“The General” and Existentialism
Dispatch is an American indie/rock band first formed in 1996. The band’s lead singer, Chad Urmston, is known for singing both social and political protesting lyrics. These lyrics often contain elements of existentialism, especially regarding absolute systems. Existentialism contains many components which are all demonstrated in Albert Camus’ book The Stranger. Dispatch’s lyrics of “The General” have overtones of both Camus’ writing and Ernest Hemingway’s iceberg theory and present themes of absolute systems, utilitarianism, and absurdity.
One of the most important elements of existentialism, and also a major theme in “The General” by Dispatch, is absolute systems. Absolute systems are laws, regulations, or expectations that confine and limit one. Examples of absolute systems include the law, religion, or society. Existentialists break out of these absolute systems to live their lives as individuals. In the song, the subject of the lyrics is a decorated general who has a realization that his soldiers should not be fighting in a war. The lyrics describe “All the men held tall with their chests in the air, With courage in their blood and a fire in their stare, It was a gray morning and they all wondered how they would fare, The old general told them to go home”. When the general tells them this, he is breaking out of an absolute system by giving his soldiers orders that oppose what he would be expected to give. If he followed the absolute system of the military, he would not tell his soldiers to go home. Another example of absolute systems in “The General” is in the line, which is stated multiple times, “Go now you are forgiven”. The general is telling his soldiers that they do not have to fight and that if they leave, they are forgiven. The listener can infer that he means that they will be forgiven by the military or perhaps God. By telling them this he is excusing them from these absolute systems. Absolute systems also relate to The Stranger.
Albert Camus’ writing and Ernest Hemingway’s iceberg theory link to absolute systems in their structure and style. The iceberg theory is the style of writing in which the author gives minimal detail and information and simply tells the story so that the reader can infer what is happening. The iceberg theory is an absolute system put in place by Ernest Hemingway. In Camus’ The Stranger, the story of Merseault is told in a very to-the-point way that has very little detail because Merseault sees the world in black and white. The reader is left to infer the symbolic meaning of Merseault’s actions and thoughts. For example, on page 47 Merseault narrates “My cigarette tasted bitter… She had put on a white linen dress and let her hair down. I told her she was beautiful and she laughed with delight.” Camus is barely descriptive in this section; it a simple set of thoughts from Merseault. This is how the lyrics of “The General” are also. The lyrics tell a story in a simple and direct way. For example, the lyrics state “He grew a beard as soon as he could, To cover the scars on his face”. This tells the listener the straight facts and leaves them to interpret in their own way why the general wants to cover his scars. These are just a few of the ways both “The General” and The Stranger have strong elements of existentialism and Ernest Hemingway’s iceberg theory.
Two other equally important components of existentialism are utilitarianism and absurdity. These connect to each other because in the story told in the lyrics, the general sees that there is no meaning in the battle and that it is not worth fighting. Utilitarianism is the process of weighing one’s options to make decisions. In the song, the general has a revelation; the lyrics describe “He said, “I have seen the others and I have discovered, That this fight is not worth fighting”’. This is a demonstration of utilitarianism because the general has decided that the cons of the battle outweigh the pros, and it is not worth their while. He also states “Oh and I’ve seen their mothers, And I will no other to follow me where I’m going”. The general uses this as his reasoning for why it is not worth it to battle because he has seen the enemy’s mothers. A second reason the general states for why the battle is not worthy of the soldiers’ time is “You are young men you must be living”. He is telling the soldiers that they need to live their lives rather than fight in a battle that is not worth fighting; a clear representation of utilitarianism. Absurdity connects to the song in a similar way.
Absurdity is demonstrated in the lyrics in several instances and also in The Stranger. Absurdity is the idea that there is no meaning to anything in life and that anything could happen. The lyrics state “But on the eve of a great battle with the infantry in dream, The old general tossed in his sleep and wrestled with its meaning”. In this section of the song, the general is coming to the realization that there may not be a meaning to this battle that he and his soldiers are fighting. He had spent his life becoming a hero in warfare, but suddenly realizes that it isn’t as important as he previously thought. The lyrics also describe “So take a shower and shine your shoes you got no time to lose”. This is a representation of absurdity because in the general’s realization, he sees that anything could happen so these young soldiers must live now and walk away from the battle. Absurdity is presented in The Stranger at times also. Merseault does not care about his relationships, future, or anything else. On page 41 he describes “When I was a student, I had lots of ambitions like that. But when I had to give up my studies I learned very quickly that none of it really mattered.” Merseault is telling us that he had ambitions at one point in his life, but decided that they didn’t matter after all. These are just a few examples of how absurdity is demonstrated in both “The General” and The Stranger.
In “The General” by Dispatch, elements of existentialism including utilitarianism, absolute systems, and absurdity are successfully used to tell a story. The lyrics also relate to The Stranger’s writing style and use of absurdity, and both pieces are demonstrations of Ernest Hemingway’s iceberg theory. These all come together to produce two pieces that represent existentialism and its many aspects.
World Studies World Literature 