November 17, 2024

Notes on Jo Ann Beard’s “The Fourth State of Matter”

Jo Ann Beard’s essay “The Fourth State of Matter” (1996) is an account of loss, grief, and the fragility of life. Set against the backdrop of a mass shooting at the University of Iowa in 1991, the essay intertwines Beard’s personal struggles—her collapsing marriage, the slow death of her dog, and her professional life—with the tragedy that takes place in her workplace. The title refers to plasma, the fourth state of matter, which becomes a metaphor for transformation, chaos, and instability.

The essay interweaves three seemingly disparate narratives: the author’s personal life, which includes her ailing dog and her crumbling marriage; her professional life at the University of Iowa’s physics department; and the events of the shooting on November 1, 1991, where a disgruntled doctoral student killed several people in the department. While these narratives seem separate at first, Beard connects them through the metaphor of the “fourth state of matter,” plasma. Plasma, as described by Chris, is an unstable, energetic state of matter. This serves as a symbol for the emotional and physical states of many characters in the story, particularly the author, who is navigating a difficult period in her life

Interconnectedness of Personal and Professional Lives

Beard juxtaposes her crumbling personal life, including her separation from her husband and her dog’s failing health, with the supportive camaraderie of her colleagues in the physics department at the university. This intertwining of the personal and professional underscores how the events in one sphere of life inevitably affect the other.

The essay showcases the disjunction between the intensely personal experiences of the author and the detached, scientific world of the physics department. Even in the face of tragedy, the world seems to continue as normal, highlighting the difficulty of reconciling personal grief with the larger, indifferent universe.

Grief and Loss

The essay explores multiple layers of grief: the slow, anticipatory grief over her dog’s imminent death; the unspoken grief of a failed marriage; and the sudden, overwhelming grief caused by the shooting that claims the lives of her friends and colleagues. Beard explores various ways individuals cope with grief, loss, and the inevitability of death. The author finds solace in caring for her dog, her work, and her friendships. Other characters, like Chris’ mother, face their losses with stoicism and resilience, while Gang Lu chooses a destructive path.

The Suddenness of Tragedy

Beard captures how ordinary life can be upended without warning. The mundane details of her daily routine stand in stark contrast to the unimaginable violence of the shooting, emphasizing the unpredictability of tragedy.

The Fragility and Resilience of Life

Through her reflections on her dog, her work, and her relationships, Beard meditates on the fragility of existence but also on the resilience of the human spirit in the face of immense loss. The essay highlights the sudden and unexpected nature of life’s transitions. The author's dog is nearing death, her marriage is falling apart, and her workplace becomes the site of a horrific tragedy. These events illustrate how quickly things can change and how little control we have over these changes.

Transformation and Chaos

The essay uses the concept of the fourth state of matter—plasma—as a metaphor for change, instability, and the way life can dissolve into chaos before eventually reforming into something new.

Rhetorical Strategies

Juxtaposition

Beard contrasts the banalities of her personal life with the shocking violence of the shooting. This creates a sense of dissonance that highlights the surreal nature of the shooting.

Detailed Imagery

Beard employs vivid imagery and sensory details, especially when describing her dog’s decline. This creates a strong emotional connection with the reader and helps convey the author’s deep affection for her dog. These vivid descriptions ground the reader in Beard’s world, making the sudden shift to violence even more jarring.

Foreshadowing

Beard subtly foreshadows the shooting, such as when she mentions the shooter’s anger or her own uneasy feelings. These clues build tension while maintaining the essay’s quiet tone.

Metaphor

The fourth state of matter (plasma) serves as a central metaphor for chaos and transformation, reflecting both the personal and collective upheaval Beard experiences. Plasma represents the instability and unpredictability of life, mirroring the emotional states of the characters and the sudden violence that erupts.

Fragmentation

The essay’s structure mirrors the fragmented nature of memory and trauma. Beard moves between moments in her personal life and the events leading up to the shooting, reflecting how grief and shock disrupt linear thought.

Understatement

Beard often conveys her emotions indirectly, allowing the reader to infer the depth of her grief. For instance, she describes events in a calm, almost detached tone, which amplifies the emotional impact.

First-Person Narrative

Beard’s use of the first-person perspective makes the essay deeply personal and immersive, drawing the reader into her experiences and emotions.

Major Symbols

• The Collie: The author’s elderly dog, suffering from strokes and nearing death, serves as a constant reminder of mortality and the cycle of life and death.
• The Squirrels: The squirrels living in the spare bedroom, while seemingly insignificant, symbolize the disruptive forces that can invade our lives and create chaos.
• The Boxes: The boxes of her estranged husband’s belongings represent the past and the lingering hope for reconciliation, even as the relationship disintegrates.
• The Blackboard: The blackboard in Chris’ office becomes a canvas for both scientific and personal expression, reflecting the intersection of the personal and the professional, as well as the ephemeral nature of both knowledge and life.
• Plasma: with its inherent instability and energetic nature, plasma becomes a central metaphor for the volatile and unpredictable nature of life itself. The characters in the essay are all, in a sense, existing in a state of plasma—their lives are charged with energy, but also prone to sudden and dramatic shifts. This metaphor is particularly relevant to the shooting, which represents a violent eruption of chaos within the seemingly stable world of the physics department.
• Space and Celestial Bodies: The recurring imagery of space and astronomy throughout the essay, particularly the references to planets, stars, and the “plasmapause,” reflects the author’s search for meaning and perspective in the vastness of the universe. The cosmos represents a realm beyond human control, where individual lives and tragedies seem small in comparison to the grand scale of time and space. The author’s fascination with these celestial objects suggests a desire to find solace and a sense of connection within a larger, indifferent universe.

The Ending

The essay concludes with an image of the author finding solace in the vastness of the night sky. The stars, planets, and the concept of the “plasmapause,” serve as metaphors for Beard’s attempt to find peace and equilibrium in the face of overwhelming loss. The final image of the fly wings suspended in amber, representing preserved moments in time, suggests that even amidst tragedy and the inevitability of change, there is beauty and a sense of enduring connection. The author’s conversation with Chris, even though he is dead, highlights the significance of memory and the way relationships continue to shape our lives, even after they are over. The final sentence, “Exactly, he says,” reinforces this sense of connection and suggests that even in the face of profound loss, there is a continuity of experience and understanding.

                    

“The Fourth State of Matter” incorporates themes of grief, loss, and the unexpected fragility of life. Published in The New Yorker in 1996, the essay reflects on a week in Beard’s life leading up to and including a tragic mass shooting at the University of Iowa, where she worked. Through the use of imagery, metaphors, and a fragmented narrative structure, Beard creates a personal yet universally resonant story about coping with chaos and transformation that feels both intimate and expansive, inviting reflection on the fragility of existence.

Juxtaposition: Balancing the Ordinary and the Tragic

Beard’s imagery brings the physical and emotional weight of her experiences into sharp focus. Her descriptions of her dog’s failing health and her caregiving role are particularly vivid. For instance, she describes how the dog, now too weak to stand, lies stretched out on the floor, its spine awkwardly twisted. The image of her sitting beside the dog, offering comfort and companionship, reflects the inevitability of loss but also the enduring bond between them. These tender, almost ritualistic acts of care serve as a quiet counterpoint to the upheaval and violence in her professional life.

Similarly, Beard transforms her office from a space of normalcy into a site marked by grief. She describes the lingering traces of her colleagues’ presence in tactile detail, from coffee cups left on desks to the chalk-smeared blackboard bearing equations now unfinished. These objects, ordinary yet symbolic, evoke the abruptness with which life is interrupted by tragedy. The subtlety of these images deepens the pathos of the essay, illustrating how physical spaces carry the echoes of loss.

Vivid Imagery: Painting Grief and Fragility

Beard’s use of imagery evokes the emotional weight of her experiences. Her home becomes a reflection of her inner state, marked by chaos and decline: a squirrel loose in her spare room, stacks of papers untouched, and the dog that can no longer rise from its bed. These images of disarray are subtle metaphors for the unraveling of her life, capturing her quiet despair without explicitly stating it.

In her workplace, Beard’s imagery shifts to highlight connection and loss. She recalls her colleagues’ idiosyncrasies, such as Chris’ loud presence and the shared rituals of the office—a space filled with camaraderie and routine. The ordinariness of these details contrasts sharply with the aftermath of the shooting, where the physical space transforms into a site of absence. Beard’s description of the empty blackboard, once filled with complex equations, conveys a haunting sense of unfinished work and lives. The visual simplicity of these images—everyday objects now imbued with profound meaning—captures the devastation without needing graphic descriptions.

Metaphor: Plasma and the State of Chaos

The title of the essay, “The Fourth State of Matter,” introduces plasma as a central metaphor. Plasma, the chaotic state where atoms lose their structure, mirrors the instability in Beard’s life. Just as plasma is neither fully solid, liquid, nor gas, Beard exists in a liminal space where her personal and professional worlds are unraveling. Her dog’s decline, her estranged husband’s absence, and the workplace violence all contribute to this sense of disarray.

This metaphor extends to Beard’s reflections on loss and transformation. Plasma represents not just chaos but also the possibility of change and renewal. In the aftermath of the shooting, Beard’s life, like plasma, exists in a state of flux, forcing her to confront the fragility of her relationships and her own resilience in the face of devastation.

Fragmented Structure: Reflecting Trauma and Memory

Beard’s fragmented narrative structure mirrors the disjointed nature of memory and trauma. The essay shifts between her personal life and professional experiences, interweaving the ordinary with the catastrophic. This structure reflects how grief disrupts linear thought, as Beard oscillates between caring for her dog, navigating her estranged husband’s phone calls, and recounting the events leading up to the shooting.

For example, Beard moves seamlessly from describing the physics research conducted by her colleagues to recounting their deaths. This interplay between past and present, normalcy and tragedy, captures the disorientation of trauma. By structuring the essay in this way, Beard allows readers to experience her story as she does—fragmented, non-linear, and deeply human.

Themes: Loss, Connection, and Transformation

Through her composition strategies, Beard explores universal themes of loss, connection, and transformation. The essay considers the fragility of life, emphasizing how quickly it can unravel. The slow decline of Beard’s collie parallels the abrupt loss of her colleagues, underscoring the inevitability of change and the unpredictability of tragedy.

At its heart, the essay is also about connection. Beard’s relationships with her colleagues, particularly Chris, provide a sense of community and support amid her personal struggles. Their loss leaves a void, but it also highlights the importance of human connection in navigating life’s chaos.

Finally, the essay explores transformation. The metaphor of plasma suggests that while chaos is inevitable, it can also lead to renewal. In the aftermath of loss, Beard’s world is irrevocably changed, yet she continues to find moments of connection and meaning, even in her dog’s final days.

The Ending: Finding Stillness in Chaos

The essay’s ending is quiet yet moving. Beard describes sitting with her dog in the early hours of the morning, reflecting on the events that have unfolded. She imagines the plasmapause, a place of stillness and equilibrium in space, as a metaphor for her own attempts to find peace in the chaos. This moment encapsulates the essay’s central tension between loss and resilience, suggesting that even in the face of immeasurable grief, there is a possibility for stillness and reflection.