The Woman in the Dunes

I finished reading The Woman in the Dunes, by Kobo Abe, last night. So much sand. It ends with the man in mixed victory and defeat.

At the end of the book I finally realized what the villager's plight reminded me of: ex-PFC Wintergreen in Catch-22, who was charged with digging 6-foot holes as almost constant punishment for disobedience. This is how most jobs appeared to me when I read that book, as pointless hole-digging, and still think that today (the majority of human jobs today will one day (soon?) be considered human rights abuse). I dreamed then that instead of having a pointless job, I would actually just dig holes. Nothing else, just dig holes. I still like this idea if the whole science/philosophy/farming thing falls through. The physical labor and connection with the outdoors would stave of depression, and the statement about the human condition would presumably keep me satisfied for, like, at least a day or two.

Listening to: John Adams, Road Movies