Being There by Jerzy Kosinski
"Being There" is a novel by Jerzy Kosinski that explores themes of identity, perception, and the influence of media. The story revolves around Chance, a simple gardener who has lived a sheltered life in the home of an old man. Following the old man's death, Chance is thrust into the outside world for the first time, where a chance encounter with Elizabeth Eve Rand leads to a series of misunderstandings that transform him into a figure of fascination and influence. As he navigates his newfound fame, Chance's simplistic observations about the world, shaped largely by his television upbringing, are interpreted as profound wisdom by powerful figures, including business leaders and politicians.
Despite being illiterate and devoid of personal experiences, Chance's blank slate persona makes him an ideal projection for others' desires and beliefs. His rise to celebrity status underscores the absurdity of how society often elevates individuals based on superficial qualities rather than substantive backgrounds or insights. The novel ultimately critiques the connection between media consumption and the construction of identity, leaving readers to ponder the implications of a character who, though seemingly content and at peace, lacks genuine understanding of the world around him. This thought-provoking narrative invites reflection on the nature of reality, fame, and the complexities of human interaction.
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Being There by Jerzy Kosinski
First published: 1971
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Comic satire
Time of plot: Early 1970’s
Locale: New York City
Principal characters
Chance , mistakenly called Chauncey GardinerThe Old Man , owner of the house in which Chance grows upThe Maid , who cleans the Old Man’s houseThomas Franklin , the lawyer handling the Old Man’s estateBenjamin Rand , a wealthy financial consultantElizabeth Eve “EE” Rand , his wifePresident of the United States , a friend of Benjamin RandVladimir Skrapinov , Soviet ambassador to the United StatesO’Flaherty , a political party leader
The Story:
Chance tends the garden in the house of the Old Man, where he has lived for as long as he can remember. His mother died in childbirth and his father was unknown, and, although there is no record of any arrangement, the Old Man took him in. Chance never had any real contact with the Old Man, however, especially during his later years, when he was bedridden. Chance is cared for by the maid of the house, but he needs very little: whatever time he does not spend in the garden he spends in front of the television, which is his major source of information about the world. He is illiterate, but gains whatever education and manners and knowledge of social behavior he has from the programs he watches on television.
When the Old Man suddenly dies, Chance is turned out of the house by Thomas Franklin, the lawyer in charge of the estate, who can find no record of Chance’s existence. Bewildered by being in the outside world for the first time, he walks aimlessly in the street and is unable to avoid being hit by the limousine of Elizabeth Eve Rand when it backs toward him. Chance is not seriously hurt, but Elizabeth and her chauffeur are concerned and take him to the Rands’ house to have him checked out thoroughly. She introduces herself as EE, and as he fumblingly explains that he is Chance, the gardener, she mishears this as Chauncey Gardiner, the name by which he is referred to from that point on.
Chance settles in to his new home very quickly, as both EE and Mr. Rand become very attached to him. EE finds him charming because, although he is simple and utterly without experience or intelligence, he perfectly mimes the behavior of characters he has seen on television. Mr. Rand, the shrewd and powerful chairman of the board of the First American Financial Corporation, is equally charmed by Chance and also impressed by what he takes to be his deep insights into the contemporary economic crisis. Rand interprets his trite mundane and literal comments about plants, flowers, trees, and roots as penetrating wisdom that supports his own conservative thoughts about the need for patience, strong and steady leadership, and support for the established business and political authorities who are a bulwark against those arguing for change.
It never crosses Chance’s mind that he is anything but a simple gardener, but everyone around him quickly adopts him as a charismatic adviser. The president of the United States visits Rand, and he too is impressed by Chance’s apparent optimistic philosophy of soil and seasons, so much so that he mentions Chance’s name in a major speech he delivers later that night. More than an adviser to business leaders and the president, Chance quickly becomes a celebrity. He is referred to and quoted in newspapers and magazines and asked to appear on a popular television show. He is perfectly suited for the latter, having been almost completely raised by watching television, and he immediately becomes quite literally the talk of the town.
By this time, EE is fully in love with Chance and attempts to seduce him. Chance has had no real experience of love but, although the garden offers him no help in this case, television once again does. It has acquainted him with some romantic gestures that he can imitate. Ironically, it has also rendered him completely devoid of emotion, which EE takes as admirable restraint and respect. Later, when EE approaches him again, more fully committed to making love to him, Chance responds with what he has learned from years of television. “I like to watch,” he says, which leads to mutual satisfaction: She is free to satisfy herself physically, and he is free to watch—not her, but the television that is almost always on wherever he is.
As Chance becomes increasingly famous, people in power, including not only the president but also the Russian ambassador, want to learn about his past, but no one can find out anything: Neither the American nor the Russian secret services can discover any trace of the man they know they will have to acknowledge as a major force. The fact that Chance is a blank slate, that he has no background, no identity, and no history of a lived life, turns out to be an asset: It means that he has no demonstrable blemishes and that he can be what people want him to be. As the story concludes, Chance is being seriously considered for high political office, and this vision of him as the ideal candidate, indeed, the ideal office-holder, is slyly juxtaposed with a final view of Chance walking out alone from a dinner party, completely thoughtless and yet completely at peace, into a garden that is beautiful but insensate.
Bibliography
Ferrell, William K. Literature and Film as Modern Mythology. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2000. Study of ways in which contemporary film and literature function analogously to myths of the past. Includes a chapter on Being There as a myth of contemporary life.
Kosinski, Jerzy. Passing By: Selected Essays, 1962-1991. New York: Random House, 1992. Collects nonfiction by Kosinski. Particularly relevant to Being There are “Gog and Magog: On Watching TV,” “TV as Baby-Sitter,” “Against Book Censorship.” and “Dead Souls on Campus.”
Lavers, Norman. Jerzy Kosinski. Boston: Twayne, 1982. Introductory overview of Kosinski’s life and career up to 1982, with a brief chapter on Being There that focuses on its biblical motifs and critique of television.
Lilly, Paul R., Jr. Words in Search of Victims: The Achievement of Jerzy Kosinski. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 1988. Concentrates on Kosinski’s works as reflexive analyses of the art of writing fiction. Brief treatment of Being There focuses on Chance’s use of language.
Lupack, Barbara Tepa, ed. Critical Essays on Jerzy Kosinski. New York: G. K. Hall, 1998. Includes reviews of Being There by William Kennedy and John W. Aldridge, as well as Lupack’s essay “Chance Encounters: Bringing Being There to the Screen,” a detailed comparative analysis of the novel and its 1979 film adaptation.
Sloan, James Park. Jerzy Kosinski: A Biography. New York: Dutton, 1996. Pays substantial attention to autobiographical elements of Being There and its resemblances to a popular Polish novel from 1932.
Teicholz, Tom, ed. Conversations With Jerzy Kosinski. Jackson: University of Mississippi Press, 1993. Scattered comments throughout these interviews help place Being There in the context of Kosinski’s other writings. Particularly relevant is the interview “A Nation of Videots.”