30,000 Years Ago Vs. Now

One of the most intriguing and applicable lines that I read in Interdisciplinary, by Joe Moran, but was coined by Leavis is the idea that interdisciplinary has “a limit and is based on the idea that cultural unity has been lost, and that an elite group needs to be formed to ensure that unity is recaptured (pg. 33).” It is through this idea that I draw upon and bring about the cave paintings in the novel Zulus. Cave paintings are known for depicting cultures and beliefs through the use of paintings, and so later generations can emulate these actions and traditions; it creates cultural unity just like interdisciplinary suggests. Cave paintings, or in this case, words, are used in Zulus as a way to describe Kevin’s cave when him and Alice first arrive. The ambiguous words on the cave wall represent a language and symbols that are clear to Kevin, but may not be clear to the reader, or even Alice. This trend is much like that of cave paintings in the Upper Paleolithic Era, in caves such as Lascaux and Chauvet in France. Even though the exact interpretation of the paintings may not be clear, it potentially provides a glimpse at the interaction, communication and cultural cohesiveness between our primitive ancestors, and their future generational offspring. Kevin’s use of cave paintings may have a different objective than those of 30,000 years ago, but ultimately the general idea is the same.