Erasure

Content Warning: The source text discusses racism, violence, sexual violence, anti-Black biases, anti-gay biases, and suicide. It also includes racist and sexist slurs that the guide reproduces only in direct quotations.

Monk is the protagonist and narrator of Erasure, which is written in the form of his personal journal. His name is a combination of the names of the jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, and the African American writer Ralph Ellison. Monk teaches English at a university in Los Angeles, and he defines himself as “a writer of fiction” (1). However, his authorial identity makes him nervous—he does not appreciate stories that have writers as their protagonists, which is why he hesitates to tell the story of his own life. So, he also introduces himself as “a son, a brother, a fisherman, an art lover, a woodworker” (1). In this way, he wants to emphasize that he has many facets to his personality.

Monk is African American, and he is concerned about the ways in which society defines his race, stating that society regulates his identity: “I have dark brown skin, curly hair, a broad nose, some of my ancestors were slaves and I have been detained by pasty white policemen […] and so the society in which I live tells me I am black; that is my race” (1). Because he is Black, society defines him and makes stereotypical assumptions about him. When Monk doesn’t fit into these stereotypes, they tell him that he is not “Black enough.” This affects Monk’s work as a writer, too. His latest novel is a retelling of an ancient Greek tragedy, and it perplexes editors because it does not connect to “the African American experience” (2), so they refuse to publish it. Monk is furious with the prevalence of stereotypical narratives about Black people, and he is especially upset when these narratives become critical and commercial successes, like Jenkins’s book about life in the “ghetto.” Monk believes that books like this prove the Racism in the Publishing Industry and Popular Culture; this exacerbates his artistic distress. Throughout the novel, Monk’s story ideas and statements about language demonstrate his literary concerns.

Monk’s relationship with his family is strained. He has not visited his mother and his sister Lisa who live in Washington in three years, and his brother Bill lives away in Arizona. While his father is dead, Monk’s memories of him and their close relationship are prevalent throughout the novel. His father, Benjamin, believed in Monk’s talent and understood his interest in literature. However, he also favored him over his Bill and Lisa, and Monk feels awkward about this with his siblings. He also feels guilty because Lisa takes care of their mother alone. Bill is gay, and his sexual orientation always keeps him at a distance from the family because he feels that they do not support him. Monk feels that his parents were “distant, cool to one another” despite their devotion to their household (152). Their relationship impacts Monk’s own ability to form intimate connections with people, especially romantic relationships. Monk always feels self-conscious and nervous around women he is interested in. In general, Monk experiences persistent feelings of “alienation and isolation” (152). When he first reunites with Lisa, he confesses to her: “Sometimes I feel like I’m so removed from everything, like I don’t even know how to talk to people” (26). Despite Monk’s concerns, Lisa acknowledges his uniqueness, saying that he is different and special.

Monk’s life changes as he confronts both his artistic and familial crises. Lisa’s death forces Monk to assume responsibility for his mother who has Alzheimer’s disease. Monk moves to Washington to care for her. Bill cannot offer financial assistance and Monk must find a solution by himself. He is frustrated when his novel is continually rejected by publishers, so he writes a satirical novel called My Pafology as a response to the cultural stereotypes of Black life that prevail in literary and popular culture. However, when My Pafology is quickly accepted for publication and Monk is offered a generous advance for it, he slowly begins to lose himself in the game of popular culture. His writer persona, Stagg R. Leigh, begins to haunt him.

After Lisa’s death, Monk’s mother begins to lose her memory, Monk becomes estranged from Bill, and he discovers that his father had an affair many years before. Monk feels that his family is collapsing, and these anxieties become mixed up with his worries about his art. As a writer, Monk never intended to represent his whole race or write a “Black narrative.” However, he now realizes that his idealism about his art prevented him from seeing how race impacts and regulates artistic expression. In the end, he feels that he, too, is “a victim of racism” (212). The irony is that he receives and enjoys the money from writing a book that commodifies Black suffering; Monk is disgusted with himself because of this. He feels his art is compromised and his values are dismantling. He admits to himself that he has become “a sell-out” (160). The literary award given to his novel makes him confront himself and the consequences of the commodification of his art. At the end, he attempts to claim the novel and reveal the truth about his intentions behind its authorship, but he realizes that he, too, has become a spectacle within the literary world he once rejected.