The Call of Pedagogy as the Call of Contact

Abstract

In this calling of his young son, and in this lingering moment of reflecting, Michael Ondaatje experiences a pedagogical moment. This pedagogical moment takes the form of a personal responsiveness: acting (saying “good night” to his son, though after letting him wait expectantly) and reflecting (asking himself: “What was it like for my son to have to wait like that?” And by implication perhaps, “Should I have been more attentive?”). This simple moment of a goodnight kiss may actually be filled with psychological and pedagogical significance, as the many references and studies about the goodnight kiss in Marcel Proust’s writings attest (1981): his staying awake while waiting for his mother to come, and whose kiss would finally be able to put Marcel to sleep, his father’s disapproval of him, and the psycho-analytic entanglements.