Soundrise (and soundset) - part I

Richard Brautigan’s novel In Watermelon Sugar ([1970] 1973) is set in a commune in a strange, seemingly post-apocalyptic world. Everything man-made in the commune, the buildings and furniture, for example, is constructed from watermelon sugar derived from the watermelons which grow plentifully in the surrounding fields. The commune also operates a trout hatchery, and by mixing trout oil with watermelon sugar they are able to produce a kind of fuel which when burned gives a bright light to read and work by at night. Other features of this surreal place include many curious statues and ruined bridges, with one working bridge over which the narrator (who does not have a specific name) frequently walks on his way to the central building, iDEATH, where he takes most of his meals and meets friends. Deceased members of the commune are often interred in tombs which are placed at the bottom of the river. These tombs have a transparent panel and also contain a substance which glows continuously so that the light from them can be seen at night. 

There are many other curious aspects of this world. For instance, no one knows why but the sun shines a different colour each day: red on Monday, golden on Tuesday, grey on Wednesday, black on Thursday, white on Friday, blue on Saturday and brown on Sunday (ibid: 42). On Thursdays when the sun rises black it still seems to get light, but a further and important quirk is that there is no sound that day. You can’t have a conversation because there is no sound, and any actions you might carry out are also silent (ibid: 134). Watermelons seeds that are gathered from a black watermelon on a black day and then planted on a black day produce black watermelons, and these watermelons make no sound when they are subsequently harvested and cut. The watermelon sugar made from them is also ‘very good for making things that have no sound’ (ibid: 43). The narrator remembers that ‘there was a man who used to make clocks from black, soundless watermelons and his clocks were silent’ (ibid). In a similar way, bricks made from black watermelons make no sound when they are used to build a wall (ibid: 130).

Towards the end of the book a character dies and there is a funeral. Members of the commune decide it should take place on the next Thursday, ‘even though it would be dark and there would be no sound and everything would need to be done in silence’ (ibid: 128). On the afternoon before the funeral the community is mindful of the need to arrange things quickly as ‘there are only about two hours of sound remaining’ (ibid: 134). The narrator is mid conversation with another character at the point when the sound runs out, ending the chapter mid-sentence (ibid: 135). On the day of the funeral, the narrator relates that ‘[t]he procession moved slowly and in total silence…[t]here was not even the sound of our footsteps or anything’ (ibid: 137). After the burial, the people attending the funeral go back to IDEATH for a party. They get ready in silence and can’t begin the party until the next day breaks and there is sound again (ibid: 140).   

The book it interesting to me because it introduces the idea of sonic scarcity. Ordinarily, for hearing people, one of the features of sound is that it is so abundant. It is everywhere and almost impossible to avoid even if we should wish to. In Watermelon Sugar, though, when the Wednesday sun goes down, sound disappears (or it’s auditory equivalent, fades away or is cut). I suppose we could think of this time as ‘soundset’. The point on a Friday in Watermelon Sugar when the sun next rises and sound returns would be a form of ‘soundrise’.

Reference:

Brautigan, Richard. [1970] 1973. In Watermelon Sugar. London: Picador.