Today on the blog, I am talking about 'Emergency' by Denis Johnson. This is perhaps the most critically acclaimed story in Jesus' Son and much has been written about the story. I hope to contribute new insights into this story based on my own perspective.
This first thing I noticed about 'Emergency' is its pacing. The story jumps around quite a bit and there are many sections which comprise less than a paragraph. I had more fun reading 'Emergency' than I had reading other stories in Jesus' Son. The story is also hilarious. There are clear punchline moments meant to provoke laughter such as when a doctor enters a room where a man sits with a knife protruding from his eye. "What seems to be the trouble?" is the doctor's response to the situation.
"Emergency" is told from the point of view of a man working the overnight shift in the emergency room at a hospital. Drugs are this man's main focus. He is friends with an orderly named Georgie who steals drugs from the hospital. Something about working a graveyard shift messes with the body's rhythms. It's the kind of job someone takes because they would rather walk around doing nothing than work. I have not worked a graveyard shift myself but I can imagine the difficulty of being awake when one would normally be asleep.
This is a story where not a lot happens. Generally I do not mind reading stories like 'Emergency' which lack dramatic conflict. I can enjoy reading fiction without a dramatic narrative because I like to focus more on language and the way that language is used by the storyteller. This is why I read stories. Johnson is a master of using sensory details in his fiction. Reading 'Emergency' give you all kinds of sights, smells and sounds of its world and these details are not overwhelming. Johnson uses sensory detail like a chef might use different spices. They add flavor and variety in a subtle yet noticeable fashion.
The same thing that makes you laugh will make you cry. While I find 'Emergency' to be a funny story, I can't help but acknowledge that the story left me with a tragic feeling. The title alludes to this feeling as well. The story exists in a state of tension where the stakes are life and death. This sentiment is echoed in the final final line of dialogue, where Georgie states the he saves lives for a living. 'Emergency' deals with some heavy ideas and the more you dig into the story's layers of meaning, the richer it becomes. This is what makes 'Emergency' a great work of literature.
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This first thing I noticed about 'Emergency' is its pacing. The story jumps around quite a bit and there are many sections which comprise less than a paragraph. I had more fun reading 'Emergency' than I had reading other stories in Jesus' Son. The story is also hilarious. There are clear punchline moments meant to provoke laughter such as when a doctor enters a room where a man sits with a knife protruding from his eye. "What seems to be the trouble?" is the doctor's response to the situation.
"Emergency" is told from the point of view of a man working the overnight shift in the emergency room at a hospital. Drugs are this man's main focus. He is friends with an orderly named Georgie who steals drugs from the hospital. Something about working a graveyard shift messes with the body's rhythms. It's the kind of job someone takes because they would rather walk around doing nothing than work. I have not worked a graveyard shift myself but I can imagine the difficulty of being awake when one would normally be asleep.
This is a story where not a lot happens. Generally I do not mind reading stories like 'Emergency' which lack dramatic conflict. I can enjoy reading fiction without a dramatic narrative because I like to focus more on language and the way that language is used by the storyteller. This is why I read stories. Johnson is a master of using sensory details in his fiction. Reading 'Emergency' give you all kinds of sights, smells and sounds of its world and these details are not overwhelming. Johnson uses sensory detail like a chef might use different spices. They add flavor and variety in a subtle yet noticeable fashion.
The same thing that makes you laugh will make you cry. While I find 'Emergency' to be a funny story, I can't help but acknowledge that the story left me with a tragic feeling. The title alludes to this feeling as well. The story exists in a state of tension where the stakes are life and death. This sentiment is echoed in the final final line of dialogue, where Georgie states the he saves lives for a living. 'Emergency' deals with some heavy ideas and the more you dig into the story's layers of meaning, the richer it becomes. This is what makes 'Emergency' a great work of literature.
BUY HERE:
https://amzn.to/2P5hdXF
