Being there door Jerzy Kosinski

English Bookreport: Being there by Jerzy Kosinski

Summary:

Chance is a man who lives in the house of 'the old man'. 'The old man' and maid Louise were the only persons Chance had ever seen in his life, except for the people on TV. He never came out of the house, he just worked in the garden. One day, 'the old man' died and Louise left. The next two 'strangers' brought a visit to the house and saw Chance watching TV. They asked what he was doing in the house and he told them he lived there, but he could not prove he had lived in the house. There were not any files of him and he could not show them ID, so he had to leave, the first time ever he left the house. When he was crossing the street he could not avoid a limousine and he was hit by the car. The nice lady, Mrs. Elisabeth Eve Rand, who was in the car, asked Chance to go to her house. Her husband was ill, so the doctors were living in their house, until he gets better. When she asked his name he mumbled Chance the Gardener, which she heard as Chansey Gardiner. He got the doctoral help and met the husband of EE, that is the name Mrs. Rand got from her friends. Mr. Rand, Ben, who was old and very ill, and at the end of his life, thought that Chance was a successful businessman. Chance did not understand what he was talking about, so he talked about gardening, Ben loved it. Chance stays a bit longer by the Rands, because the doctor wanted him to fully recover. Because Ben was in the First American Financial Corporation and he was very ill, the president visited him, so Chance met the president as well. They talked about finances and Chance did not understand a thing, so when the president asked him about his vision, he said something about gardening and about the seasons. The president was impressed, because of his clear vision and he called him in his speech later on TV, Chance became popular. He was invited in a talkshow and he talked about gardening again, everybody thought that he was using metaphors about the business world, but in fact he was just talking about his garden. The next day Ben asked Chance to go to a UN-reception with EE, instead of Ben, because of his illness. Chance met a lot of famous people at the reception and they all thought Chance was very educated, because he was telling lots of different stories. That evening EE told Chance she loves him, but Chance did not know what to do. But the next day he had seen how they were doing it on TV, so he did it to EE. A few days later they went to a party again. When Chance walked into the garden and thought that the garden was where he belongs and whatever people say or want from him, he will always be a gardener.

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Main characters:

Chance, he is a gardener, but he had to leave his home when 'the old man' died. He had never been outside his home and nobody knew he existed and there are no files of him. In the begin of the story he only knew the world like what they were showing on TV, which he very often watches. By coincidence he met EE and her husband, met the president and became famous by telling crap. But nonetheless he was a gardener and he will always be a gardener.
Mrs. Elisabeth Eve Rand, EE, she is the wife of the older Mr. Benjamin Rand, Ben. She is a pretty woman who falls in love with Chance. Her husband is very ill and will die soon. In the beginning she thought Chance was a strange man, but when she get to know him better, she realised she was in love with him.
Mr. Benjamin Rand, Ben, he is a member of the First American Financial Corporation and got connections with the president. He is very ill and he shall die soon. He also thought Chance was a strange man, but when Chance told about his garden, Ben thought he was using metaphors and though Chance was a brilliant man.

Theme(s):

Main theme: Existence, Chance exists, because he is a living person, but there are no files of him and he got no ID. It is strange, but Chance exists, but he doesn't exist. It is like he is not been born, he has been invisible for the world, except for 'the old man' and Louise, since he existed. Also Mr. Rand is existing, but maybe he won't be in a couple of months, because of his illness.
Sub theme: TV, Chance knows the whole world from TV, because he hasn't seen the world outside the walls of the house within his whole life. When he is outside his home for the first time, he is comparing everything to what he saw on TV. He is obsessed with the TV and every moment he could watch TV, he is watching TV.

Genre:

I could be a psychological novel, because it is a story about the character, Chance, but it could also be a satire, because there is made fun of the rich people. The rich society, the Rands, should be smart, but the author made fun of them, because they don't see Chance is just a simple gardener, they think he is a smart man. When he is talking about gardening, they think he is comparing it all to economics, but he is just talking about gardening, because he doesn't know anything else.

Time and place:

The story is told somewhere around 1970-1980, in America, but there aren't any signs to know exactly when and where the story took place. They had color TV in that time, because Chance is very happy with his color TV he got from 'the old man' when he still lives home, but that is I think the only possible sign I could find.

Opinion:

I think it wasn't a very good book, but I enjoyed reading. It wasn't a very long book, so it was easy reading. Also it wasn't very difficult English, I haven't use a dictionary. The story was full of humour, so I haven't been bored at all while reading. Maybe the story is not very realistic, but I think it was a good book for my list. I think I'll read more books from this writer if that's possible.