Conclusions
Milan Kundera (1979/1999), the noted Eastern European Novelist, wrote a novel about laughter and forgetting. On behalf of the processes of forgetting, Kundera begins this seven-part novel with the story of a hat that is floating out alone in the picture of dignitaries in a Soviet Country who are reviewing the troops. It seems that one of the dignitaries was found to be “out-of-favor” with those in power. All public records of this man were expunged, including any photographic records. In essence, this man no longer ever existed. However, in the photo of the reviewing dignitaries, the man’s face and body were erased, but not his hat.
Those of us who have read Kundera’s novel are deeply troubled by the willingness of any society to eliminate the history of someone living in this society. However, there is a dim ray of hope to be found in the existence of the hat. Much like King Arthur found a ray of hope in the memories that Young Tom will bring back to Camelot, perhaps the history of this man can be found in the existence of the hat. It might be hard to create a complete nothingness about anything that has ever existed in life. Given Kundera’s attention in his novel to both forgetting and laughter, perhaps we can at least gain a gentle appreciation for the Grace that exists in the lingering appearance of the hat. Perhaps there is a young person—a Tom of Warwick—in some Eastern European country who notices the hat. They inquire about the person who might have been wearing the hat. And with skill and determination they resurrect the history of this man.
Where there is no memory, there is nothingness. A vacuum is created where there is no curiosity. A void exists where there is no history.
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References
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