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love, as Chaplin does, Keaton s depiction of the woman would verge on a
comparable degree of idolatry, such as, the use of giant close-ups and lumin-
ous lighting, which would make the veritable religiosity, the very sanctific-
ation of love as a divine power, visually overpowering.
The difficulties sketched above for the dramatic conflict approach to
themes in The General motivate us to turn away from the plot and towards
the discrete imagery of the film, namely, to the gags and the actions, as
the most likely level of thematic articulation in The General. This move is justified
by a process of elimination. We begin by postulating, on the basis of past
experiences of narrative artworks, that thematic articulation can occur
either on the level of the overarching narrative or on the level of the discrete
imagery or iconography. Of course, it may occur on both levels simultane-
ously, and it is also a theoretical possibility that it will occur on neither level,
in which case there may be no theme.
Since the dramatic conflict approach to the overarching narrative seems
useless, we eliminate the relevant possibilities and turn to the prospect that
the discrete imagery, the gags and actions of the film, may provide the major
thematic vehicle. Embracing an analysis of the gags and actions of the film
is motivated by pragmatic considerations since the dramatic-narrative
approach doesn t seem viable. Maintaining this approach will also hinge
on a continuing pragmatic check of how plausible an account of the film
Themes of The General 25
concentrating on discrete imagery yields, because it is possible that this
imagistic approach may also be fruitless.
The Significance of the Dramatic Conflicts
So far, we have only questioned the thematic significance of the overarching
narrative-dramatic conflicts. To deny significance to these is not to deny
their functional importance to a number of aesthetic effects that are central
to The General. That is, the structure of the narrative of The General does
not supply a moral perspective, but it does function to promote significant
aesthetic delights.
The first aesthetic function of the narrative that should be noted has to
do with the extreme symmetry of the story. In many ways, when the Union
general and the spy examine the map in the beginning of the film, they are
surveying a diagram of much of the action of the narrative. In the chase scenes,
there is a doubling of action. First, the Union spies cut the telegraph wires,
scatter debris on the tracks, and switch tracks. Then, it is Johnnie Gray s turn.
This repetition sets up an extremely satisfying system of motifs with telling
variations.
This highly structured approach to action is very important in Keaton. In
College, the abortive attempts at track, pole vaulting, baseball, and the javelin
are all repeated, albeit as successes, in the conclusion of the film. Similarly,
the conclusion of Steamboat Bill Jr. includes a repetition of earlier encounters
including the reversal of both Bill Jr. s, the Keaton character, earlier awkwardness
with the engine throttle of the steamboat and his stumbling descent down
the tiers of the ship. Such examples could be amplified by many others.
In general, one finds in Keaton a tendency towards the aesthetic elaboration
of comparisons and contrasts of action which heighten one s experience
of a narrative event by embedding such events in systems of repetitions.
Recognition of the narrative event in such circumstances is accompanied by
a memory of an earlier event which concerned the same motif. One is engaged
in an enriched perception of action that prompts both recognition and recall,
where the operation of recall also provokes a comparison of differences between
the two similar events.
Throughout The General, one confronts variations on basic motifs, supplying
the film with a high degree of unity. However, the repeated motifs are never
exactly the same. For instance, the Union spies cut the telegraph wires, whereas
Johnnie pulls down the telegraph pole with the train. Within the extreme
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