Walker Percy is a character. I’m not so sure he is a heretic, but he is definitely a character. In his book, subtitled “The Last Self-Help Book,” Percy takes a very eye-opening look into the idiosyncrasies of the human psyche. You could say that Percy is a heretic because he examines the traits of human beings that no one really thinks about. Rather than falling in with mainstream media, he shows us how strange humans can be.
He analyzes how humans feel incomplete, how we feel the need to fill our lives with superficial items that can only bring us temporary happiness. He talks about how we dream of having a better life, turning to the media to escape from our lives of self-loathing.
The prominent theme seems to be that all human beings seem to place themselves on a low peg, focusing on the negative. We fill our thoughts with what we don’t have rather than concentrating on the good in life. Rather than inviting friends over to share experiences and have a real conversation, we invite them over to show off our unique coffee table; that sort of thing. We are scared to be who we really are, because how could we possibly be interesting to another human?
This book is incredibly enlightening. It forces you to take a step back and look at yourself and how you go about life. It shows you that you are not alone in many of the feelings you have. While not fitting the profile of a traditional self-help book, it does make you feel better about yourself, in a way. It makes you realize that you aren’t all that bad, and that other people have problems too, probably more than most of them even know.
It seems that rather than trying to help the reader, the book points out the various insecurities that plague human beings of all shapes and sizes. If someone with a real problem read this book, it might, at least, cheer them up, as they would invariably find themselves laughing at the intrinsic stupidity of humanity, so brilliantly pointed out by Percy.

At first glance, Lost in the Cosmos almost seems to be like a traditional self help book. But upon further investigation, one makes note of the hints of sarcasm, and satirical looks at modern day self help strategies and books. Assuming that the group Walker Percy claims to be a member of is that of self help gurus, he would definitely be a heretic in that the format of the book is one that does not exactly paint a positive portrait of human nature, at least in the beginning stages of the book. Rather, it satirizes everyday phenomena that go on in our everyday lives, in terms of how we perceive ourselves and how we perceive others, as well as how we perceive others as perceiving ourselves. His note of how we can recognize things and know things about objects millions of miles away (i.e. the Jupiter example) and not be able to recognize things about ourselves (i.e. our own voices, how we look from behind or the side…etc). His use of rhetorical questions add a note of humor and cynicism as well.

However, because he doesn’t actually claim to be an actual self help guru, I think he is not a heretic in that he is a satirist in the truest sense. A satirist takes a subject, and makes fun of it by presenting a work, usually a written piece, that at first glance looks like a serious piece on said subject, but parodies the subject by accentuating its most ridiculous features. An example of this is how he seems to be satirizing self help quizzes by repeatedly asking questions with most peculiar answer choices (i.e. a choice between being asked to speak at an engagement which you have weeks to prepare for, or being picked up by an alien spaceship after being the sole survivor of a nuclear holocaust and being forced to justify to a tribunal why they should spare you…etc). Because this books tends to be following that formula so far, I do not think Walker Percy is a heretical self help guru, as much as he is a completely orthodox satirist.

Upon reading the first forty pages of Percy’s Lost in the Cosmos, I can see how some would argue that Walker Percy may be a heretic, or that he has heretical tendencies. First of all, his style of writing is unique. He poses questions to the reader in a way that is sort of intimate, yet at the same time, he makes the reader really think deeply into some of the questions that he presents (this vagueness could be a bad thing for close-minded thinkers who can’t think outside the sphere), such as the part where he asks what the worst case scenario would be for you in a one-on-one conversation with another person. The fact that he gives so many options may make the reader feel that maybe he/she fits into one, two, three, or in some cases, none of the options, which could leave the reader to feel confused or misplaced somehow, and potentially asking themselves, “Who am I?” I think this is the whole point of his book though, because after all, it is a self-help book. It is supposed to make you think, and not have such obvious or clear cut answers and advice. Aside from this, I think Percy seems more like an orthodox kind of guy than anything. I think many writers write the way he does, especially if it is some kind of motivational or life-guiding book – books that help you reflect on yourself, or whatever it may be. His style of writing reminds me of Ralph Keyes, author of the book Chancing It, Why We Take Risks. Keyes presents numerous real-life stories and scenarios about people taking risks, whether it be thrilling, dangerous, and life-threatening risks such as skydiving, or the sacrifices you make by taking the risk of starting up a family, quitting a job, starting a business, and the like. Keyes presentation of these situations are very similar to Percy’s presentation (at least for the first forty pages), although Keyes is a little more concise about his opinions on the subject. His varying viewpoints on one topic doesn’t make the reader think as hard more so than show the reader different ways to think and go about doing things and making different decisions. Nevertheless, I feel that both writers have a central theme in their style of writing in that they help you at least learn more about yourself, like all self-help books and what not should be, and if possible, have some kind of positive effect on the reader (which is most likely the intention). So in this sense, I would have to side with Percy being more of an orthodox writer.

Walker Percy is an inoffensive heretic. Like Joel Osteen, he puts forth a modification to traditional belief that is unequivocally appealing. People love to pity themselves. By pounding the idea into the reader’s head that he or she is void in spirit, Percy provides ample opportunities for a pity party. The reason that he does not receive the same kind of criticism as Joel Osteen is because he has good intentions. Percy claims that the only way to overcome this obstacle of “noughtness” is to observe the same scriptures that used to correct “naughtiness.” By tricking the reader into feeling sorry for herself and making her feel obligated to consider the prescription of scripture that he suggests, Percy uses traditionally unjustifiable ends to reach orthodox means.
The idea of portraying humans as weak in comparison to God is a classic one. Percy utilizes this technique, but spends what religious conservatives would call excess words describing the imperfections of God’s most intelligent creation. He attacks only modern man, not the man of the past, almost as if he is describing the advent of another Fall. Instead of his focusing on the greatness of God, Percy focuses on the humility of man, and in particular, his futile search for fulfillment and meaning.
Percy’s greatest heresy is his insistence that man before the twentieth century somehow had more importance and sense of worth in their lives than do the man of today. He partakes in the human tendency to glorify one’s ancestors- the same tendency that caused most cultures to worship their elders or rulers at one time or another. He suggests, albeit implicitly, that our forefathers did not need God, and it is only the pitiful, declining generation of today that must turn to spiritual ends. It is almost as if he is calling the efforts of modern man a failure, and God a last ditch effort for salvation, instead of the first and only.
Regardless of his intentions, one could easily deduce from Lost in the Cosmos that Percy is using God as a counterweight for his social commentary. This misappropriation of priorities is at the heart of why Percy, who can seem so innocent, is a true heretic.

Walker Percy does show some vague heretical tendencies in his book “Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self Help Book”. So far, the first 40 pages are open for interpretation. In a sense, you can consider his topic slightly heretical only because he chooses to blatantly state what so many gladly oversee. His material may also be considered slightly tilted towards heresy because of his attempt to educate the reader by preaching his beliefs.

As a self help book, he poses questions with a couple of letter choices, which the reader is asked to check the answer best suited. His questions bring notice to simple situations we endure in everyday life, but he asks us to look further into them than normally noticed. He asks questions that bring to surface the deeper thoughts we tend to overlook or perhaps hide purposely due to their raw nature. Then he gives us answers to choose from, a couple normal everyday answers that hardly scratch the surface, and a couple answers that poke at the stagnant cynical nature of our being. If orthodoxy, in this case, is considered to be our normal reactions and superficial masks we hold as normal, then Percy’s answer choices could be considered a bit heretical because the bring our attention to what isn’t looked at as normal; but yet it is true to those who choose to accept the truth.

Because he brings what we know but never speak word of into written text, and because he reminds us of how unorthodox our motives and real emotions are, he could be displaying heretical tendencies. He published his book thus reaching a greater audience with his teachings, and one characteristic of heresy is to teach an unorthodox belief to others. So the publishing of the book itself could be the modern way to teach his beliefs instead of lecturing and gathering followers.

Though its hard to tell just by reading the first 40 pages, so far Percy has slightly tilted to the unorthodox side and may be able to be considered a heretic. However, I think a better conclusion can be made after reading more of what he has to say.

Walker Percy, in the first 40 pages of his version of the modern self-help book, pokes fun at daily occurrences while setting himself up as a heretic for challenging the conventional ideas of society. In the section of the book titled, “The Self as Nought (II): Why Most Women, and Some Men, are subject to Fashion,” Percy claims that he, like all individuals in society fall into the trap and cycle of fashion. He argues that the fashion stages that occur are something everyone experiences because there is the human desire to fit in and follow the crowd. Percy describes this cycle as when 1) something worn by a person is seen as odd and unusual 2) once this particular style has been seen, it pops up everywhere you look and now you are the odd man out 3) wanting to fall into the trends, you go and try it on and believe it when the salesperson claims “it’s you” 4) buying into the “it’s you” claim, you buy the garment and feel it is you 5) the new trend becomes stale and 6) after a while of not wearing whatever first caught your eye, you realize how utterly overrated it really was. This cycle of fashion according to Percy, demonstrates how quickly society will forfeit their independence and will easily fall into the pattern of others. He does confess that since he is a male he can view this trend from more of an outside view because it does occur mainly in women. However, although he is mainly on the outside looking in, he doesn’t deny the fact that men such as he fall under the spell as well. While claiming his membership to society, Percy challenges this idea of a fashion cycle by saying people should not define themselves by trends or how others think you should be. He emphasizes how people buy into the “it’s you” scam and how society allows it to define them for a period of time in their life. He contends that people should realize this fashion trend and not fall into its repetitious patterns. Percy opposes the idea that the outcome “is you” and asserts that it is in fact “not you.” He questions the conventional idea of society that what others do I must do and desires people to wake up before they become another follower. In the last few lines he assesses this pattern as the need for people to blend into the norm, not just follow the fashion trends of society.

In my initial reading of Percy’s Lost in the Cosmos, I see the heretical tendencies he leans towards. I feel as if he writes this book in order to challenge every conventional aspect of society while at the same time passing off his challenges as humor and wit so as to not gain the status of a heretic. Percy makes heretical suggestions, the before mentioned fashion cycle only one of the many I am sure are now to follow, but hides it in such a way to where one must think about what they are reading to catch on.

In my initial assessment of Walker Percy’s “Lost in the Cosmos,” I find myself thinking that this book is different then any other self-help book on the shelves today. I think he could be considered a heretic, loosely, in the fact that he is writing a book in a completely different format then the other self help books of his time. Percy’s style is a bit unorthodox when he asks pointed questions. Instead of telling the individual how to find themselves, he is more asking them questions in order to get the person to find themselves on their own. It seems he is guiding his questions to reveal the idea, and possible truth, that everyone seems to be hiding their own true self in order to be part of a larger group. When people step out of a group mold, it seems they become uncomfortable with themselves and become lost. For example, he mentions the fear of speaking in front of an audience of 500 as being a fate feared worse then death for most people. Perhaps the question is meant to lead you to think about how that person is being placed out of the group and as a result singled out, which is considered a fate worse then death. I wouldn’t call him a complete and true heretic, simply based on the first forty pages. I would call his method unique but so far he hasn’t necessarily written anything that would make me deem him a full heretic based on the criteria we have been studying so far this semester.
In reading the first couple of pages, I noticed how Percy points out a commonly held belief that everyone should claim membership of a group. This is an interesting start to a book about finding your true self. However, if you look in society today, people are always pushed to be part of something, a club, a team, a group of some sort. Perhaps he is trying to get people to see that you don’t necessarily have to be part of a group to still be yourself. This is somewhat different when compared with the topics of other self help books that try to tell you find yourself when you are in a group.
I do not think he should be considered a true heretic at this time. He has some slight tendency to becoming a heretic, but with the little bit I read, I would not want to label him a heretic completely.

On the cover of Walker Percy’s book Lost in the Cosmos, he defines his work as a self-help book. Although, upon reading the first 40 pages, I found a comical, sometimes sarcastically misanthropic, commentary on the complexities of the “human self”. Compared with other self-help novelists, who try to invigorate their readers with optimism and direction, Percy strips all hope away from their readers as he criticizes humanity’s lack of logic. In this way, Percy can be considered one who exhibits heretical tendencies.

Percy perverts the doctrine of conventional self-help literature by installing reflection and thought in to his readers instead of hope. Most of his contemporaries attempt to utilize words to enable their readers to harness their abilities in order to be effective in today’s society. Instead of holding his readers’ hands through life, Percy provokes thought about who we are and why we act they way we do. For example, Percy preaches that people are so fascinated with stories about insomnia because they want to be rid of themselves. As opposed to other self-help book writers whose mission is to allow people to be comfortable with themselves, Percy bluntly proclaims that such is not the nature of humanity. Instead, he asks the reader why people are so sick of themselves. Thus, Percy separates himself from the community of self-help writers by refusing to present any answers. Instead, Percy proposes questions to the reader, and expects them to find the answers within themselves. Therefore, Percy denies the common doctrine that one’s life can be improved by the advice of a crafty author.

He also differs in the way of orthodox self-help writing in that he utilizes accusatory and critical speech to emphasize thought provoking ideas. His sarcastic assertion that people obsessed with fashion only reach fulfillment when they buy clothes is not without truth, but is definitely without restraint. The format of his book challenges the conventional style of self-help books. The periodic mockeries of “self-help quizzes” separate him from the community of other self-help authors. His ridicule of the genre threatens the reputation of similar authors, thus making him a heretic in the eyes of community. A heretic must threaten the stability of the structure to which he or she deviates from, and Walker Percy does so by challenging the integrity of self-help books by exposing them as ridiculous and useless. Lost in the Cosmos considers itself “the last self help book” because it renders all others obsolete.

After the reading of the first forty pages of the book Lost in the Cosmos, it comes to mind that Walker Percy is a bit of a heretic. His style of writing this novel is extremely not modern and innovative. The style of the writing itself is like reading a conversation between a psychiatrist and a patient, where the patient has no answers but merely shakes his head yes and no at questions fired at him. Percy seems to be heretical in the sense that these “self help” questions asked are really questions that he has asked himself at times. It also seems prevalent that the reader has asked himself these questions a time or two, in which Percy re-iterates what the reader has pondered, and drives the thought home by asking the reader to actually check a conclusion. Checking a conclusion is difficult to do when the reader, clearly, is unsure of himself already.

This heresy, stepping away from the usual psychoanalyst books of questions and answers, is actually quite affective. Percy words the questions in such a manner that it is easy to understand the logic of the question and actually ponder a response, when in “normal” psychoanalyst books, the questions are often difficult and includes medical jargon that the average reader does not understand, nor ever will.

The book is a breath of fresh air to the historical heresy. This heresy seems subtle, yet still lingering on every page, where as the historical heresies are so evident, it is hard to stomach them. Percy does a fine job at jabbing at everyday life and situations, giving the reader a more functional sense of figuring out oneself, instead of trying to decipher the language then ponder one’s stability and self worth. Also Percy’s witty wording is often an exuberant way of helping the reader realize how silly it oftentimes is to think so much about oneself and the stability of knowing exactly who you are. By laughing at the way we look at ourselves, it is easier to see the true explanations of self help, the underbelly of self image.

Over the past few weeks we have firmly established the criteria of what it means to be a heretic. However, what falls under the category of heretical tendencies? Tendency refers to “a constant disposition to move or act in some direction or toward some point, end or purpose” (oed.com), with the purpose, in this case, being heresy. It would seem that Percy fits this mold best.
He seems to have an inquisitive temperament, a characteristic that seems apparently necessary for heretics, about the subject of the “self.” Percy recognizes the overall mentality of his audience, which is best described by Hilaire Belloc. “The modern mind is as averse to precision in ideas as it is enamored of precision in measurement,” as stated in his literary prose The Great Heresies. Therefore, to free us of the shackles of modernism (indecisiveness, gullibility, laziness) Percy begins by asking the reader to question themselves, in an effort to manifest their contemporary mentality. This can be observed on page 9 where he gives us the example of the two extremely opposing views, one description being completely complimentary and the other completely demeaning, yet 60% of people surveyed somehow found a way they could fit both descriptions.
He also gives us examples of how easily we are influenced by the mainstream, such as the example in New York City with the medical greens. Often our actions are influenced by our observation of others, more specifically those in the media and entertainment. I am sure everyone reading this can think of at least on instance in the past week were they were asked a question and at least thought of responding with a joke, phrase, or cliché they overheard on the television; I know I have thought of doing it. Percy also imposes his own interpretations of the self as is evident in the entire reading. How does he know that we can categorize our “self” into one of his molds? Or perhaps the dictionary definition of the self is sufficient enough for us.
Percy cannot be considered a heretic based on what we have read so far. However, he has given the impression of a heretical personality and perhaps later in the reading this persona will manifest itself.