In the continued reading of Crash, I began to notice the importance of technology in not just James' life, but those around him as well. When James begins his affair with Helen Remington, they both can only be aroused when they have sex in a vehicle. Being in a house does nothing for them - they must be surrounded by machinery. This sexual attraction to cars used to be exclusive to James, but it now appears that Helen shares the same passion. Her husband's death was at the hand James behind the wheel of a car, yet her feelings of grief are overshadowed by the pleasures of sex. She seems to be rather apathetic towards her husband's death. Not only do James and Helen share this mutual addiction to machines, crashes are being romanticized on the big screen. On the film that Vaughan is working on, actresses are made up to appear like they experienced a horrendous car crash. Vaughan also appears to be following James, as if he knew there was another man who shared his appreciation for vehicles.
James may be showing characteristics of a pansexual. In the world that J.G. Ballard has created for Crash, most characters are not exclusive with who they wish to have sex with. James fantasizes about Vaughan's thighs and toys with the idea of sex. Catherine is obvious about her lesbian fantasies but she still fornicates with men. When Vaughan is described sitting on the hood of his car, he is almost engaging in sex with the machine, pushing his pelvis and buttocks against the hood. Men, women, and machines are all sources for arousal. A recurring motif that has occurred in the reading so far has been the use of photographs and cameras. Vaughan has a photo studio where he shows James pictures of a crash victim named Gabrielle as she deals with her accident. Vaughan is also a part of a movie production and frequently holds a camera. Before he officially met James, he appeared in the parking garage taking photos of a nearby accident. Scars are also frequently mentioned. Helen has scars on her face, Vaughan is covered in them, and Vera Seagrave has scars on her thighs.
Dealing with the concept of apophasis, I do not believe that Crash wholly possess this type of ideal. Yes, Ballard proposes wild prepositions, but there is no lack of belief. The whole concept of apophasis is a bit contradictory in itself. It is nearly impossible to not believe in anything because that act of disbelieving is already believing in something. Like nihilism, the decision to not hold any morals and beliefs is holding the absence of belief above the possession of belief. On the other hand, though, writing in an apophasis matter is a transgressive approach. In a work like Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, the writer is neither condoning nor condemning a relationship with a "nymphet". He is merely stating the relationship as is. In Crash, Ballard is not personally stating that it is okay to crash cars and be overtly sexual. His characters hold these beliefs, and he created the characters, but it is not a reflection of his personal ideals. Ultimately, though, Crash is a bit of a warning against the attachment to technology, so it is possible that Ballard is stating his opposition towards technology. While he could have been indifferent about the future of machines, his exaggerated approach to Crash's world seems more negative than positive.
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