We Are The Furnance

When I was first assigned to be part of the Furnace group I did not know quite what to expect, and after reading the chapter for the first time I really didn't know what to expect. But when we started meeting as a group I kind of got an idea of what Frye was talking about. It may have been destiny that Orsi was part of our group, because his infatuation with Beckett fit perfectly in with the group theme. Frye argues for a kind of complete sacrifice of the self, a burning of everything until there is nothing left. The furnace is the perfect image for this as it gets rid of impurities and offers a more profound return. I can't help but think of the low brow movie "Friday" in which the father of Craig gives him life advise saying, "You win some you lose some but you live, you live to fight another day." I think this a great representation of how we should feel about the furnace. Going into the furnace like Job of the Bible and Jacob of the Slave did is a fight they lost, but they did live, and they lived to fight another day. Without this deprivation of their luxuries, their lives would not be as profound. Because it is when you are down at rock bottom and the world has taken it all, that you have the chance of a lifetime to win everything back and live, yes live to fight and fight for another day, it's the only way.