Postmodern cynicism and absolute truth in The Legend of Lake Marilee

¶ … Legend of Lake Marilee, Hammersmith critiques postmodern cynicism through an astute analysis of conflicting worldviews. When the reader first meets Jody Barrett, the protagonist is an agnostic, bordering on atheist. His foil is Kristel Schuple, who helps shed light on the fallacies in Barrett's thinking. Barrett therefore liberates himself from the pitfalls of postmodernism.

Postmodernism expressly denies the importance of religion, dismissing it mainly based on the belief that neither absolute truth, nor absolute reality, exists. Religion on the other hand, is built on the premise that there is both absolute truth and absolute reality. Therefore, it can be difficult if not impossible to reconcile postmodernism with religion and especially doctrinal ones like Christianity. "Postmodernism does away with many of the things that religious people regard as essential," ("Postmodernism").

In The Legend of Lake Marilee, the protagonist grapples with the temptation to believe in absolute relativity vs. absolute truth. In the end, truth prevails because the power of truth is irresistible. Postmodernism becomes a sort of mockery of the truth, in which the individual deliberately doubts and ignores reality in order to support a self-serving schema. Frustrated with many of the "grand narratives" in society, including themes like nationalism/patriotism, capitalism, and of course, religion, postmodernists are devoid of any anchor to the truth at all. The emptiness that ensues from a postmodern worldview is addressed in The Legend of Lake Marilee.

One of the hallmarks of postmodernism is relativity, which includes ethical and moral relativity. "For postmodernists every society is in a state of constant change; there are no absolute values, only relative ones; nor are there any absolute truths," (Postmodernism"). This is why morality must come into play when Barrett comes of age and contemplates the truth and his role in the world. Barrett comes to realize that what he once thought was wise was really self-indulgent. Mr. Gray, his history teacher and primary role model, encouraged Barrett to trust only himself. This caused Barrett to deny the importance of age-old ethical tenets. Ignoring ethical tenets can be detrimental to life itself.

Self-reflexivity is another core component of postmodernism ("General Introduction to the Postmodern," n.d.). Through Schuple, Barrett comes to realize the limitations of self-reflexivity. It becomes critical to Barrett's intellectual, emotional, social, psychological, and moral growth to release his narcissism and instead embrace the truth. The process of his maturity is painful for Barrett precisely because of the difficulty inherent in letting go of one's sense of self-importance. When the greater truths and realities of life become self-evident, one can either choose to ignore the evidence and live in denial, or let go of the outmoded schema. Motivated by Schuple's wisdom, Barrett is able to overcome his sense of disorientation and excessive self-analysis. Being mistaken for the dead Jim Grandstaff proves highly disorienting and disconcerting to Barrett, and the fact that many people do not listen to or believe in him sets in motion a personal crisis. Barrett realizes he cannot mitigate the crisis without a core set of values and beliefs, not the nebulous and cynical presumptions of postmodernism.