind did It”, Bernard and his father seem to be e odds. The father seems to have made some poor decisions in life and doesn’t seem properly educated like his son. Evidence of this could be their manners of speech—the father speaks ineloquently where Bernard does not—and Bernard seems to be more knowledgeable in general (he is an educator so that is expected), for example Bernard’s knowledge of Scribner’s Dictionary of Medical Terms is contrasted by the prehistoric medical information the father has garnered from his possible obsession with the Mayans. At the end of the chapter it becomes clear that Bernard and his father are very similar. Bernard apparently forgot to close the door shut at his father’s home before they went on the flight, which is contrary to his seeming mindfulness he exhibited at the beginning of the chapter. This door is a figurative representation of how his he and his father are quite alike. This is further supported by the segment of the chapter entitled “Pain and Pleasure”, which are seeming opposites, but in reality are quite similar. In respect to the title of the chapter, it is referencing what may have opened the door, the wind. The wind is passive and unsuspecting, just like the knowledge that Bernard received when certain doors were opened for him.