Auto-Human Threesome

            Once again while reading Crash, I was taken back by James’ relationship with another character, Vaughan. With the knowledge that Vaughan has been for years recording car crashes through photography, analyzing and studying traffic patterns on the massive motorways and flyovers that surround the airport, which at times appears to be a city center in itself with ‘residential suburbs [surround] the airport’ (pg. 87). Vaughan is now introduced by James as the orchestrator of a recreation of an actual crash. James compares Vaughan to a film director, praising him for his artistry whilst putting him on a higher platform than everyone else at the racetrack stadium. The accident being reenacted is in itself a monstrous crash involving five cars, something that only the ‘nightmare angel of the expressways’ (pg. 84), Vaughan can do. James has an obvious admiration for Vaughan both for his depth of knowledge in crashes and the physical attraction he makes James feel. As with his past fantasy sexual partners, James fuses human flesh with the hard and shiny surface of chrome machinery.

            James fascination of technology, in particular cars, has essentially invaded social and sexual life. His attraction to Vaughan is transformed into fantasy of car-human fusions during sexual acts; ‘What most disturbed me about Vaughan was the strange stance of his thighs and hips, almost as if he were trying to force his genitals through the instrument panel of the car’  (pg. 89). It is only natural for James to have fantasized his soon-to-be idol Vaughan having sex cars, for it would represent the unification of the greatest crash philosopher and machine. At the same time, James is a little troubled by the thought he has made by using the word ‘disturbed’. Is it possible that James feels like he has crossed a moral boundary by imaging Vaughan in his most intimate moment? Does he feel uneasy with the new emotions he has for Vaughan? Does he wish to participate in a threesome with Vaughan and the car but does not feel up to the grade? I’m excited to continue reading Crash for possible answers to my questions.