Summary of Henry Miller “Reflections on
Writing”
Henry Millers “Reflections on Writing”
is rich with personal experiences and thoughts on art, the artists and the
creative process. Miller describes his creative
beginnings as absolute chaos and darkness with emotions and experiences
(184). He views himself as a man
telling a story. A story in that the
telling is more important that what the story tells (184). It is this notion that speaks to the quality
of art by lifting “it out of time and space, and centers or integrates it with
the cosmic whole” (184). Miller’s
writing style is reflective of a man telling his own story and the numerous and
passionate metaphors speak to an author more concerned about the telling of the
story than its direct content.
Miller has always known there is no
goal, just the need to provide a sense of the whole to each of the parts
(185). By embracing the feeling of the
whole Miller dug deeper within himself, both past and future (185). It is in this manner that he lets go, becomes
indifferent to fate and establishes more confidence in his destiny as a man
(185). Miller is summarizing that the
accrual of trust occurs with the release of conventional wisdom and social
judgment. It is through this process
that he transcends superficial social expectations and becomes confident in his
own personal direction and creative expression.
A brief account of Miller’s
epiphanies suggests a man looking for answers within the texts of the great
writers and poets. Unable to locate the
answers, Miller reaches a point of despair and discards everything he has learned
(185). Upon reaching this condition he
begins to hear his own voice and it sustains him (185). Miller recounts how he felt whole again and
how the notions of good and bad dropped from his vocabulary (185). He provides a powerful insight in, “because
there was no divorce between myself as a writer and myself as man: to fail as a
writer meant to fail as a man” (185).
The path to authenticity came from rethinking everything and challenging
his previously held notions (185).
Miller’s insights of thinking and
trusting his judgment led to several notions.
He believes the world is big enough for anyone seeking self individuality
(186). He writes that crowding occurs
from the social judgments of money and power.
Once artists are removed from the crowding, artists can write to their
voice (186). Miller has faith in his own writing and, “I
obey only my own instincts and intuitions” (186). He repeats the notion that the real issue
for people is that they need to discover their own destiny and align their life
with the universe (187). Miller returns
several times to the idea of transcending the environment and becoming aligned
with the universe through rejection of social conventions and learning to think
and trust one’s self.
Miller writes that a man is revealed
in his style and through his failures and imperfections (186-187). However, Miller is not concerned about
failure or imperfections. He describes
that a man pure of heart understands that there is “always mystery, but mystery
is not mysterious … “ (187). Mystery,
failure, and imperfections are viewed, accepted and lived as natural parts of
life (187). These notions are reflective of earlier themes
of dropping the concepts of good and bad and separating failure of trying from
failure as a person.
Miller states that art teaches the
significance of life, and although it does not in and of itself make our lives
better, it certainly points the way for richer experiences (187). Miller also believes humanity needs to
continue to mature and that art continually reveals this point (187). Much of Miller’s opinions reflect the earlier
notions between the artist and the audience. Art is not a thing to posses as it is a deep
communication between the artist and someone willing to interpret the work.
Miller summarizes his thoughts on
fiction being the fabric of life (188). He advises that there are no real differences
between subjectivity and objectivity as both notions are illusive (188). Writers relive experiences when they write
and there are small alterations to their accounts of events (188). Alterations can range from the intentional to
nothing more than the inability to express ideas with mere words or
language. Miller notes a sense of
falsity develops between the alterations and the flow of the work (188). Miller is writing to honesty of the telling
of the story, not so much to detail of individual fact. Observations, accounts, and alterations are
all part of the stuff of life. The
honesty is not necessarily the detailed account, it is in the language the
writer is attempting to communicate.
Miller re-addresses several themes previously
addressed in this summary (188-190).
However, it should be noted that Miller emphasizes getting past
conventional thought and understanding the soul (189). In addition, he notes that speech was his
handicap (189). When he discarded the
materials from the great writers, he had to learn to re-think and feel in his
own way (189). For Miller, this was the
hardest part of his personal transition (189).
Learning to put aside conventional wisdom and social judgments, as a means
of self-discovery, is a repeating theme through Miller’s essay. He suggests people need to put aside
preconceived notions and their preconceived feelings. Although Miller does not specifically state
this, he alludes to our feelings being subjected to social conditioning. Changes need to occur in the mind and the
soul.
Miller ends the essay by speaking to
daring (191). He writes that no daring
is fatal and it becomes automated when it is routinely exercised (191). He notes, “By daring one arrives at the
mysterious X position of the artist … “ (191).
He parallels daring with the metaphor of writers writing with life
preservers (191). The life preservers
represent notions of conformity and social expectation and rob the artist of
their true voice (191). In reality,
Miller is suggesting the writer who is not writing from within himself is
writing for something else, something shallow, and they will not find the path
to their own personal enlightenment.
Works Cited
Miller, Henry. “Reflections on Writing.” The Creative Process: A Symposium. Ed. Brewster Ghislen. Berkeley:
University of California Press. 1985. 184-191. Print.
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