Being There

The French delegate Gaufridi says this to Chance in reference to Chance’s television appearance. He tells Chance that he did well to keep his remarks vague, since the public only wants “a god to punish, not a man of their infirmity” (95). He means that the public prefers figureheads to real, complex individuals. They want a soundbite over which they can argue at the dinner table rather than information that would require time and energy to understand. As a “Blank Page” that spouts meaningless phrases, Chance perfectly fulfills this need.

The quotation is from Act III, Scene I of Shakespeare’s tragedy Coriolanus. Coriolanus, a Roman general who is running for the office of consul, disdains the public, or “plebians,” who are easily manipulated. In the scene, Coriolanus is ranting about the public gaining power, and the tribune Brutus replies, “You speak a’ th’ people/As if you were a god, to punish; not/A man of their infirmity” (4.1.80-82).

The original remark’s context and punctuation differ from the way the novella uses the quote. In the play, Brutus accuses Coriolanus of acting like a god, as if he were above ordinary people. Kosiński reverses the meaning to imply that it is the public who punishes their political leaders, using the media as a tribunal. 

After Chance’s enigmatic replies, Skrapinov, the Soviet Ambassador, tells Chance that he has a “certain Krylovian touch” (90). Ivan Krylov (1769-1844) is a well-known author of Russian fairytales, similar to Aesop. Many of Krylov’s fables have a satirical undertone. They state their true meaning through subtext, which the reader must interpret for themselves. Skrapinov believes that Chance speaks in a similar way, that one must interpret the deeper meaning behind his simple comments. The novella’s reference to Krylov satirizes the other characters’ eagerness to draw profound meaning from Chance’s remarks. However, it also suggests that perhaps these remarks may contain wisdom beyond what the partygoers can understand.