The Third Perspective

8/13/2019 The Third Perspective

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Dilara Atavc

07100000284

20 th Century Irish Literature II 358

Glden Hatipolu

The Third Perspective

Flann OBrien (A.K.A. Brain ONolan) has not been classified as he deserved. I think,

OBrien did not want The Third Policeman to be associated with a literal label. Thus, he

cannot be understood precisely. What I comprehend from the beginning of the novel to the

end was always certain; our nameless protagonist dies when he touches the box and he

experiences the after-life phenomena, which did not surprised me at all. In this essay, I will

try to express my interpretation with a metaphysical perspective.

First of all, being nameless is the initial subject; not being able to called with a specific

name is associated with being nothing. As our protagonist lost his name, he becomes

nothing. The reader encounters with the after-life concept at this moment. The protagonist

realizes another voice within him, which is for me the voice inner-self, and he names him

after Joe. Why he picks this name is another discussion topic, however he names him so as

to differ the thoughts, or OBrien uses Joe as a literal tool for us to understand. As the

protagonist meets up a man so much similar to him, who is Martin Finnucane, some critics

regard him as the protagonist s name before death, that I do agree. Later he likens the surfaces

of onion to the human soul, which is a similar subject to chain souls, are connected to the

bigger one from inside, in metaphysics.

A body with another body inside it in turn, thousands of such bodies within

each other like the skins of an onion, receding to unimaginable ultimum? Was

I turn merely a link in a vast sequence of imponderable beings, the world I

knew merely the interior of the being whose interior voice I myself was? Who

or what the core and what monster in what world was the final uncontianed

colossus? God? Nothing? (123)


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Our ghost asks himself whether he is linked to God or nothing. The answer is not clear

in the book, however the questions are the same as theological philosopher s.

Additionally, there is this wind issue that Mathers brings up. When our man and

Mathers meet again, who really matters to the nameless man, asks him for his colour. Thereader may find having a colour something fantastic but many know that everyone has an aura

which consists of the persons colours of emotions. At this point OBrien might be mocking

the idea of aura, but I do not think we can be so sure. Mathers asserts that every area has its

winds and sub-winds, also. These colours might represent another system for our author,

nations characteristics .

Secondly, there is another topic to be discussed, Why policemen, why three of

them?. They are not the symbols of authority, however they are representing the working

members of the another or outer system. Their means of patrol is measuring some figures of

readings and they can also hang a man without any judgment, because they know without

doubt. Maccruiskeen creates tiny chests, addtionally the map on the ceiling is consisting of

cracks, that reminds the look of a galaxy system from far away, a galaxy which they are living

in. This map can be considered as the microcosm of their macrocosm; and there are other

maps, cosmoses, galaxies. Furthermore, the bicycle issue is important, as for they symbolize

material, or worldly side of the humans. The more you are associated with world, the more

bicycle you become. Especially the place where bicycles are created is rather science-fictional

and similar to the human fields in The Matrix. They can create what they imagine at that

moment but cannot take it to the other world, as the characters in The Matrix cannot mix the

both worlds, the one they live in, and the other one they get connected. On account of this,

these works, The Matrix and The Third Policeman, show the same illusion; there is a system

that everything is created and the roles are played within. The element of omnium is

actually wrapping things up. As all human beings are different from each other, belief systemsdiffers, too. I regard it as life energy, some call it faith, belief, God, Allah, god particle; even

atheists have something to believe in. The author called it omnium, some kind of a power.

Nowadays, omnium is called for a multiple race event in track cycling, funny coincidence.

Another topic connected to those above is the sausage illusion of world.

Standing at a point on the postulated spherical earth, he says, one

appears to have four main directions in which to move, viz., north, south,east and west. But it does not take much thought to see that there really


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appear to be only two, since north and south are meaningless terms in

relation to a spheroid and can connote motion in only one direction; so

also with east and west..The application of this conclusion to his

theory that the earth is a sausage is illuminating. (97)

This theoretician also mentions that whether human legs would be suitable f or

traversing the longitudinal celestium and seems to suggest that death is nearly always

present when the new direction is discovered(98) is a question. Thus we can say that our

protagonist has these long legs and traversed to the parallel cosmos, and not surprisingly,

death was there.

In conclusion, OBrien gives an example of what we already know, however in a

different way. The system, the roles in the book, the policemen and the ghost are not really

science-fictional or fantastic. It can be said that the author used realistic perspective to reflect

the fantastic issues. Even though it can be hard at the beginning of the novel, somehow The

Third Policeman takes the reader to the end by touching every mentality of human kind. Not

being understandable brings misunderstanding, too; as a reader I do not believe OBrien gets

the applause he deserves. I think my essay brought some light to the metaphysical side of the

book.


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Works Cited

OBrien, Flann. The Third Policeman . London: Harper Perennial, 2007. Print.

The Third Perspective

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