Billy the Kid is an historical figure from the Old West whose story has eluded historians and has created controversy among biographers. One thing is sure; he has truly lived. However, most of his story told is part of a myth. The author Michael Ondaatje, in his novel The Collected Works of Billy the Kid, has improvised a story about this historical figure, with as the only starting point, his imagination. In The Collected Works of Billy the Kid, the author Michael Ondaatje uses the medium of photography as a recurrent metaphor throughout the whole book to emphasize the mysteriousness of the character of Billy the Kid. The first page of the book, the descriptions of Billy’s visual impressions and the recurrent photographs found in the story
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On the first page is inserted a white square, followed by a description of it: “I send you a picture of Billy made with the Perry shutter as quick as it can be worked” (Ondaatje, 1). This description is ironical since there is a contrast between the photography of Billy and the explication associated with it. On one hand, the photographer reveals the techniques that he has used, which are a “Perry shutter” and “Pyro and soda developer”. On the other hand, he specifies that this picture was taken with the lens open and when his horse was in motion. This may suggest that the picture is overexposed or underexposed to light, therefore giving nothing more than a white image. There is also a competition between the photographer and the machine he operates. For example, when he says that he sends the picture “as quick as it can be worked”, it could refer to the idea that life is moving too fast and that it cannot be caught. A photograph is the arrest of motion; it is catching life in a memory. Thus, this white square is used as a metaphor to explain ironical ideas such as the possible overexposure to light, or the failure of catching Billy in a memory because life is moving too quickly. There is another explanation that may explain why the author has left a white square, which is that there is no authentic
On the first page is inserted a white square, followed by a description of it: “I send you a picture of Billy made with the Perry shutter as quick as it can be worked” (Ondaatje, 1). This description is ironical since there is a contrast between the photography of Billy and the explication associated with it. On one hand, the photographer reveals the techniques that he has used, which are a “Perry shutter” and “Pyro and soda developer”. On the other hand, he specifies that this picture was taken with the lens open and when his horse was in motion. This may suggest that the picture is overexposed or underexposed to light, therefore giving nothing more than a white image. There is also a competition between the photographer and the machine he operates. For example, when he says that he sends the picture “as quick as it can be worked”, it could refer to the idea that life is moving too fast and that it cannot be caught. A photograph is the arrest of motion; it is catching life in a memory. Thus, this white square is used as a metaphor to explain ironical ideas such as the possible overexposure to light, or the failure of catching Billy in a memory because life is moving too quickly. There is another explanation that may explain why the author has left a white square, which is that there is no authentic