In Walker Percy’s novel Lancelot, the narrator’s sanity is questioned. Although admittedly institutionalized, Lancelot at first seems to be coherent and sensical. However, as the novel progresses, Lancelot’s disturbing and misguided philosophy becomes more apparent, and it becomes impossible to sympathize with him. In his quest to overcome a world which he sees as shallow and false, he reveals his own ingrained racism and sexism. Moreover, he allows his disgust with society to overcome him and ruin his possibility of gaining a fulfilling life. Presented as a conversation between the title character a priest/psychiatrist/former friend, Lancelot tells the story of a man who discovers his wife’s infidelity and the crime that follows. Noting his own subdued reaction to his wife’s adultery, Lancelot characterizes the world as apathetic and unfeeling: “One conclusion I have reached here after a year in my cell is that the only emotion people feel nowadays is interest or the lack of it” (Percy, 21). As the story progresses we see that this sums up Lancelot’s main issue with the modern world; he feels as if …show more content…
One of the most disturbing and upsetting relates to his opinions on women and their place in society. Along with many statements expressing disgust with the increased sexuality of the modern woman, Lancelot goes as far as to claim that “God’s secret design for man is that man’s happiness lies in men practicing violence upon women and that woman’s happiness lies in submitting to it” (Percy, 224). This is a twisted way of looking at human relationships and indicates Lancelot’s remove from reality and his submission to improper and misguided ideals. Further indications of Lancelot’s deluded and erroneous nature come from his referring to Elgin as “the perfect nigger” (Percy 181), and his indication of his apathy towards his daughter - both before and after he found out she was not his