Dave's Anatomy: My History As A Writer, #69: "The Indian Boy"

The most common theory of creativity in the Western World is that of ex nihilo creation:  creation "out of nothing." The artist comes up with a unique idea, an innovative technique, something completely new and startling. Think Picasso, James Joyce, Bridget Riley, or, in his own day Raphael. This is the nature of true creativity. As God created the universe out of nothing, so the artist creates something never thought of before, something unique and new.

But in his book The Geography of Genius, journalist Eric Weiner notes that in the Eastern World—he gives the examples of China and India—creativity is seen as arranging material that is already there rather than coming up with something entirely new. I like this idea, because my stories and poems are often responses to literature, to art, to a work of creativity that already exists. I have, on occasion, been taken to task for this (especially by other poets). My critics (who are well-meaning) say that I have much life experience to write on, so why am I always relying on literature or art to supply me with themes for my poetry? Well, there are many ways of proceeding when one creates a work of art. The late Umberto Eco, who was both a novelist and a respected literary critic, once said, "All books speak of other books, and every writer tells a story that has already been told." Thus was the case with my short story, "The Indian Boy."

Titania

"The Indian Boy" derived from Shakespeare's play A Midsummer-Night's Dream and, like a lot of my favorite things in Shakespeare, it is obscure. Oberon and Titania, the King and Queen of fairyland, are arguing over custody of an "Indian boy"—the child of one of Titania's mortal serving women who died and left the child with her. In the 1999 film version of A Midsummer-Night Dream starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Kevin Kline, viewers get a short glimpse of the boy, riding on a white horse, as Titania narrates her remembrance of her deceased friend. He has long hair and his skin is dark blue, like the god Shiva's skin. This gave me the idea for the story. How about the Shakespeare play from the boy's point of view? His guardian mother and her husband are fighting over him (as in a modern custody battle). Why? I had studied the play enough to know the various interpretations of this phase of it, but none of them satisfied me. What would it be like to be such a young man?

Cobweb

In my story, the boy consorted with the fairies named in the play:  Peaseblossom, Cobweb, and Mustardseed. Oberon thinks it is time for him to enter the realm of experience and sets him up with Peaseblossom—a thing Titania does not like. The quarrel escalates and Titania and Oberon split up, angrily going their separate ways.

If you know the play, a lot happens, including Titania falling under an enchantment that makes her love a donkey-headed mortal (Nick Bottom). But what did all of this look like to the Indian boy?  What did he think of seeing his parents split over him? What kind of loneliness and despair did he feel? Like Stephen King, does now, Shakespeare often wrote about the suffering of children. He felt, I think from years of teaching and reading him, quite a lot of consternation at the way parents treat children, and this is seen in A Midsummer-Night Dream in Egeus' treatment of his daughter Hermia (and in many other plays: Juliet's father's treatment of Juliet, Lear's attitude toward Cordelia in King Lear, Polonius' bullying of his daughter Ophelia in Hamlet). Parents can be real creeps.

Shiva

One of the fairies casts a spell on the Indian boy that enables him to enter a dream. In it, he sees who his father is. Though the name is not given, it is obvious it is the god Shiva, the Destroyer, Lord of the Dance, Prince of Men. Just seeing Shiva gives the Indian boy grace. When he returns to his lover, Cobweb, she wants to worship him. He touches the chakra on her brow and she begins to grow in wisdom; their love begins to grow as well. Knowing his origin enables the child to grow confidently into a young man, no longer overwhelmed by circumstance.

"The Indian Boy" appeared in Pedestal Magazine. Read it here.

For more titles, and some great reads, see my Writer's Page.

I recommend, for late summer reading, my novella, Strange Brew. When a witch is in love with you, the magic can get serious.

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