Almost every literary work has some form of symbolic reference. The World According to Garp, by John Irving, is no exception. I found that the most prevalent symbol in the book was Jenny Fields son, Garp himself. He represents not only a single mother’s son, but also Jenny’s unique, ever-changing views of the world around her concerning what is socially acceptable.
Garp’s birth was the result of his mother, Jenny, having sex with an injured, dying soldier in a hospital bed. Right of the bat, it becomes apparent that this child was no ordinary child. Early on in the novel, Jenny mentions that she receives packages regularly from her mother, but she never opens them and always simply tosses them into her closet. When she finally curiously opens one, she discovers that her mother has been sending her douche bags all this time. By suggesting that Jenny was sexually active and irresponsible, it shows that her mother was trying to essentially cleanse her, and make her pure. This can be expanded upon to show that since Jenny’s child-to-be represents her releasing her emotions and feelings, her mother was trying to suppress these feelings and make sure that they do not get out. Jenny was shocked that her mother deemed her irresponsible, and thought so poorly of her, so when the baby is born, and Jenny has no husband, it shows that her mother’s plan to smother Jenny from the outside world actually backfired and Garp’s birth represents Jenny becoming more and more independent and developing her own thoughts and opinions.
Jenny’s pregnancy, and her eventual years of motherhood mark a new sense of both maturity and responsibility that she chooses to take on. In what is clearly a male-dominated time period, the feminist, Jenny Fields is outraged over the thought that her emotions must be stifled, and society could control her and tell her what she can and cannot do. Women are often deemed strange and out of place if they cannot find a husband, get married, and have a child. Since Jenny does not believe she is ready for a marriage, she does what she feels is the best thing, and chooses to have the baby of a badly injured solder.
When Garp is born, he becomes a symbol of her mother’s independence. There is no husband, just Garp and Jenny. As Jenny frequently tells people when they ask about Garp’s father, “The father of Garp was a soldier. The war killed him. Who took the time for weddings when there was a war?”(Page 35). This vague description about the history of how her son came to be, often gave off a mysterious aura. The haziness of the story leads many to suspect Jenny of something strange, however the story also fools many people into picturing a perfect scenario in which Jenny was a field nurse and her romantic lover was killed fighting gloriously for his nation before he could return home.
While Jenny and Garp live at the Steering School, Garp quickly matures, as does Jenny. Garp meets friends there, and Jenny more importantly, helps Garp to become his own individual person, much like she had become. As Garp grows, it appears that so does Jenny’s mind. By taking classes, reading books throughout Garp’s childhood, and becoming more scholarly, Jenny is learning not only how to be a good mother, but also a more scholarly, well-rounded individual. If it had not been for the birth of her child, she may have still been working as a nurse at Mercy Hospital. Rather her life is flourishing, she has somewhat of a family, and she can expand her mind further and further. Jenny takes pride in being a single mother, she does not want a husband in her life, and enjoys the idea that Garp is all she has, and vice versa. Garp is not only her son, but her motivation as well. When there is a daunting task, and she cant seem to get herself to do it, she remembers that she has a son now, and it is important for her to persevere through hardships and make her son stronger. More importantly, Jenny is never discouraged by the views of people around her. If someone judges her for being a single mom, then oh well, there is nothing she can do about that except continuing to live her life. Garp at times can be somewhat of an object, which with the story that goes along with his father shows that Jenny broke away from the social norm and chose to live the life that she wanted to live. As Garp continues to mature and expand his knowledge at the Steering School, his mother will continue to read to teach herself, as well as learning from everything that Garp does as a child.
From the beginning of the novel it was clear that Jenny had many views on the constricting society in which she lived. At times however, it was difficult to express these feelings because of the public’s stringent views on what should and should not be. The birth of her child and his maturing gave Jenny an opportunity to express herself through him. Just his existence alone was a bold statement against social views and in favor of both choice and individuality. Garp and his growth is a symbol of Jenny’s feelings and opinions that she cannot articulate to the world around her. As Garp continues growing, I expect Jenny to become more and more revealing of her inner thoughts on society’s views and what is deemed “right”.
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