What I liked in anthropology was its inexhaustible faculty of negation, its relentless definition of man, as though he were no better than God, in terms of what he is not. But my ideas on this subject were always horribly confused, for my knowledge of men was scant and the meaning of being beyond me.
In Samuel Beckett's "Molloy," the protagonist reflects on the complexities of anthropology and its approach to understanding humanity. He finds value in the discipline's ability to define what it means to be human by highlighting negation, presenting an almost paradoxical view of man as inferior to divine considerations. This relentless pursuit of definition reveals a stark truth about human identity defined more by absence than presence.
However, the character grapples with his own confusion regarding these concepts, acknowledging his limited understanding of humanity and existence. This admission points to a broader existential struggle, as he wrestles with the ambiguity of identity and the profound questions surrounding the nature of being. This tension creates a rich landscape for exploration within the narrative, emphasizing the elusive nature of self and meaning.
