A Commentary on Idols by Tim Gautreaux

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A Commentary on ‘Idols’ by Tim Gautreaux

     ‘Idols’ is centered upon the protagonist’s amoral attitude towards life, which in turn causes him to experience loneliness as well as being unable to maintain the dream of living in his great-grandfather’s mansion. Gautreaux chooses Julian, the protagonist, to be an arrogant and envious character to demonstrate the sorrowful lifestyle as a result of unreasonably wanting too much and the act of being spiteful to others who are good-willed. His arrogance proves he is living in a fantasy because he only feels superior as a result of his “good fortune” but he is not appreciative of this fortune because he believes he will be with it forever – he lacks a sense of reality. Also, Julian’s self-superiority makes him inferior to others because he holds only a minimal amount of consideration and respect in himself. This is how Gautreaux explores the theme of worthiness in his story as he makes us question who is to decide somebody’s worth.

     Gautreaux portrays Julian’s character to be a man of great arrogance. An exaggerated sense of self-importance is suggested as the protagonist “considered himself at least wealthy in knowledge, more so than the shopkeepers and record clerks he dealt with”. This notion proves to be far-fetched considering that Julian is merely a typewriter repairman of who has low competence in any other fields of work, including minor house renovations. He seems almost in denial about his true self and does not want to admit into consciousness that he is comparable to any ordinary man. In addition, Julian is depicted to be an envious person. Gautreaux communicates how his character normally “disparaged people who owned large houses” yet stored the memory of his ancestor’s mansion deep in his heart. Perhaps Julian held feelings of jealously for individuals who had a great deal of money because “the only extra money he’d ever had was a hundred dollar win on a scratch-off ticket”.

     Julian’s entire plan to restore the mansion “the way it was” is a flaw. He wants to “hire cheap help” which leads him to having a cheaply built house – one gets what one pays for. As a result, his house is unable to withstand bad weather as the toilet “had shattered and fallen away from the floor” and the light fixture “popped off in a shower of blue sparks”. This foreshadows Julian’s ignorance and fantasy as the house would not be able to look as glamorous and high-classed as it may have done in the past considering his lack of budget. Julian looks for a “broken-down old carpenter desperate for work”. When he finds Obie, it is apparent that the broken-down old man is actually Julian himself. He feels like he would be “granting a favor” to the carpenter but in actual fact Obie was better off not working for Julian hence when he departs without a word, Julian is the one calling and “begging” to speak to Obie. Obie is portrayed as a realist from these actions as he knows when it is necessary to move on, however Julian is overly concerned with making an image of himself to even realize that he is living in his imagination.

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     Obie seems to be a powerfully built man who can endure physical pain very well considering all the tattoo work “from his shoulders down to his waistband”. He does not cause any trouble in the mansion and shows respect towards his employer even when treated poorly. For instance, when Obie asks Julian’s opinion on the railing just after Julian told him that he would only be willing to send him to his doctor’s appointment “if [Obie paid] for the gas”. He is depicted to be a thoughtful person and merciful towards his wife when she decides to “run ...

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