MYTH AND MEANING IN THREE NOVELS OF HUGH MACLENNAN

MYTH AND MEANING IN THREE NOVELS
OF HUGH MACLENNAN
by
ROBERT KEITH GILLEY
B.A., The U n i v e r s i t y of B r i t i s h Columbia, 1963
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Abstract
The purpose of t h i s e s s a y i s to determine
Hugh MacLennan has
the use to which
put h i s knowledge of c l a s s i c a l
e s p e c i a l l y myth, i n w r i t i n g t h r e e o f h i s n o v e l s .
first
to
The n o v e l s are
c o n s i d e r e d i n d i v i d u a l l y and are then r e l a t e d to one
i n d i c a t e the development
technique and
literature,
elements
another
o f t h e i r s t r u c t u r e s and themes, MacLennan's
thought.
The f i r s t
c h a p t e r shows MacLennan's a f f i n i t y
for classical
i n d i c a t e s the g e n e r a l c r i t i c a l awareness o f c l a s s i c a l
i n h i s n o v e l s , and a l s o shows how mythic a n a l y s i s i s o f
use i n i n t e r p r e t i n g the n o v e l s .
C e n t r a l to MacLennan's use o f
c l a s s i c a l myth i s Homer's Odyssey,
of
literature,
and
the b a s i c p l o t and c h a r a c t e r s
the Greek e p i c are d e s c r i b e d , i n d i c a t i n g what MacLennan chooses
from the c l a s s i c
f o r h i s own
purposes.
The importance o f myth, as
such, i s c o n s i d e r e d , and i t i s suggested t h a t MacLennan h i m s e l f
has attempted
to w r i t e a "myth" a p p r o p r i a t e to modern Canada.
The second c h a p t e r i s a c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f Barometer
i n d i c a t i n g mythic p a r a l l e l s and r e l e v a n t s t r u c t u r e s o f
The
Rising,
imagery.
p l o t s t r u c t u r e i s examined and i s compared to the mythoi or
a r c h e t y p a l p l o t s suggested by Northrop F r y e i n Anatomy of C r i t i c i s m .
The n o v e l i s shown to be a comic-romance i n which
the romantic
hero i s dominant, a l t h o u g h t h e r e i s an i r o n i c hero p r e s e n t .
main theme appears as a s e a r c h f o r n a t i o n a l
The
identity.
The t h i r d c h a p t e r i s a c o n s i d e r a t i o n of Each Man's Son, a g a i n
i n d i c a t i n g mythic
p a r a l l e l s and r e l e v a n t s t r u c t u r e s o f
imagery.
Examination of the p l o t s t r u c t u r e r e v e a l s a growing s t r e s s on the
ii
i r o n i c h e r o and an u n s t r e s s i n g
of the romantic h e r o .
appears as a more p e r s o n a l s e a r c h f o r
The theme
identity.
The f o u r t h c h a p t e r i s a c o n s i d e r a t i o n of The Watch t h a t Ends
the N i g h t , a g a i n i n d i c a t i n g m y t h i c p a r a l l e l s and r e l e v a n t
Here,
the i r o n i c hero comes to f u l l
imagery.
dominance over the r o m a n t i c .
The theme has become almost e n t i r e l y a p e r s o n a l s e a r c h f o r i n t e r n a l
identity.
conflict
larger
It
is
shown how,
i n t h i s n o v e l , MacLennan r e s o l v e s
e x p l o r e d i n the o t h e r two n o v e l s by submerging i t
(basically mystical)
1
how h i s
in a
pattern.
The f i f t h c h a p t e r shows how MacLennan s techniques
have d e v e l o p e d ,
the
and themes
final religio-philosophic resolution
is
r e l a t e d to c l a s s i c a l humanism ( p a r t i c u l a r l y the p h i l o s o p h y o f
Heraclitus),
and how h i s
the modern w o r l d .
use of myth i s
r e l e v a n t and v a l u a b l e
I t becomes c l e a r t h a t
the
f a r t h e r MacLennan
moves from a d i r e c t r e p r e s e n t a t i o n of the c l a s s i c a l myth,
c l o s e r he moves to c r e a t i n g a meaningful myth of h i s
is
r e l a t e d to o t h e r modern w r i t e r s and i s
stream o f modern thought,
literature
Period.
f o l l o w i n g a major theme i n
He comes to a s y n t h e s i s of c l a s s i c a l
i n an a f f i r m a t i v e
the
own.
MacLennan
shown to be i n a main
t h a t has been p a r t i c u l a r l y important s i n c e
which r e s u l t s
to
philosophy.
western
the
Victorian
and C h r i s t i a n
thought
Table o f Contents
Page
Chapter One:
Myth and Humanism
Chapter Two:
Barometer R i s i n g :
The N a t i o n a l Romance
Chapter Three:
Chapter F o u r :
Chapter F i v e :
Bibliography
Each Man's Son:
The Growing Irony
The Watch That Ends The N i g h t :
The Comic S y n t h e s i s
The E t e r n a l Quest
1
20
47
70
103
117
Chapter One:
Myth and Humanism
To most people today a "myth" i s something u n b e l i e v a b l e , a
fanciful
s t o r y n o t to be taken s e r i o u s l y .
"Myths" a r e n o t always
i n a c c o r d w i t h t a n g i b l e f a c t s , and, t h e r e f o r e , to the mind t r a i n e d
to have f a i t h i n l i t t l e but t h a t which can be
scientifically
measured and v a l i d a t e d , myths have n e i t h e r importance nor v a l u e .
Such people may b e l i e v e i n myths themselves but would be
horrified
and
to have them c a l l e d
t h a t , f o r myths are o f the a n c i e n t
pagan w o r l d , products of p r i m i t i v e , u n e n l i g h t e n e d thought.
There a r e o t h e r s , however, who
Hugh MacLennan i s o f t h i s group.
take myths s e r i o u s l y , and
He u t i l i z e s a n c i e n t myth i n h i s
n o v e l s f o r both s t r u c t u r a l and thematic purposes,
c l a s s i c a l and modern p h i l o s o p h y w i t h c l a s s i c a l ,
C h r i s t i a n myth i n an e f f e c t i v e
synthesis.
combining
C e l t i c and
He b e g i n s , i n h i s f i r s t
n o v e l , by o v e r t l y u s i n g a well-known myth as h i s model, but he
g r a d u a l l y develops away from t h i s p r a c t i c e i n l a t e r n o v e l s ,
submerging
the myth and m o d e r n i z i n g i t , m a n i p u l a t i n g i t more to
serve h i s a r t i s t i c
purposes.
The myth remains, b u t , as i t becomes
l e s s e v i d e n t on the s u r f a c e , i t becomes more e f f e c t i v e as a
v e h i c l e of a r t i s t i c expression.
A c o n s i d e r a t i o n of MacLennan's work from t h i s p o i n t o f
view proves that myth i s
most e f f e c t i v e when i t p r o v i d e s no more than what i s n e c e s s a r y
i n a way of an h i s t o r i c a l and contemporary p e r s p e c t i v e -- say,
a d e s c r i p t i o n of r e l e v a n t antecedent e v e n t s , of the c u r r e n t
c r i s i s , and o f the d e s i r e d outcome--to g i v e meaning, s i g n i f i c a n c e ,
". -
-
2
and urgency
to some i n d i v i d u a l or s o c i a l
C e r t a i n l y MacLennan succeeds
--by
effort.^
i n f u s i n g h i s c l a s s i c a l know-
ledge i n t o the i n d i v i d u a l n o v e l s - - i n c r e a t i n g a g e n e r a l
mythic
s t r u c t u r e which i n c l u d e s a l l h i s n o v e l s , and which i s o f r e a l
importance
to the i n d i v i d u a l reader and
t o g e t h e r , the n o v e l s comprise
a s i n g l e major theme:
the s o c i e t y .
a s i g n i f i c a n t whole.
Considered
They
develop
the search of the i n d i v i d u a l f o r h i s
i d e n t i t y , h i s e s s e n t i a l c h a r a c t e r , the quest f o r a u n i f i e d
of the i n d i v i d u a l man,
h i s n a t i o n , and Everyman.
The
r e s o l v e s t h i s theme i n a b l e n d i n g of C h r i s t i a n and
vision
author
classical
thought, w i t h myth a c t i n g as the t a n g i b l e c o r r e l a t i v e of h i s
ideas.
He
i s of a r a r e breed, a t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y n o v e l i s t
committed to the c l a s s i c a l
fully
tradition.
In both essays and n o v e l s , MacLennan has made h i s commitment
c l e a r , s t r e s s i n g the l a s t i n g v a l u e of the t r a d i t i o n ,
and
i t s philosophy.
For example, i n h i s essay "The
T r a d i t i o n and E d u c a t i o n " , MacLennan defends
i t s literature
Classical
the c l a s s i c a l
liberal
a r t s e d u c a t i o n , and h i s attachment to the t r a d i t i o n i s e v i d e n t
i n h i s a t t a c k on S i r W i l l i a m Dawson f o r what he b e l i e v e s was
Dawson's n e g a t i v e i n f l u e n c e on the development of M c G i l l
University.
He c a l l s Dawson a "fundamental C a l v i n i s t " whose
"main reason f o r opposing
the a r t s was
not h i s b e l i e f
t h a t they
l-Henry A. Murray, "The P o s s i b l e Nature of a 'Mythology to
Come," i n Myth and Mythmaking, ed. H. A. Murray (New York:
George B r a z i l l e r , 1960), p. 337.
were i m p r a c t i c a l , but h i s c o n v i c t i o n that they were
wicked."
The obvious i m p l i c a t i o n i s t h a t Dawson's own a t t i t u d e s were
"wicked"
to the e x t e n t t h a t i n opposing the a r t s he was opposing
the g r e a t humanist
of
t r a d i t i o n passed down from the golden age
Greece.
I t would seem that the a d m i r a t i o n MacLennan h o l d s f o r the
humanist
youth.
t r a d i t i o n i s one t h a t was i n s t i l l e d
i n him from h i s
D e s c r i b i n g h i s f a t h e r , he says,
He was a d o c t o r who spent much of h i s e a r l i e r l i f e i n a
v e r y h a r d p r a c t i c e i n a Cape Breton mining town, but thanks to
h i s c l a s s i c a l i n t e r e s t s he was n o t i s o l a t e d t h e r e . He r e a d
L a t i n and Greek f o r p l e a s u r e ; he read the p h i l o s o p h e r s . . . .
He was democratic i n h i s human d e a l i n g s ; n o t f a m i l i a r , n o t a
glad-hander, n o t a winner o f f r i e n d s and an i n f l u e n c e r o f
people . . . ,
3
I t can be seen from the q u a l i t i e s MacLennan a t t r i b u t e s
to h i s
f a t h e r t h a t to him the c l a s s i c s mean freedom, an escape
i s o l a t i o n , a mental
imprison.
a genuine
freedom
from
t h a t makes the mind i m p o s s i b l e to
These g r e a t works o f the past a l s o appear
to s t i m u l a t e
r e s p e c t f o r o t h e r s , f o r t h e i r worth as i n d i v i d u a l
human b e i n g s .
The c l a s s i c s a r e u s e f u l as a moral
guide.
Not o n l y does MacLennan take h i s g e n e r a l system o f v a l u e s
from the c l a s s i c a l
p h i l o s o p h e r s and poets:
he seems a l s o to
have i d e n t i f i e d h i s n a t i v e l a n d - - i f n o t the whole o f Canada, a t
l e a s t h i s n a t i v e r e g i o n - - w i t h t h a t o f the c l a s s i c a l
2Scotchman's Return and Other Essays
M a c m i l l a n , 1960), p. 68.
3
Ibid.,
p. 64.
(Toronto:
writers,
p a r t i c u l a r l y Homer.
In Nova S c o t i a ,
as i n Greece, the people l i v e d i n s m a l l communities w i t h i n
s i g h t and sound o f the sea.
T h e i r ears and eyes were nouri s h e d by sea-sounds and sea-images.
Homer's r o s e - f i n g e r e d
dawn r i s i n g over the loud-sounding sea, h i s men i n s m a l l
boats b a c k i n g water i n the f o g as they l i s t e n e d to the t e l l t a l e r o a r o f b r e a k e r s on a leeward shore, h i s helmsmen on
c l e a r n i g h t s t a k i n g t h e i r course from A r c t u r u s or the stormy
r i s e o f O r i o n , S c y l l a d i v i n g f o r prey from the c l i f f , Charybd i s s u c k i n g down s m a l l boats i n t o h e r w h i r l p o o l and spewing
them up a g a i n i n a w e l t e r o f b o i l i n g sand, the bones of the!
drowned r o l l i n g f o r ages through the depths o f the sea -these images and c o u n t l e s s o t h e r s from the o l d p o e t i c l i t e r a t u r e o f Greece seemed to d e s c r i b e the environment o f Nova
S c o t i a more a c c u r a t e l y than a n y t h i n g w r i t t e n s i n c e the b i r t h
of C h r i s t . 4
T h i s i n c l i n a t i o n to see h i s homeland i n terms of c l a s s i c a l
l i t e r a t u r e , combined w i t h a g e n e r a l a d m i r a t i o n f o r c l a s s i c a l
thought,
i n e v i t a b l y introduces into h i s novels c l a s s i c a l
ments both m y t h i c a l and
importance
p h i l o s o p h i c a l which are o f extreme
to the n o v e l s ' s t r u c t u r e and meaning.
There
i s general c r i t i c a l
uses c l a s s i c a l mythic
agreement that Hugh MacLennan
p a t t e r n s i n h i s n o v e l s both as
d e v i c e s and f o r thematic purposes.
the f i r s t
to i n d i c a t e c r i t i c a l
MacLennan's work:
structure.
structural
Hugo McPherson was
interest
one
of
i n t h i s a s p e c t of
"Barometer R i s i n g and Two
Solitudes,
f i r s t n o v e l s , have an almost c l a s s i c a l c l a r i t y and
of
ele-
the
simplicity
Each, on m u l t i p l e l e v e l s , d e a l s w i t h the theme
^"Husband and W i f e , " T h i r t y and Three
M a c m i l l a n , 1954), p. 14
(Toronto:
of r e b i r t h
A few years a f t e r t h i s , McPherson
h i s view to say o f Barometer
expanded
R i s i n g that " t h i s s t o r y says
t h i n g s about Canada which take on the v a l i d i t y o f p a r a b l e , " "
and he l i k e n s the s t o r y to the Greek myth i n which Perseus
b a t t l e s the Gorgon.
L a t e r , George Woodcock made a deeper
i n v e s t i g a t i o n of the n o v e l s i n an a r t i c l e
"A N a t i o n ' s Odyssey."
He makes i t c l e a r
significantly
entitled
that
MacLennan not merely e s t a b l i s h e s i n Barometer R i s i n g a
Homeric p l o t o f the wanderer r e t u r n i n g to a m y s t e r i o u s l y
changed homeland.
He a l s o uses f o r the f i r s t time a group
of symbolic c h a r a c t e r s which w i l l r e c u r i n l a t e r permutat i o n s i n h i s l a t e r n o v e l s ; the r e t u r n i n g wanderer, the w a i t i n g woman, the f a t h e r l e s s c h i l d , the wise d o c t o r --sometimes
transformed i n t o the wise o l d man, and the p r i m i t i v e ,
v i o l e n t , but e s s e n t i a l l y good g i a n t . ?
With Woodcock's a n a l y s i s , c r i t i c i s m has begun to p i e r c e
simple borrowings from the c l a s s i c s , beyond
to p e r c e i v e what a r e c l e a r l y
beyond
surface analogies,
the a r c h e t y p e s w i t h i n .
While
Paul Goetsch r e c o g n i z e s i n Barometer R i s i n g "a technique o f
m y s t i f i c a t i o n l o o s e l y p a t t e r n e d on the account o f Ulysses'
r e t u r n of Ithaca,"^
i n Each Man's Son.
Woodcock sees another mythic
Both c r i t i c s
structure
speak o f mythic elements i n
The Novels o f Hugh MacLennan,"
(Summer 1953), p. 186.
Queen's Q u a r t e r l y ,
LX
^ " I n t r o d u c t i o n , " Barometer R i s i n g
& Stewart, 1958), p. x.
(Toronto, M c C l e l l a n d
^Canadian L i t e r a t u r e , 10 (Autumn 1961), p. 9.
^"Too Long to the C o u r t l y Muses," Canadian L i t e r a t u r e ,
10 (Autumn 1961), p. 21
The Watch t h a t Ends the N i g h t
--Goetsch,
f o r instance seeing
i n the n o v e l a " p r o x i m i t y to myth and a l l e g o r i c forms o f o r d e r . "
*
*
*
Most c r i t i c s agree t h a t myth and l i t e r a t u r e are o f the
same f a m i l y o f human e x p r e s s i o n .
word
'myth' means s t o r y :
As R i c h a r d Chase says, "the
a myth i s a t a l e , a n a r r a t i v e , or a
poem; myth i s l i t e r a t u r e and must be c o n s i d e r e d as an a e s t h e t i c
c r e a t i o n of the human i m a g i n a t i o n . " ^
l i t e r a t u r e of a s p e c i a l n a t u r e .
the n a t u r a l w i t h
being
I t i s " l i t e r a t u r e which s u f f u s e s
p r e t e r n a t u r a l e f f i c a c y , " the p r e t e r n a t u r a l
" t h a t which i s m a g i c a l ,
Mysterious,
Myth, o f c o u r s e , i s
the Powerful,
Extraordinary."10
the Uncanny, the Wonderful, the
the T e r r i b l e , the Dangerous, the
I n myth, man expresses h i s awe a t the wonder
of the u n i v e r s e , i t s g r e a t n a t u r a l c y c l e s , i t s o p p o s i t i o n s of
j o y and s u f f e r i n g ,
l i f e and death.
f o r the t i n g e o f awe s u r r o u n d i n g
T h i s may
partly
account
the c l a s s i c a l myths
themselves,
combined w i t h the r e s p e c t due them simply because o f t h e i r
antiquity.
In the western world,
c e r t a i n c o n v e n t i o n a l a t t i t u d e s and
i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s are a s s o c i a t e d w i t h the more v e n e r a b l e
myths, and, as Northrop
Frye
classical
indicates,
When ever we f i n d e x p l i c i t m y t h o l o g i z i n g i n l i t e r a t u r e , or a
w r i t e r t r y i n g to i n d i c a t e what myths he i s p a r t i c u l a r l y
^Quest f o r Myth (Baton Rouge, L a . , L o u i s i a n a S t a t e U.
P r e s s , 1949), p. 73.
l O i b i d . , p. 78.
- 7. -
i n t e r e s t e d i n , we should t r e a t t h i s as c o n f i r m a t o r y or supp o r t i n g evidence f o r our study of the genres and conventions
he i s u s i n g . H
In c h o o s i n g a p a r t i c u l a r myth, the w r i t e r i s d o i n g so w i t h
particular intent;
t h a t i s , the myth he chooses has a c e r t a i n
meaning f o r him which he hopes i s shared w i t h the r e a d e r .
The
c o n v e n t i o n s which l e a d to a common u n d e r s t a n d i n g between the
w r i t e r and h i s reader may
v a r y from age
to age,
but t h e r e
seem to be c e r t a i n c o n v e n t i o n s of a t t a c h i n g meaning to myth
which have v a r i e d s u r p r i s i n g l y l i t t l e .
classical
S t o i c s and
the humanists of the Renaissance
i n t e r p r e t myth on the a l l e g o r i c a l
l e v e l , attempting
the myths to the l e v e l o f t h e i r own
and
For example, the
i t i s most o f t e n t h i s l e v e l we
e x p l i c i t l y uses myth.
intellectual
see when an
inclined
to
"to r a i s e
preoccupations," 2
x
author
From t h i s p e r s p e c t i v e the myths are
taken
"to be i n g e n i o u s l y symbolized concepts o f the nature of the
u n i v e r s e or b e a u t i f u l v e i l s c o n c e a l i n g profound moral
Hugh MacLennan, a humanist and
something
principles."
of a modern s t o i c ,
e x p l i c i t l y uses myth w i t h c o n s c i o u s purpose
as a framework on
which to hang h i s " i n t e l l e c t u a l p r e o c c u p a t i o n s . "
But myth has
v a l u e beyond t h i s , f o r
a l i v e or v i t a l myth i s a r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f a s t a t e , s i t u a t i o n ,
or event ( p a s t , c u r r e n t or f u t u r e ) which, a t i t s lowest, i s
" M y t h , F i c t i o n , and Displacement," F a b l e s o f I d e n t i t y
York, H a r c o u r t , Brace, 1963), pp. 34-35
x±
(New
l ^ c h a s e , Quest f o r Myth, p.
1 3
Ibid.,
p.
2.
1.
- 8.
-
a c c e p t e d by i t s c a r r i e r s as s u f f i c i e n t l y v a l i d ( c r e d i b l e ,
s a t i s f y i n g ) , o r , a t i t s h i g h e s t , i s embraced as 'the n e a r e s t
approach to a b s o l u t e t r u t h t h a t can be s t a t e d . ' 1 ^
And to the modern c r i t i c there
myth than even t h i s ,
f o r the
of
t r u t h embodied i n myths i s not
that c o n t a i n e d i n " i n g e n i o u s l y
t h a t expressed
i s more to an a u t h o r ' s use
symbolized c o n c e p t s , "
only
but a l s o
i n the a r c h e t y p a l p a t t e r n s which emerge
spontaneously
t
from the w r i t e r s mind, a r c h e t y p e s which need not be
ally
intention-
symbolic.
In the view of
imagery of a work of
the a r c h e t y p a l c r i t i c , an a n a l y s i s
l i t e r a t u r e can r e v e a l p a t t e r n s
c o r r e s p o n d w i t h c e r t a i n a r c h e t y p a l myths.
of
the
which
In F r y e ' s words,
myth i s the c e n t r a l i n f o r m i n g power that g i v e s a r c h e t y p a l
s i g n i f i c a n c e to the r i t u a l and a r c h e t y p a l n a r r a t i v e to the
oracle.
Hence the myth is_ the a r c h e t y p e , though i t might be
c o n v e n i e n t to say myth o n l y when r e f e r r i n g to n a r r a t i v e , and
archetype when speaking of s i g n i f i c a n c e . 1 5
The s i n g l e
at
the
image focuses the r e a d e r ' s
same time as i t
e l o p e d by the
focuses h i s
sum of a l l
the imagery,
The p a t t e r n devand,
the c r i t i c can
the s t r u c t u r a l p r i n c i p l e s a t work i n the n a r r a t i v e .
As these p r i n c i p l e s are the same as
--where
emotion.
interest
the images has the same e f f e c t ,
by a n a l y z i n g the s t r u c t u r e of
determine
intellectual
they are i s o l a t e d - -
those working i n myth
the myth r e v e a l s
l ^ M u r r a y , Myth and Mythmaking,
p.
an a r c h e t y p a l
337
15"Hie Archetypes of L i t e r a t u r e , " F a b l e s ,
p.
15
p a t t e r n which i n t u r n y i e l d s a deeper s i g n i f i c a n c e to the
n a r r a t i v e o f both an i n t e l l e c t u a l and emotional
An
nature.
i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f the author's e x p l i c i t use o f myth
on the one hand and the p a t t e r n s o f imagery on the o t h e r
leads to v a l u a b l e i n s i g h t s i n t o both
MacLennan's n o v e l s .
the form and meaning o f
Not o n l y i s the i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f
i n d i v i d u a l n o v e l s enhanced but, by comparing the r e s u l t s o f
the separate a n a l y s e s , a s i g n i f i c a n t
be d i s c e r n e d r u n n i n g through
path o f development can
the body o f h i s work.
n o v e l s to a n a l y z e i n t h i s way a r e Barometer R i s i n g ,
The b e s t
the f i r s t
p u b l i s h e d n o v e l (1941), Each Man's Son, the b e s t middle
(1951), and The Watch t h a t Ends the N i g h t , the l a t e s t
(1959).
novel
novel
S t r u c t u r a l s i m i l a r i t i e s and d i f f e r e n c e s between these
n o v e l s do much to i n d i c a t e MacLennan's major themes and h i s
development o f these themes.
H i s thematic
interests vary
the i n d i v i d u a l l e v e l o f p e r s o n a l i n n e r c o n f l i c t
o f s o c i a l change, and to develop
from
to the l e v e l
these themes he uses methods
v a r y i n g from o m n i s c i e n t d i d a c t i c i s m to imagery t h a t speaks
for i t s e l f .
As a means of a r t i s t i c
e x p r e s s i o n , the imagery,
of c o u r s e , i s most e f f e c t i v e , and the p a t t e r n s o f imagery a r e
most s i g n i f i c a n t .
Frye i n d i c a t e s t h a t i n i t s a r c h e t y p a l
phase, l i t e r a t u r e i m i t a t e s n a t u r e as a c y c l i c a l
p r o c e s s , and
i m i t a t e s a l s o a v i s i o n o f s o c i a l d e s i r e , n o t expressed as a
c y c l e but as a d i a l e c t i c
illustrating
the f u l f i l m e n t o f
d e s i r e and the o b s t a c l e s i n the way o f t h a t f u l f i l m e n t .
-
"Archetypal
criticism,
rhythms or p a t t e r n s ,
and
the r e l a t i v e
erent
10.
t h e r e f o r e , r e s t s on two
one
cyclical,
s t r e s s e s MacLennan puts on
types of o r g a n i z i n g
a t t i t u d e s towards man
This leads
the other
and
finally
patterns
organizing
dialectic,"l^
these two
diff-
r e v e a l s h i s changing
society.
to a c o n s i d e r a t i o n of MacLennan's
c o n t r i b u t i o n to the development o f a n a t i o n a l c o n s c i o u s n e s s .
As
Joseph Campbell p o i n t s out,
myth . . . and,
the
"the
hence, l i t e r a t u r e has
i n d i v i d u a l , both e m o t i o n a l l y
l o c a l organization."17
local organization
there can be no
just
t h i s aspect
Pacey had
paramount f u n c t i o n of a l l
and
always been to engage
intellectually,
i n MacLennan's case, we
to i n c l u d e
may
i n the
expand
the n a t i o n a l o r g a n i z a t i o n .
doubt that he has
of h i s w r i t i n g .
been v e r y
And
interested in
Whereas i n 1945
Desmond
expressed doubts that a r e a l l y n a t i o n a l n o v e l
then be w r i t t e n , a year l a t e r MacLennan was
the
could
saying,
Canada i s i n search of h e r s e l f today.
She i s b a d l y i n need
o f i n t e r p r e t a t i o n , not o n l y to h e r s e l f by one of her own,
but
to the r e s t of the w o r l d as w e l l .
I t i s through the l i t e r a ture of a c o u n t r y t h a t the w o r l d comes to know h e r .
And there
are Canadians w r i t i n g i n Canada today who are e q u i p p i n g thems e l v e s f o r the t a s k . ™
Pacey had
it
had
Barometer R i s i n g to c o n s i d e r
and
evidently
to be more r e g i o n a l than n a t i o n a l i n n a t u r e , and
1
^Anatomy of C r i t i c i s m
(New
felt
MacLennan
York, Atheneum, 1966), p.
•^The Masks of God:
P r i m i t i v e Mythology
M a c m i l l a n , 1959), p. 467.
106
(Toronto,
18"Canada Between C o v e r s , " Saturday Review of L i t e r a t u r e ,
XXIX, 36 (Sept. 7, 1946), pp. 5-6
has nowhere d i s p u t e d t h i s .
to say t h a t i n Barometer
significant,
flict
later
R i s i n g "the p e r s o n a l c o n f l i c t i s
f i n a l l y , as an image o f a l a r g e r , symbolic con-
of s o c i a l
t h i s n o v e l was
f o r c e s or a t t i t u d e s . M a c L e n n a n ' s i n t e n t i n
to p o r t r a y a c o n f l i c t o f n a t i o n a l
n a t i o n a l scope; i f he was
may
Even so, Hugo McPherson was
not e n t i r e l y
importance,
s u c c e s s f u l , the cause
have been l a c k o f e x p e r i e n c e , and a comparison of
later
n o v e l s i n d i c a t e s a movement away from r e g i o n a l i s m toward, i n
fact,
the c r e a t i o n o f a n a t i o n a l image, a myth w i t h which a l l
Canadians can
identify.
Mythology and l i t e r a t u r e , as they a r e e x p r e s s i o n s o f
more than " i n g e n i o u s l y symbolized c o n c e p t s , " are a l s o more than
simply a means o f engaging the i n d i v i d u a l i n the s o c i a l
organization.
of
Myth c o n t a i n s much more than a c o n v e n t i o n a l code
s o c i a l mores or the d e f i n i t i o n of a s o c i a l norm:
i t is
a p o e t i c , supernormal imag^, c o n c e i v e d , l i k e a l l p o e t r y , i n
depth, but s u c e p t i b l e of i n t e r p r e t a t i o n on v a r i o u s l e v e l s .
The s h a l l o w e s t minds see i n i t the l o c a l scenery; the deepe s t , the f o r e g r o u n d of the v o i d ; and between are a l l the
stages o f the Way from the e t h n i c to the elementary i d e a ,
the l o c a l to the u n i v e r s a l b e i n g , which i s Everyman, as he
both knows and i s a f r a i d to know.^
The importance o f t h i s statement i n r e l a t i o n
to the develop-
ment o f MacLennan's thought cannot be o v e r s t r e s s e d .
While he
uses c l a s s i c a l myth as an e s s e n t i a l source f o r n a r r a t i v e
"The Novels o f Hugh MacLennan," p.
Campbell, P r i m i t i v e Mythology,
p.
186
472.
frameworks and background d e t a i l s , as he d e v e l o p s , he becomes
l e s s and
l e s s concerned w i t h the s u p e r f i c i a l d e c o r a t i o n s they
c o n t a i n , and more and more concerned w i t h the deeper
logical,
p h i l o s o p h i c a l and r e l i g i o u s s i g n i f i c a n c e .
to e x e m p l i f y f o r MacLennan a way
of
t h a t the t a l e o f the wandering hero,
of c e n t r a l importance
Myth comes
life.
L e a d i n g a n a l y s t s o f myth, such as Joseph
agree
psycho-
Campbell,
the quest myth, i s
i n most, i f not a l l m y t h o l o g i e s ,
s i m i l a r l y , most l i t e r a r y c r i t i c s would agree w i t h
and,
Northrop
Frye i n i d e n t i f y i n g "the c e n t r a l myth o f l i t e r a t u r e ,
in its
n a r r a t i v e a s p e c t , w i t h the quest myth."21
drawing
Campbell,
upon p s y c h o l o g i c a l and a n t h r o p o l o g i c a l d a t a , c o n s i d e r s the
quest
myth to be a " m a g n i f i c a t i o n of the formula r e p r e s e n t e d i n the
rites
of passage:
separation-initiation-return,"22
simply, a movement o f withdrawal
return.
The
o
r
j
m 0
re
(from normal s o c i e t y ) and
formula i s a t the core of man's e x p e r i e n c e o f
h i s c o n d i t i o n , and
the myth i s an i d e a l e x p r e s s i o n o f t h a t
e x p e r i e n c e because i t b e s t e x e m p l i f i e s the n a t u r a l movements
of the w o r l d man
inhabits.
s e i z e s on the fundamental
As Frye p o i n t s out, the "myth
element o f d e s i g n o f f e r e d by
--the c y c l e , as we have i t d a i l y i n the sun and
2
1 " A r c h e t y p e s , " F a b l e s , p.
nature
yearly
18
22jhe Hero w i t h a Thousand Faces
1949), p. 30.
(New
York:
Pantheon,
i n the
life,
of
s e a s o n s - - and a s s i m i l a t e s
death,
the
and .
the
r e b i r t h . "23
s t r u c t u r e man c o n t i n u a l l y
imitates
the r i t e s
structure
e
perceives
i n m i n i a t u r e the
of passage - - t h e
s t r u c t u r e of
c y c l e of days and seasons and of human l i f e
death
Th
(and r e b i r t h ) , so does the
reduced to two s t e p s .
The f i r s t
the n a t u r a l
from b i r t h
to
quest myth.
can be
s t e p of the q u e s t i n g hero
i n t o a s t a t e of withdrawal or detachment
(separation);
is
he
from the normal w o r l d , weighed down by an i n c r e a s -
i n g sense of d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n .
clarifies
his
ured i n the
difficulties,
process
u r a t i o n , he f i n d s
able
As
coming of
The p a t t e r n o f the myth, as has been mentioned,
retreats
of
of the e x t e r n a l w o r l d and w i t h i n h i m s e l f .
the c y c l i c s t r u c t u r e of
age--
to the human c y c l e
. . Jby analogyj
quest myth i s
i n the motions
it
In h i s
eradicates
(initiation).
peace from h i s
to a c c o m p l i s h the
the
them, and i s
Ideally,
previous
second s t e p ,
the normal w o r l d to teach
detached s t a t e ,
the hero
transfig-
through
transfig-
t r o u b l e s and
is
to r e t u r n r e v i t a l i z e d
l e s s o n he has l e a r n e d of
renewal of a balanced p e r s o n a l i t y and p o s i t i v e l y
to
the
directed
life.
In o t h e r words,
the hero breaks away from h i s o r d i n a r y l i f e ,
suffers
trials
various
of h i m s e l f - -
--thereby gaining increased
and r e t u r n s to put t h i s
23"Myth, F i c t i o n ,
knowledge
self-knowledge
and D i s p l a c e m e n t , " F a b l e s ,
p.
to use
32.
in
r e s t o r i n g and m a i n t a i n i n g balance and o r d e r i n s o c i e t y .
Mythology
and l i t e r a t u r e o f a l l ages and a l l c u l t u r e s
are f u l l o f t a l e s o f the q u e s t i n g h e r o .
The f a m i l i a r
myths abound i n examples, the t a l e s o f Prometheus,
Perseus, and Odysseus to name o n l y a few.
Quest
Greek
Theseus,
stories
also
c o n s t i t u t e a major p a r t o f the Roman (e.g., Aeneid) and -s i g n i f i c a n t l y , c o n s i d e r i n g MacLennan's S c o t t i s h
Celtic
(e.g., C u c h a l a i n ) m y t h o l o g i e s .
heritage-
Primary to t h i s
study,
however, i s Homer's Odyssey, f o r there a r e numerous e x p l i c i t
p a r a l l e l s w i t h Homer's e p i c quest t a l e i n MacLennan's work.
The n a r r a t i v e s t r u c t u r e o f the Odyssey i s t y p i c a l o f
the quest s t o r y , b e i n g a c y c l i c a l
cycle.
form based on the n a t u r a l
I t i s o f t h a t type o f quest c a l l e d
"centripetal,"
t h a t i s , a quest to reach home, the o r i g i n o f the j o u r n e y .
Having departed from h i s home, I t h a c a , and gone to do b a t t l e
a t Troy (recounted i n the I l i a d ) ,
Odysseus s e t s o f f to r e t u r n
to I t h a c a but encounters g r e a t d i f f i c u l t i e s ,
s u f f e r , b a r r i e r s he must overcome
;
t r i a l s he must
He i s withdrawn from the
normal world a l l the way to the dark and m y s t e r i o u s
w o r l d , but f i n a l l y
succeeds
i n h i s endeavours,
home and i s r e u n i t e d w i t h h i s w i f e and son.
under-
regains h i s
The p a t t e r n o f the
n a r r a t i v e i s s i m i l a r to t h a t o f many o t h e r q u e s t s , but t h i s
myth c o n t a i n s c e r t a i n p e c u l i a r f e a t u r e s which s p e c i f i c a l l y r e c u r
i n MacLennan's n o v e l s .
P r e c e d i n g the s t o r y , there i s a l o n g ,
b i t t e r and p a r t i c u l a r l y d e v a s t a t i n g war between two major powers
MacLennan draws on t h i s f o r both h i s t o r i c a l and m e t a p h o r i c a l
parallels.
During the s t o r y , s u i t o r s tempt the hero's w i f e
to be u n f a i t h f u l and f o r s a k e h i s memory, w h i l e the hero's son
emerges as one a b l e l a t e r
f a t h e r ' s realm:
consideration.
the hero
to assume r e s p o n s i b l e command o f h i s
t h i s p a t t e r n i s used i n a l l the n o v e l s under
After
the s t o r y , f u r t h e r t r i a l s a r e i n s t o r e f o r
( p r o p h e s i e d by the ghost o f T e i r e s i a s ) :
n o v e l s end on such a p r o p h e t i c n o t e .
a l l three
And another
important
f a c t o r r e l a t i n g the Odyssey and MacLennan's n o v e l s i s the nature
of the c h a r a c t e r s .
As the quest myth i s , a f t e r a l l ,
the j o u r n e y o f a man,
who i s i n p a r t c o n t r o l l e d by c i r c u m s t a n c e s and i n p a r t
controls
them, the c h a r a c t e r o f Odysseus i s o f extreme importance
development o f the n a r r a t i v e .
to the
H i s nature i s somewhat a m b i v a l e n t :
a t times he i s g e n t l e , c o o l and serene, a t o t h e r s v i o l e n t and
ferocious
(when j u s t i c e must be done).
He i s , i n f a c t , v e r y
s i m i l a r i n c h a r a c t e r to h i s patron goddess, Athene, the goddess
of wisdom and prudent w a r f a r e , a l t h o u g h Odysseus i s an e m i n e n t l y
masculine example o f the q u a l i t i e s
they share.
The G r e c i a n
S t o i c s and the E p i c u r e a n Romans, such as Horace, c o n s i d e r e d
Odysseus a noble example o f manly v i r t u e .
commentators n o t i c e d
They and o t h e r a n c i e n t
that "Odysseus was the f i r s t
Greek to adopt
the p r i n c i p l e o f 'Nothing i n e x c e s s , which w i t h i t s complementary
1
p r i n c i p l e o f 'Know t h y s e l f
1
produced
so much o f what was b e s t i n
- 16. -
Greek thought and a r t . " ^
a n i s t s can be expected
and
What was important
to these a n c i e n t hum-
to have some a p p e a l to modern
humanists,
t h i s i s c e r t a i n l y the case w i t h MacLennan.
L i k e A l f r e d , L o r d Tennyson, a V i c t o r i a n humanist who was
drawn to the Odyssey ("Ulysses", 1842; "To U l y s s e s " , 1888) and a
man
w i t h whom MacLennan has some a f f i n i t y ,
the Canadian has a
sympathy w i t h the Odysseus f i g u r e t h a t seems to become a matter
of s e l f - i d e n t i f i c a t i o n .
As o f t e n happens when an author works
out i n h i s w r i t i n g s what amounts to an i n t e n s e emotional
experience,
both the w r i t e r h i m s e l f and h i s chosen hero-symbol may be
d r a s t i c a l l y changed. F o r the w r i t e r i t c a n be a means o f s e l f d i s c o v e r y , s e l f encouragement, and s e l f - r e a l i z a t i o n .
F o r the
m y t h i c a l hero who i s the p a r t n e r o f t h i s i m a g i n a t i v e empathy,
the e f f e c t may be an e n t i r e l y new mutation i n h i s e v o l u t i o n . 2 5
These " d r a s t i c changes", however, a r e g e n e r a l l y c o n f i n e d to the
more s u p e r f i c i a l a s p e c t s o f the f i g u r e and h i s journey, and
r a r e l y have any a p p r e c i a b l e e f f e c t on the broader o u t l i n e s o f the
quest hero o r the b a s i c p a t t e r n o f the myth.
MacLennan n e g l e c t s
the shrewd and cunning s i d e o f Odysseus' nature and a c c e n t u a t e s
the g e n t l e and u n d e r s t a n d i n g
stubborn single-mindedness,
side.
He a l s o s t r e s s e s
Odysseus'
o c c a s i o n a l l y a l t e r i n g i t to a b l i n d
and o b s e s s i v e , i f n a i v e and i d e a l i s t i c , w i l l
to do the r i g h t
thing.
^W. B. S t a n f o r d , The U l y s s e s Theme (Oxford:
B l a c k w e l l and Mott, 1963), p. 35
2
2 5
Ibid.,
p. 6
Basil,
-
17.
-
Another of Homer's c h a r a c t e r s who
i n MacLennan's n o v e l s
counterpart
i s Odysseus' w i f e , Penelope.
d e p i c t s her as g e n t l e but
Homer
s t r o n g , r e t i c e n t but f i r m , and
a l l wise, wise w i t h an i n t e l l i g e n c e and
not
has\lear
seek s e l f - g r a t i f i c a t i o n .
understanding
above
which
P a t i e n t l y she awaits her husband's
r e t u r n , f e n d i n g o f f the p e r s i s t e n t s u i t o r s w i t h one
managing her much-disturbed household w i t h
hand,
the o t h e r .
MacLennan
g e n e r a l l y h a n d l e s t h i s b a s i c p i c t u r e of her c h a r a c t e r w i t h
modification.
found
left
He
little
deals s i m i l a r l y with a d d i t i o n a l characters
i n the Odyssey.
Eumaeus, Odysseus' f a i t h f u l
servant,
i n I t h a c a d u r i n g the journey but i n s t r u m e n t a l i n r e - i n s t a t i n g
the hero to h i s r i g h t f u l
p o s i t i o n , appears i n v a r i o u s
So does Telemachus, the hero's son,
his
do
f a i t h f u l and
obedient
to
strong
and
f a t h e r ' s wishes, y e t independent enough to be
self-reliant
and h o l d promise f o r the f u t u r e .
Penelope - - a r r o g a n t ,
numerous g u i s e s .
and maiden-- who
h e l p him
to be
greedy and
The
suitors
s e l f i s h - - are presented
C i r c e , Calypso
and Nausicaa
appear under many names.
And
Olympian a n t a g o n i s t , Poseidon,
earth-shaker
in
eventually
f i n a l l y , not
seen as human c h a r a c t e r s i n MacLennan's n o v e l s
i n e x o r a b l e f o r c e s , are the gods:
but
as
Odysseus' c h i e f
and
l o r d of the
Odysseus' c h i e f a i d , Athene, patron of wisdom and w a r f a r e ;
beyond even these,
of
- - w i t c h , nymph
both h i n d e r Odysseus i n h i s quest and
on h i s way,
invisible,
forms.
sea;
and
that i n e l u c t a b l e f o r c e to which even the gods
themselves must submit, d i v i n e d e s t i n y , m o i r a , p e r s o n i f i e d as
Fate.
-
18.
-
Other t h i n g s i n Homer's e p i c a l s o appear i n MacLennan's
work; f o r example, both w r i t e r s use the sea as a major image.
Homer's sea i s a t once dangerous and b e n e f i c i a l :
i t carries
Odysseus away from home, f r u s t r a t i n g h i s r e t u r n , k i l l i n g h i s
men and t h r e a t e n i n g him; but e v e n t u a l l y i t c a r r i e s him home a
g r e a t e r man than he was b e f o r e .
this very
little.
MacLennan's sea d i f f e r s
I n Homer's sea there a r e i s l a n d s o f r e f u g e ,
a g a i n u s u a l l y o f an ambivalent n a t u r e :
the L o t o s - e a t e r s ,
there i s the land o f
p a r a d i s a l but s e l f - d e f e a t i n g ; C i r c e ' s i s l a n d ,
t h r e a t e n i n g y e t h e l p f u l ; Calypso's
but
from
i s l a n d , a s e n s u a l Eden
l a c k i n g the rewards o f community, o f s o c i e t y ; and f i n a l l y
I t h a c a i t s e l f , r e p r e s e n t i n g home and f a m i l y , the o n l y
place
where Odysseus can f i n d l a s t i n g contentment.
I n the world o f
MacLennan's n o v e l s
These images a r e
such i s l a n d s a l s o appear.
o n l y two o f numerous
The world
literature,
parallels.
o f the Odyssey, the whole world
i s woven i n t o MacLennan's world
of c l a s s i c a l
so t i g h t l y
that
the two w o r l d s , c l a s s i c a l and modern, sometimes become i n d i s tinguishable.
The d i v i d i n g
i s e x t r e m e l y hard
to draw.
l i n e between myth and s o c i a l r e a l i s m
Although MacLennan w r i t e s i n a
" r e a l i s t i c " mode, the e x p l i c i t borrowings from myth f o r the
purposes o f s t r u c t u r i n g and c h a r a c t e r i z a t i o n , and the e x p r e s s i o n
of i d e a l s drawn from c l a s s i c a l
thought, combined w i t h a d i s t i n c t
sense o f the p r e t e r n a t u r a l , pervade the n o v e l s w i t h an atmosphere
that i s not " r e a l i s t i c " ,
an atmosphere that says t h i s i s myth.
Hugh MacLennan i s a mythmaker, a w r i t e r composing f o r
and
h i s readers a pattern
i n h i s s o c i e t y and
i n the
Seen as a whole, the
that defines
philosophy.
a basic c o n f l i c t
i n d i v i d u a l s who
comprise t h i s
p a t t e r n a l s o p r o v i d e s an e v e n t u a l
to t h a t c o n f l i c t , a r e s o l u t i o n that
himself
both
society.
resolution
i s f i r m l y set i n c l a s s i c a l
Chapter Two:
Barometer R i s i n g : The N a t i o n a l Romance
Hugh MacLennan's f i r s t n o v e l , Barometer R i s i n g , i s
explicitly
begins
p a t t e r n e d on Homer's Odyssey.
Greek e p i c
i n media r e s , Odysseus r e t u r n i n g to I t h a c a
j o u r n e y i n g f o r nine years
R i s i n g a l s o begins
the quest,
The
The
from the war
a t Troy.
Barometer
i n media r e s , even c l o s e r to the c l i m a x
f o r N e i l Macrae has
the F i r s t World War
of
a l r e a d y come back to H a l i f a x .
i d e n t i f i c a t i o n of I t h a c a w i t h H a l i f a x and
an important
after
i s c l e a r l y intended.
the T r o j a n w i t h
A l s o , i n both n a r r a t i v e s ,
f e a t u r e of the q u e s t . i s as y e t unconcluded; Odysseus
must d e a l w i t h
the s u i t o r s who
C o l o n e l Wain and h i s a l l i e s
v a s t l y outnumber him,
Neil
has
to overcome.
C o l o n e l G e o f f r e y Wain, an i s o l a t e d example of N e i l ' s
enemies, i s "an ambitious
In t h i s he
man
c o n f i d e n t i n h i s own
i s not u n l i k e N e i l , w i t h
N e i l ' s ambition
f o r h i s f e l l o w man.
possibilities"
power and
confidence
from the past and
(66).
rejoin
g l o r y without
the
regard
A g a i n not u n l i k e N e i l , Wain i s "pervaded
by a q u i e t and unquestioned
pulled a d r i f t
the d i f f e r e n c e t h a t , where
i s p r i m a r i l y to c l e a r h i s name and
community, Wain seeks p e r s o n a l
ability."!
But
t h a t the present
that h i s f u t u r e h e l d u n l i m i t e d
the v i s i o n s the two men
f u t u r e are r a d i c a l l y d i s s i m i l a r .
had
have of
the
Wain e n v i s i o n s a m i l i t a n t ,
••-Hugh MacLennan, Barometer R i s i n g (Toronto: M c C l e l l a n d &
Stewart, 1958), p. 27.
A l l subsequent q u o t a t i o n s from the
n o v e l are from t h i s e d i t i o n and are f o l l o w e d by page r e f e r e n c e s
i n parentheses.
regimented, a u t h o r i t a r i a n s o c i e t y c e n t e r e d on England, a
and
d i f f e r e n t k i n d of Empire more a l o n g r i g i d
f a c t , he
foresees a f a s c i s t s t a t e .
i s c l e a r l y opposed to Wain's; he
Roman l i n e s .
sees an independent n a t i o n
gone b e f o r e .
N e i l i s an i d e a l i s t i c democrat, Wain i s a s e l f i s h ,
a u t o c r a t , c o l d and a r r o g a n t , a l t h o u g h
and
there i s a
s u i t o r s of the Odyssey.
i n d i f f e r e n t power he r a d i a t e d
proudly
He has
Too
put
from
Here l i e s h i s a f f i n i t y w i t h
the
c o n f i d e n t of t h e i r power, too
of t h e i r i n e v i t a b l e v i c t o r y , both
f a t e by
grasping
f o r c e to much e v i d e n t use, a p a r t
maintaining h i s inheritance.
Where
"discrepancy
the mediocre r e c o r d of h i s achievement" (26).
n e i t h e r h i s a b i l i t y nor
In
N e i l ' s v i s i o n i s h a z i e r but
c r e a t i n g a f r e e s o c i e t y s u p e r i o r to what has
between the sense of r u t h l e s s and
new
sure
the s u i t o r s and Wain tempt
swaggering through t h e i r worlds,
unaware t h a t
t h e i r mistaken b e l i e f s are s e l f - d e f e a t i n g . As h i s name i m p l i e s ,
C o l o n e l Wain i s d e s t i n e d to wane.
Because of the d i s p a r i t y , apparent and
c o n t r o l of the s i t u a t i o n e x e r t e d by N e i l
(the s u i t o r s ) ,
r e a l , between the
(Odysseus) and Wain
the hero must c o n s i d e r d i s c r e t i o n the b e t t e r
p a r t of v a l o u r and
remain hidden.
L i k e Odysseus, N e i l
appears i n h i s n a t i v e community i n a g u i s e i n f e r i o r
rightful
position:
first
to h i s
Odysseus i s dressed as a beggar; N e i l
l i k e a tramp, p o o r l y dressed and
i n need o f a shave, " i n England
he would have been l a b e l l e d a gentleman who
Circumstances keep N e i l ,
looks
had
l o s t c a s t e " (3).
l i k e Odysseus, a s t r a n g e r i s o l a t e d i n a
- 22. -
community he knows w e l l ,
" r e c o g n i z e d by no-one" ( 5 ) .
i s o l a t i o n has been h i s l o t s i n c e he departed from
the war,
f o r "army r o u t i n e had
existence
(93).
to
. . .
This
the scene
g i v e n p l a c e to a phantasmal
i n which n o t h i n g had been r e a l but
In terms of the Homeric work, the i s o l a t e d
loneliness"
l i f e i s equal
the b u l k o f Odysseus' j o u r n e y , t h a t time f o l l o w i n g the T r o j a n
War,
and much o f Odysseus' e x i s t e n c e i s l i t e r a l l y
specifically
t h a t spent
i n the underworld.
"phantasmal,"
This c l e a r l y
connects
w i t h N e i l ' s f e e l i n g t h a t "he might as w e l l be dead as the
he was,
s i n c e the c h i e f l o s s i n death was
communicate" (45).
cannot
He
is s t i l l
the a b i l i t y
to
i n a s t a t e of detachment
and
i n the p l a c e he knew as home" ( 7 ) , u n t i l he has
a b l e "to square
a time N e i l
some a c c o u n t s "
(108), as he
says he must.
i s Penelope who
differs
first
r e c o g n i z e s N e i l , and here
from the e p i c , where i t i s Telemachus who
father,
to
been
For
i s f o r c e d to w a i t h e l p l e s s l y and watch, "conscious of
wanting to get back to Penelope more than a n y t h i n g e l s e "
his
way
f u l f i l l h i s "simple d e s i r e f o r an acknowledged r i g h t
e x i s t here
It
of
(199).
the n o v e l
first
recognizes
Odysseus.
Penelope Wain shares many q u a l i t i e s w i t h her model, Homer's
wise Penelope.
She has an i n n e r c o o l n e s s , "a m e r c i f u l power
w i t h i n h e r s e l f t h a t enabled her to s p i l l c o o l water over her
b r a i n and make i t l u c i d
i n moments of c r i s i s "
Odysseus' w i f e a c t s w e l l a t c r i t i c a l
moments.
(85), and
Both
certainly
Penelopes
have a s e r e n i t y t h a t a l l o w s them to cope w i t h f r u s t r a t i o n , Homer's
-.23.
w i t h the irksome
f a t h e r and
-
s u i t o r s , MacLennan's w i t h her
i n s u f f e r a b l e aunt, M a r i a .
domineering
Furthermore,
MacLennan's
words d e s c r i b i n g Penny Wain might j u s t as e a s i l y be used
d e s c r i b e her Homeric c o u n t e r p a r t :
absorbed
and
and
i n repose
to
"her face seemed
p r i v a t e , " w h i l e i n c o n v e r s a t i o n "her face opened
d i s c l o s e d a sympathetic
and comprehensive mind" (10).
These pensive and c o n t r o l l e d minds, however, are not f o r e v e r
serene;
the c o n s t a n t a s s a u l t s of the s u i t o r s have opened a
c h i n k i n Penelope's
armour and have s l i g h t l y weakened her r e s o l v e ,
w h i l e , b e f o r e N e i l ' s appearance, Penny has an " i n c r e a s i n g
of her v u l n e r a b i l i t y "
fact
(20).
T h i s does not d e t r a c t from
sense
the
t h a t both women have s u c c e s s f u l l y kept the s u i t o r s f o r
t h e i r a f f e c t i o n s a t bay,
with her ship design.
Penelope w i t h her famous loom, Penny
And
this a b i l i t y
to cope w i t h
an
e x t r a o r d i n a r y s i t u a t i o n i s d o u b t l e s s what causes Angus Murray to
compliment Penny by c a l l i n g her
finally
to say,
" p r e t t y shrewd" (17), and
"Wise Penelope!
Neil
That's what Odysseus s a i d to
\
h i s w i f e when he got home" (219).
The r o l e of Eumaeus, Odysseus' f a i t h f u l
p l a y e d i n Barometer R i s i n g by A l e c MacKenzie.
all
life
t h a t i s good - - l o y a l t y , honesty,
harmony w i t h n a t u r e :
He
i s a man
is
Alec represents
p a t i e n c e - - i n the o l d
of Nova S c o t i a , j u s t as Eumaeus does i n I t h a c a .
come from the l a n d , and has
one.
swineherd,
A l e c has
l e a r n e d h i s v a l u e s by working i n
h i s has been a hard
of the domestic
l i f e but a
fulfilling
breed, as N e i l r e c o g n i z e s , f o r
- 24.
"his
walk had
-
the melancholy rhythm of a ruminant a n i m a l "
"he h e l d the words i n h i s mouth as
(46).
L i k e Eumaeus, A l e c
i s not
exhibits
depend on i n t e l l i g e n c e , and
i n r e - i n s t a t i n g N e i l (Odysseus) to h i s
position.
As N e i l n o t e s , "Alec and he
r o o t s ; now
i t was
almost as
cud"
o v e r l y i n t e l l i g e n t but
those homely v i r t u e s which do not
i s instrumental
though they were a
and
rightful
stemmed from the same
i f A l e c were about to h e l p
him
v i n d i c a t e h i s f a t h e r f o r years of h u m i l i a t i o n s u f f e r e d a t
hands of the Wains" (131).
N e i l i s to r e s t o r e h i s
honour, as Odysseus r e s t o r e s
N e i l himself
on a quest.
t h a t of L a e r t e s
sometimes r e c o g n i z e s
When he
i s most alone and
"a d i s t o r t e d image of h i m s e l f
A f t e r the e x p l o s i o n ,
for
revenge on C o l o n e l Wain, he
i n h i s e x i l e was
in
had
a f t e r he has
the
despondent, he
never saw
recognizes
f u t u r e he would always be a b l e
best a n a l y s t o f h i s own
through Penny Wain and
i n the
quest
many myriads
the
light"
(88).
t h a t the
"bitterness
to t e l l h i m s e l f
past"
(200).
that
N e i l i s not
him
he
the
s i t u a t i o n , however, f o r i t i s l a r g e l y
Angus Murray t h a t MacLennan makes e x p l i c i t
i n d i c a t e s h i s place
in
pattern.
Penny t e l l s us
and
Lilliput
No m a t t e r what happened to
statements about N e i l ' s p e r s o n a l i t y and
the
has
worked o f f h i s v i o l e n t d e s i r e
quite extinguished.
s u r v i v e d worse t h i n g s
Odyssey.
h i s r o l e as a wanderer
as a G u l l i v e r i n t h i s
swarmed underneath and
the
father's
i n the
wrenching the r o o f s o f f houses to d i s c o v e r how
of creatures
he
t h a t N e i l i s "impetuous, . . . e x p l o s i v e
o b l i v i o u s to what other
people might be
t h i n k i n g " (113).
Here,
- 25.
MacLennan i s a c c e n t u a t i n g the v i o l e n t s i d e o f the Odysseus
f i g u r e ' s n a t u r e , because
i t s u i t s h i s purpose
to do so. I f
N e i l were as shrewd as Odysseus, and had h i s f o r e s i g h t , he would
know e x a c t l y what he was g o i n g to do and where i t would
him.
T h i s , MacLennan does n o t d e s i r e , f o r he wishes
h i s hero's f u t u r e i n doubt a t the end o f the n o v e l .
lead
to leave
N e i l must
be the man t h a t Penny knows i s " c a r e l e s s and impetuous and
o v e r - c o n f i d e n t o f h i s own a b i l i t y
to shape the w o r l d a c c o r d i n g
to h i s own d e s i g n " (106), f o r he r e p r e s e n t s Canada?s f u t u r e .
Penny may be bothered a l i t t l e by h i s b l i n d i d e a l i s m , but she
a l s o sees him as "the o n l y eager human b e i n g she had ever
known" (106), and she i s drawn to t h i s v i t a l ,
It
positive
eagerness.
i s "wise" Penelope who f i n a l l y makes c l e a r the b a s i c h e r o i c
quality i n Neil:
"By nature he would f i g h t
a c h i e v e a human s i g n i f i c a n c e
i n d e f i n i t e l y to
i n an age where the products o f
human i n g e n u i t y make mockery o f the men who had c r e a t e d them.
He would f i g h t because
courage"
(216).
n o t h i n g y e t had been too b i g f o r h i s
S i m i l a r l y , Angus t e l l s us much o f the h e r o ,
and h i s p l a c e i n the quest p a t t e r n when he speaks
Neil
of himself:
So, l i k e the wanderer, the sun gone down, darkness be over me,
my r e s t a stone - - t h a t ' s your Nova S c o t i a n , i f you've the
eye to see i t .
Wanderers. Looking a l l over the c o n t i n e n t f o r
a future.
But they always come back.
That's the p o i n t to
remember, they always come back to the r o o t s . ( 1 3 6 )
Nova S c o t i a n s --and the c u l t u r e h e r o , N e i l Macrae, e p i t o m i z e s
Nova S c o t i a n s - - f o l l o w the path o f the c e n t r i p e t a l quest back
to t h e i r o r i g i n s .
This p a t t e r n r e c u r s t r a g i c a l l y i n Each Man's S_
- 26. -
but i n t h i s n o v e l the c y c l e i s comic, as Angus p o i n t s out when
he
says, "I've seen a man t h a t ' s r i s e n from the dead" (137).
MacLennan has begun to blend the c l a s s i c a l and the C h r i s t i a n :
N e i l Macrae has become n o t o n l y an Odyssean c u l t u r e hero, but
something o f a messiah as w e l l .
N e i l i s a s o c i a l messiah r a t h e r than a r e l i g i o u s one, and,
although
the C h r i s t i a n messiah i s c o n v e n t i o n a l l y a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h a lamb, N e i l
i s a s s o c i a t e d with o t h e r a n i m a l s .
h i s r e - i n s t a t e m e n t , he imagines
Before
h i m s e l f as "a f i s h on the end
of a hook" ( 7 ) , and t h i s image o f the trapped animal
i s picked
>
up l a t e r when Penny i s t h i n k i n g o f N e i l ' s s i t u a t i o n .
As she
t h i n k s , h e r a t t e n t i o n i s r e p e a t e d l y drawn to a c a t which "had
finally
t a n g l e d h i m s e l f i n e x t r i c a b l y i n the b a l l o f wool, and
w i t h b a f f l e d and desperate
d i g n i t y was t r y i n g to get f r e e "
L a t e r , he " r o l l e d over, c l a w i n g f r a n t i c a l l y .
(106).
Whenever he e x t r i c a t e d
h i m s e l f from one loop he i n v o l v e d h i m s e l f i n a n o t h e r "
(107).
This may remind the reader o f a r e f e r e n c e much e a r l i e r i n the
n o v e l to N e i l ' s b e i n g l i k e an "animal bunched f o r a s p r i n g " ( 2 ) .
The animal b e s t known f o r bunching
itself
of the c a t f a m i l y ( l i o n s and t i g e r s ) .
i s the c a t , o r members
These animals have
such
noble c a r r i a g e and a r e so e x p r e s s i v e o f power and s t r e n g t h both
m a n i f e s t and h i d d e n
heroes.
t h a t they a r e t r a d i t i o n a l l y a s s o c i a t e d w i t h
N e i l i s seen as a c a t , which, though domestic, has an
independent,
unmanageable n a t u r e .
He may be trapped, but t h a t
w i l l not s t o p h i s f i g h t i n g to get f r e e .
As Northrop Frye i n d i c a t e s ,
In the comic v i s i o n the animal w o r l d i s a community of dome s t i c a t e d a n i m a l s , u s u a l l y a f l o c k o f sheep, or a lamb, or
one o f the g e n t l e r b i r d s , u s u a l l y a dove.
The a r c h e t y p e o f
p a s t o r a l images.
I n the t r a g i c v i s i o n the animal w o r l d i s
seen i n terms o f b e a s t s and b i r d s of prey, wolves, v u l t u r e s ,
s e r p e n t s , dragons and the l i k e . 2
Such a d i v i s i o n o f animal imagery does appear i n Barometer
Rising.
A l e c MacKenzie
i s i d e n t i f i e d w i t h a domestic a n i m a l ,
a "ruminant a n i m a l " which chews i t s cud.
the
While N e i l
represents
more a c t i v e a s p e c t o f the comic v i s i o n i n the novel, A l e c
r e p r e s e n t s the more g e n t l e .
vision,
too.
There i s , o f c o u r s e , a t r a g i c
N e i l speaks o f "the hyenas
a r o u n d " (110) Penny, and, a f t e r
o f the f a m i l y p r o w l i n g
the e x p l o s i o n , he i s i r r i t a t e d
by the f a l l i n g snow, f o r i t i s "as though the f l a k e s had been a
swarm o f f l i e s "
(197).
These images
of c a r r i o n - e a t e r s
circling
a dying or dead animal h e l p to c r e a t e a mood o f death, i m p l y i n g
a : n o r t a l l y wounded c i t y , a d y i n g or dead s o c i e t y .
This had
been h i n t e d a t b e f o r e i n N e i l ' s f e e l i n g t h a t , i f he t o r e the
r o o f s from the c i t y houses, he ntfoiit d i s c o v e r myriads o f c r e a t u r e s
swarming underneath
(88).
The i m p r e s s i o n i s o f maggots or
te:rmites e a t i n g a t a r o t t e n c o r e .
Barometer
Animal imagery i s important i n
R i s i n g , but n a t u r e imagery i s o f even g r e a t e r importance.
I t i s through images
o f n a t u r e t h a t MacLennan p o r t r a y s
many o f the opposing f o r c e s a t work i n the n o v e l .
"Archetypes o f L i t e r a t u r e , " F a b l e s , pp.
Particularly
20-21
-
28.
-
important are images o f water - - s p r i n g s , r i v e r s , and the sea.
These waters a r e a t work both o u t s i d e and
lor Neil,
i n s i d e the c h a r a c t e r s ,
the sea can be an image o f i s o l a t i o n , and i t takes
o n l y a t h i n breeze from the sea to make "him f e e l
s o l i t a r y " (3).
Penny, s i t t i n g a l o n e , f e e l s
entirely
"as though a stone
had been plunged i n t o the pool o f h e r mind u n t i l her memories
were s u r g i n g l i k e
t r o u b l e d w a t e r s " and
and a sense o f l o s s " (14).
"she ached w i t h
But the waters are e m o t i o n a l l y
ambivalent, f o r the memories become p l e a s a n t ones and
recollects
loneliness
t h a t "as she walked
she
alone i t had been p o s s i b l e to
imagine an aeon o f t r a n q u i l l i t y broadening out l i k e a sea
under the s k y " (14).
W.
H. Auden has made an i n t e r e s t i n g
and
u s e f u l a n a l y s i s o f t h i s type o f image, and concludes t h a t
the
"Sky as c o n t r a s t e d w i t h water
Na.ture."
3
peace may
[equals}
Penny's t r a n q u i l l i t y o f sea under sky suggests
that
be found when s p i r i t and nature are i n harmony.
But
the waters are r a r e l y , i f e v e r , s t i l l .
r e c o l l e c t i o n of t r a n q u i l l i t y ,
"how
S p i r i t as c o n t r a s t e d w i t h
Shortly a f t e r her
Penny q u i v e r s a t the thought o f
h e l p l e s s h e r e x i s t e n c e had been i n the c u r r e n t o f f o r c e s
she had been a b l e n e i t h e r to p r e d i c t nor c o n t r o l " (15).
A
sense o f c u r r e n t s or t i d e s , u n c o n t r o l l a b l e , sometimes a p p e a r i n g
m a l i g n a n t , sometimes benign, o f t e n b l i n d and m i n d l e s s , i s v e r y
s t r o n g throughout
the n o v e l .
The Enchafed F l o o d (New
Young Roddie Wain, watching
York:
Random House, 1950),
the
p.
75.
29.
troop s h i p Olympic
go h u l l - d o w n over the h o r i z o n , suddenly
feels
empty and a l o n e .
The waves b r e a k i n g l i g h t l y on the smooth
iStones o f the shore were l i k e an u n e a r t h l y l a u g h t e r , and
t h e i r sound was c o n s t a n t and a l l - p e r v a d i n g , w i p i n g out the
r e a l i t y o f what he had j u s t seen and f i l l i n g h i s mind w i t h
an unreasonable sense of disenchantment. (56)
Roddie has been u n s e t t l e d by a t a s t e o f the i n e x o r a b l e powers
of n a t u r e , the slow, l e v e l l i n g
the mighty
waters h o l d
f o r c e s o f change to which
Olympic must e v e n t u a l l y f a l l .
peace,
too.
But the
of the room, the t a b l e s and c h a i r s and
and
"the w a l l s
the p i c t u r e o f the
the sea, f l o w i n g a g a i n s t h i s e y e b a l l s
ebbing away w i t h a motion
but h i s thoughts, and
And
shifting
To the drunken Angus Murray, t i r e d
a f r a i d o f a r e a l i t y which appears u g l y and f u t i l e ,
dead duck surged l i k e
even
and
so steady i t d e s t r o y e d e v e r y t h i n g
from those i t removed the p a i n " (134).
to Penny, a f t e r h e r eye o p e r a t i o n , when the e x p l o d i n g ,
r a p i d l y changing w o r l d seems to have become too much to bear,
"through the w e l l i n g waters
. . .
no
l o n g e r seemed o f much importance"
has become as N e i l now
now,
o f h e r e x h a u s t i o n . . . the
(175-76).
future
Penny
has, concerned o n l y w i t h the here
the f i g h t a t hand.
and
By the time she and N e i l s e t o f f t o g e t h e r
a.: the end o f the n o v e l , she i s ready to go on r e g a r d l e s s , to
accept that
"titanic
"she was
forces"
i n the c u r r e n t now"
(216).
(215), i n the g r i p of
The b a s i c o p p o s i t i o n i m p l i e d
and
s t a t e d i n these images i s one o f f l u x to s t a s i s , o f motion
r e s t , and MacLennan's sympathies
S i m i l a r o p p o s i t i o n s appear
seem to be w i t h the
to
flux.
i n o t h e r n a t u r e images, and
images of
- 30.
the g e n e r a l
setting.
I t becomes e v i d e n t
novel
-
that there
made, and there
i n the v e r y f i r s t
paragraph o f
the
i s an o p p o s i t i o n between nature and the manis a strong suggestion,
between l i g h t and d a r k n e s s .
too,
o f an o p p o s i t i o n
The n a r r a t o r s a y s ,
"In the west
the w i n t e r sky was b r i l l i a n t and c l o u d s massing under the
sun
were t a k i n g on c o l o u r , but smoke hung low i n the s t r e e t s "
The l i g h t - d a r k n e s s o p p o s i t i o n becomes s t r o n g e r when N e i l
(1).
is
seen l o o k i n g west to watch the s u n s e t , a "shedding b l a z e o f
crowning the c o n t i n e n t "
east;
(4),
w h i l e darkness moves
i n from the
" i t s p i l l e d over from the l a n d and lapped the
massive
s i d e s of the g r a v i n g - d o c k and the h u l l s of v e s s e l s r i d i n g
at
anchor;
.
i t advanced westward from the h i d d e n sea;
was behind i t " ( 9 ) .
to the c i t y ;
of
s h i p y a r d s can be seen "the
long s k e l e t o n
time a s s o c i a t e d
Once a g a i n
this
Significantly,
sunsets are g l o r i o u s l y p o s i t i v e
the
is
there
with darkness.
to C o l o n e l Wain they seem n e g a t i v e .
w i t h a vague sense of d i s t a s t e
attention
In the Wain
i s a sense o f d e a t h ,
and N e i l Macrae,
fog
of a s h i p under c o n s t r u c t i o n ,
k e e l b u r i e d i n the n i g h t " ( 9 ) .
while
.
the s u r r o u n d i n g c o u n t r y s i d e
minimized and d r i v e n inward to the man-made.
l y i n g with i t s
and .
The e n c r o a c h i n g darkness f o r c e s
consciousness
glory
to the n a r r a t o r
He notes
"glow o f sunset r e e k i n g over
the sheds and s p i l l i n g on the f l a t water o f the h a r b o u r "
(62).
One reason f o r Wain's d i s t a s t e may be due to MacLennan's use
sunsets to appear p r o p h e t i c of change.
Wain, of c o u r s e ,
of
stands
for
the s t a t u s quo.
The
the Tuesday evening
d e s c r i b e s Bedford
evening
Wain watches the sunset
p r i o r to the e x p l o s i o n , the n a r r a t o r
B a s i n as
"walled by d a r k n e s s . " The
l i g h t s of the s h i p s i n the B a s i n f l i c k e r
f i r e f l i e s motionless
is
"reeking,
i n the v o i d . "
l i k e a scene p r i o r to c r e a t i o n .
The
riding
" l i k e a swarm o f
dark, m o t i o n l e s s
void
Meanwhile, " i n the f a r west
t a e r e remained, l i k e a t i n y i s l a n d b u r n i n g w i t h a d i s t a n t f i r e ,
a s l i v e r of c l o u d s t i l l
sun"
.
(75).
A little
r e f l e c t i n g the glow from the
l a t e r , N e i l n o t i c e s the
. . to the ground . . . and
shook l o o s e one
their d r i f t
by one
to the s e a " (79).
a motion toward^ the e a s t ,
"darkness descended
s p l i n t e r e d clouds
from the
i n the west
t u r m o i l of the sunset
the e a r t h was
face of the waters.
was
And
And
began
toward the dark v o i d of Bedford
without
the face of the deep.
and
S p l i n t e r s of l i g h t have begun
The whole scene i s pervaded by a sense of imminent
"^nd
sunken
form, and v o i d ; and
Basin.
genesis:
darkness was
upon
the S p i r i t of God moved upon the
God
s a i d , L e t there be
light:
and
there
light."
It
i s immediately f o l l o w i n g t h i s
" p r o p h e t i c " scene that
N e i l has h i s v i s i o n of the sun moving a c r o s s a l l Canada, a
vision full
of the knowledge of e t e r n a l change.
the St. Lawrence R i v e r
he
(and by e x t e n s i o n
Thinking
of
i t s whole watershed),
imagines " a l l the time the deep water poured seaward under
the i c e . "
The
p r a i r i e s he
t h i n k s of as
over which the wind passed i n a f i r m and
"endless
plains . . .
continuous
flux
. . .
1
- 32.
-
over the wheat seeds f r o z e n i n t o the a l l u v i a l e a r t h . "
the e a r t h , being a l l u v i a l ,
Of
the
i s subject
towering Rockies, "the
to the
sense o f the mutable i s s t r o n g :
f o r the o n l y
t h i n g constant
beginning.
j u s t as
subject
stability
i s an
i s change.
dominates the a c t i o n i n the n o v e l ,
of the c h a r a c t e r s .
f o r c e s of change.
peaks were gleaming o b e l i s k s "
(79), o b e l i s k s o l d e r than Egypt's but
'Che
c o n t r o l l i n g the
sun,
the power of l i g h t , i s
Opposed to t h i s ,
or power of darkness, i s l i n k e d to the e a s t .
the
s t a b l e but
s o c i e t y of H a l i f a x , f o r e v e r
progress.
Like
i n the house was
the house, H a l i f a x h e r s e l f , "her
represents
recognizes
sees the house
s p i r i t of darkness.
back to the c o n t i n e n t
and
to the Old Country . . . would l i e here i n a l l weathers
unchangeably the same, and her
(32).
repre-
toward England,
Penny Wain
evil
night
entrenched
ever changed" and
i n c u b u s " (18), an o p p r e s s i v e ,
he:r face
The
the
east
t u r n i n g i t s eyes e a s t
i : ; i d e n t i f i e d w i t h the o l d Wain house.
as; "an
The
decadent, w h i l e the west
f u t u r e , o f f e r i n g change and
t h a t "nothing
i n e v i t a b l e as
light.
g e n e r a l l y i d e n t i f i e d w i t h the west.
past,
the
of the Odyssey as a model i n d i c a t e s
In Barometer R i s i n g , the
the
destinies
i f N e i l i s to triumph, so i s the c h i e f f o r c e
a s s o c i a t e d w i t h him,
sents
erosion.
illusion,
MacLennan makes t h i s v e r y c l e a r from
H i s obvious use
And,
to
I n e x o r a b l e change
a.t once to the reader t h a t N e i l ' s triumph i s as
Odysseus'.
Even
But
b e l l s would r i n g i n the
the b e l l s r i n g i n v a i n , f o r the c i t y has
darkness"
isolated
- 33.
itself
too c o m p l e t e l y
nature:
its
it
is
-
from North American s o c i e t y and from
a " c l e a r i n g i n the f o r e s t
back to the western w i l d e r n e s s ,
one of i t s
like
f r o n t i n g the sea"
ignoring i t .
It
s m a l l p a r t s , Wain's Wharf, which has an
"the gateway to a c o l o n i a l
fort."
It
is
is
like
entrance
solid,
yet
it
manages "to g i v e the i m p r e s s i o n that a t some time i n i t s
i t had been b e s i e g e d " (57).
constantly
The c i t y
a fort,
cage" (197).
Its
and because of
inhabitants
Any n o b i l i t y i t has
is
it
is
are imprisoned by t h e i r own w i l l .
borrowed from
bad weather"
destroyed,
change,
from the west which b r i n g the odour of
and i g n o r e d the
(177).
fact
It
is
the e s t a b l i s h e d
of the
that
the
place
.
.
. like a
"east wind always
spruce
tonic"
brought
not u n t i l the c i t y has been
largely
a t t i t u d e s d i s r u p t e d and b r o k e n ,
" i n s t e a d o f b e i n g p u l l e d eastward by B r i t a i n , " H a l i f a x ,
w i t h the r e s t of Canada,
ignore.
a l s o a "diminutive
a " f a l s e n o b i l i t y " (141)
t r e e s making "the atmosphere
(49),
this,
chooses to
The c i t y has b l i n d l y i g n o r e d the winds o f
i g n o r e d the winds
past
the c i t y has been
under s e i g e from the v e r y nature i t
is
the s u n .
In f a c t ,
(139),
"would h e r s e l f
decay and g i v e her a new b i r t h "
that
joining
pull Britain clear
of
(201).
Only one p a r t of the o l d Wain p r o p e r t y has any p o s i t i v e
the o n l y p a r t that
with i t s
l a n d of
Penny has any r e a l a f f e c t i o n
summer house and lime t r e e s r e m i n i s c e n t
the s u n .
Here l i e s a patch of
light
for,
of
the
the
in a field
val
garden
tropics,
of
- 34.
darkness.
-
Here, a l t h o u g h the season
i s deep w i n t e r w i t h
the
sun a t i t s lowest r e a c h south, the w i n t e r s u n l i g h t i s
prophetically
The
" l i k e a net thrown over the f r o z e n garden"
(106).
sun has c a s t i t s net and w i l l r e t u r n f o r i t s c a t c h .
The
sun w i l l r e t u r n to r e v i v e the c i t y a f t e r the e x p l o s i o n j u s t
as i t w i l l r e t u r n to r e v i v e and
now
"silent
daylight
r e s t o r e the w i n t e r w i l d e r n e s s ,
and empty i n the hush b e f o r e snow, and
l i k e a r u i n e d house" (71).
filled
with
But b e f o r e the sun r e t u r n s
the c i t y must e x p e r i e n c e u t t e r darkness, which i t does on
the
n i g h t f o l l o w i n g the e x p l o s i o n , "the d a r k e s t n i g h t anyone i n
H a l i f a x c o u l d remember" (177).
f o r c e s opposed throughout
The e x p l o s i o n i s where the g r e a t
the n o v e l meet.
The
time d e p i c t e d i n
the n o v e l , i t s p r e s e n t , i s t h a t moment from which can be viewed
the past and
the o l d s o c i e t y
( s t a b l e , decadent,
the f u t u r e w i t h i t s promise of a new
society
w a r l i k e ) , and
(active,
fresh,
peaceful).
The Mont Blanc, f i l l e d w i t h e x p l o s i v e s which are a
of
the o l d s o c i e t y , explodes
that s o c i e t y .
The
to r e s u l t
product
i n the d e s t r u c t i o n of
e x p l o s i o n i s b l i n d i n i t s s e l e c t i o n of
v i c t i m s , b l i n d as nature i s b l i n d .
Jim and Mary F r a s e r ,
two
g e n t l e , humane, p o s i t i v e c h a r a c t e r s , are k i l l e d h o r r i b l y , Mary's
head s e t t l i n g
While
i n death
" l i k e a c u t flower on i t s s t a l k "
the n e g a t i v e C o l o n e l Wain i s k i l l e d , so i s the
A l e c MacKenzie.
e x p l o s i o n world
(156)
positive
Both these c h a r a c t e r s e p i t o m i z e the o l d , pre- Wain, the e s t a b l i s h e d c i t y
s o c i e t y ; MacKenzie,
the simple r u r a l s o c i e t y doomed to e x t i n c t i o n .
MacKenzie, s u f f e r s
- 35.
his
i n j u r i e s s a v i n g the l i f e
of h i s son, who
p a r t of the f u t u r e s o c i e t y .
a fort
-
The
shattered c i t y
i s seen i n m i l i t a r y images:
working to salvage
lives
on to become
that was
once
a b a t t l e g r o u n d , where
something from the mess appear " l i k e
va.nguard of an a t t a c k i n g army stopped
the
i n i t s t r a c k s " (195);
the harbour i s " l i k e a s i m i t a r w i t h broken edges" (195);
a f t e r the snow, the c i t y seems "a white s h i e l d
sharp-edged s t a r s " (213).
edge, n a t u r e ' s
men
and,
. . . under
Though man's weapons have l o s t
have n o t .
But
the weapons are d i s c a r d e d .
the g r e a t c o n f l i c t
i s over
the
their
and
H a l i f a x ' s v a l u e as a weapon i n
f o r e i g n wars i s l a r g e l y d i m i n i s h e d .
The
o l d H a l i f a x has
fallen
as s u r e l y as the empires of the Near E a s t e r n and A f r i c a n d e s e r t s
to
l i e hidden
i n the
" p r i m a l s o l i t u d e of snow d r i f t i n g
sand over
the r u i n s " (197).
mistakes:
" E v e r y t h i n g was
Nature i s a l r e a d y c o v e r i n g man's
b u r i e d under shimmering snow so
d e l i c a t e l y c l e a n t h a t i t seemed as
to c o n c e a l
But
like
though nature had
conspired
the m i s b e g o t t e n e f f e c t s of human i n g e n u i t y "
there i s a sense, too, t h a t some g i a n t f o r c e has
(213).
deliberately
c r e a t e d the d i s a s t e r , f o r the c i t y appears as i f "punched i n by
a colossal f i s t "
(201).
The
fist
F r a n k e n s t e i n monster generated
breeding
of
by man's greed
f o r c e s g r e a t e r than he can c o n t r o l .
f o r power,
T h i s i s another
the p r e t e r n a t u r a l elements i n the n o v e l , and
suggestion
for
i s that of some t i t a n i c
of MacLennan's c l a s s i c i s m .
perhaps
another
On one hand, the
suitors
Penny's a f f e c t i o n s ( C o l o n e l Wain and
are d e s t r o y e d ,
and,
example
the
where Odysseus i s a i d e d by
establishment)
the hand o f Athene,
N e i l i s a i d e d by the hand of Fortune or chance.
On the o t h e r
hand, combined w i t h the g e n e r a l f e e l i n g of d e s t i n y throughout
the
n o v e l , t h i s f i n a l blow transcends c o i n c i d e n c e (which i t would
be c a l l e d , were the n o v e l " r e a l i s t i c " ) and assumes the nature o f
necessity.
The e x p l o s i o n then becomes a d i v i n e r e t r i b u t i o n ,
as a punishment f o r man's h u b r i s , or simply an
sent
inevitable
m a n i f e s t a t i o n of moira, F a t e , a r e s t o r a t i o n o f balance i n s o c i e t y
and n a t u r e .
The e x p l o s i o n over --the r e t r i b u t i o n exacted, the
of o p p o s i t e s s e t t l e d , w i t h the power of l i g h t
conflict
triumphant--
the
hero s e t s f o r t h from the scene of b a t t l e to r e s t o r e harmony to
the community.
In t h i s , N e i l p a r a l l e l s
e p i c quest, the A e n e i d .
the hero o f V i r g i l ' s
The hero of the Roman work, Aeneas,
f o l l o w s a path s i m i l a r to t h a t o f Odysseus, but the
g o a l of h i s quest i s to found a new
N e i l passes through b i t t e r
them.
prime
c i t y and s t a t e .
L i k e Aeneas,
times, but he i s not d e f e a t e d by
MacLennan makes the p a r a l l e l between the A e n e i d
Barometer R i s i n g c l e a r when he has N e i l
and
think,
F o r s a n e t haec o l i m meminisse i n v a b i t ^ s i c j . Only one who had
e x p e r i e n c e d u l t i m a t e t h i n g s c o u l d comprehend the g r e a t n e s s o f
t h a t l i n e . (200)4
L i k e Aeneas, N e i l
and,
f e e l s i t i s h i s d e s t i n y to found a new
l i k e Odysseus, he has
further t r i a l s
to undergo.
city,
The
^•"Perhaps one day t h i s too w i l l be p l e a s a n t to remember."
A e n e i d , Book I , 203.
s t a r s are i n h i s f a v o u r .
As N e i l and
their child
the f u t u r e i s c o n t a i n e d ) , an image
( i n the c h i l d
of the s t a r s h i n t s a t the f u t u r e .
O r i o n a t t h e i r backs was
O r i o n the hunter,
The 'Bear hung over
as i s noted
arm
The
soon reach h i s z e n i t h and
bear hangs d i r e c t l y over
the B a s i n ,
and,
to the f u t u r e .
i n a n c i e n t western m y t h o l o g i e s ,
d i r e c t i o n of p a r a d i s e .
westward i s the
C e r t a i n l y i t i s to the west t h a t Penny
t u r n t h e i r faces to c a t c h on the breeze
s m e l l of balsam" (219).
The
a i r is clearing,
tremor of a r i s i n g wind" (219).
as the d e s t i n i e s o f both N e i l and
The
quest
"the f r e s h
the barometer
r i s i n g as the weather improves, and N e i l hears
"the
slight
i s not y e t
Canada are not y e t
finished,
realized.
s p i r i t has been born, and N e i l must plunge i n t o
"a.nomalous l a n d . . . s p r a w l i n g waste . . . empty t r a c t
primordial silences," this
mark, t h i s f u t u r e " (79).
before
"unborn m i g h t i n e s s ,
Neil calls
remains.
to i t s b i r t h .
But
this
this
of
question
the n a t i o n "unborn"
the e x p l o s i o n , the c a t a c l y s m which may
equivalent
Basin,
i n the p r o p h e t i c " g e n e s i s " scene, s t r e t c h e s "a l o n g
Traditionally,
But a new
the
r e p r e s e n t i n g the o l d , war-breeding s o c i e t y
to the n o r t h w e s t " (75), p o i n t i n g the way
and N e i l
find
mounting toward h i s z e n i t h " (216).
f i g h t i n g to the death i n Europe, w i l l
then d e c l i n e .
Penny s e t f o r t h to
be
considered
the q u e s t i o n mark, the f u t u r e ,
N e i l does not know e x a c t l y what he
i s going
to do
( n e i t h e r does Canada), but, whatever i t i s , i t w i l l be h i s
- 38. -
independent d e c i s i o n and a c t .
Throughout
the n o v e l there i s a heavy s t r e s s on the
process of change i n nature and s o c i e t y .
at
one
Many o f the c h a r a c t e r s
time or another express t h e i r awareness o f changes
occurring.
For example, Roddie Wain i s made aware o f change,
g;ently when he watches the Olympic
s a i l away, h a r s h l y when he
l e a r n s o f the deaths o f Jim and Mary F r a s e r , a l e s s o n which i s
"the
abrupt and r u t h l e s s impingement o f the unseen and
i n c a l c u l a b l e i n t o h i s own
of
life"
c o u r s e , Penny r e c o g n i z e s t h a t
(187).
the
More d e e p l y than
"the r i g i d automatic l i f e
h e r f a m i l y ' s h i e r a r c h y had been blown wide a p a r t " (191).
change may
occur i n two d i f f e r e n t ways or f o r two
reasons^ undetermined
Roddie,
of
Such
different
and undeterminable chance, or d e t e r m i n i n g
and d e t e r m i n a b l e d e s t i n y .
"Nothing matters i n the w o r l d but chance"
Jim
F r a s e r , and h i s and Mary's deaths would seem to r e - e n f o r c e
t h i s view.
self
Less ready to a c c e p t t h i s , N e i l Macrae f i n d s him-
" t r y i n g to r e s i s t
the c o n v i c t i o n t h a t chance and
terous a c c i d e n t had complete
c o n t r o l of h i s l i f e "
chance has a c e r t a i n , even a major,
chance might
(134).
That
"One
l e a d him to another w i t h no b i n d i n g l i n k but a
a f u t u r e which
past" (7).
prepos-
c o n t r o l he cannot deny.
p e c u l i a r t e n a c i t y which made him determined
for
(127), says
to preserve h i m s e l f
gave no promise o f b e i n g s u p e r i o r to the
But h i s t e n a c i o u s d e t e r m i n a t i o n to c a r r y on, h i s
deep-seated w i l l
to s u r v i v e , i s not the o n l y t h r e a d to grasp, f o r
- 39. -
"not even . . .
evidence
l i f e was p r o b l e m a t i c
degradation
(134).
as a f l y ' s .
him t h a t h i s
Rather i t seemed the f i n a l
o f war that i t c o u l d make a man's l i f e appear s o "
N e i l r e c o g n i z e s , as C o l o n e l Wain to h i s disadvantage
does not,
but
was a b l e to convince
t h a t "war was now n e i t h e r a game nor a p r o f e s s i o n ,
something he c o u l d n ' t
c o n t r o l o r u n d e r s t a n d " (133).
Neil
sees man i n the g r i p o f u n c o n t r o l l a b l e f o r c e s t h a t he h i m s e l f
has
unleashed, f o r c e s that transcend
are working out a p a t t e r n .
chance and a c c i d e n t , and
A man c o u l d determine t h i s
pattern,
i f he c o u l d o n l y step back f a r enough t o see i t i n p e r s e c t i v e .
I t i s Angus Murray who best glimpses these
their
p a t t e r n s , where N e i l
f o r c e s and comprehends
cannot.
Angus i s an anomaly i n the Homeric p a t t e r n o f Barometer
Rising.
be
His c l o s e s t counterpart
i n the Odyssey would seem to
Theoclymenus, the prophet who j o i n s Telemachus on h i s r e t u r n
to I t h a c a .
But the p a r a l l e l i s tenuous a t b e s t .
Granted, h i s
r o l e i s p a r t l y p r o p h e t i c , but he adds much more to the n o v e l
than t h i s .
thoroughly
H i s r o l e i s a t once thoroughly
modern and
classical.
He i s , l i k e N e i l Macrae, an o u t s i d e r , an e x i l e from the
entrenched s o c i e t y , engaged i n a quest
p l a c e i n the w o r l d .
He i s a man o f s u p e r i o r powers, a d o c t o r
w i t h a broad e d u c a t i o n
experienced
has
to f i n d a p u r p o s e f u l
and profound understanding,
a l l l e v e l s of s o c i e t y .
who has
The s o l i t u d e o f h i s e x i l e
produced the courage and endurance to stand a l o n e , but the
- 40.
loneliness i s s t i l l
he
-
p a i n f u l to him.
In t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y
i s something o f an a n t i - h e r o , the l o n e l y , d i s s a t i s f i e d
i n t e l l e c t u a l c u t i n the P r u f r o c k p a t t e r n .
character allows him
This a s p e c t
He
e q u i v a l e n t of the Chorus i n c l a s s i c a l
Greek drama, the
of the enduring
Although he
human v a l u e s above and
i s a rough modern
a l s o h i s r o l e to withdraw o c c a s i o n a l l y and
this
He has
voice
beyond the s t o r y
plays a major part i n working out
perspective.
of h i s
to stand a l o o f much of the time, commenting
c o o l l y on the c h a r a c t e r s and a c t i o n .
in
terms,
itself.
the p l o t , i t i s
put the whole n a r r a t i v e
a number of q u a l i t i e s
t h a t s u i t him
task.
Being
by
p r o f e s s i o n a surgeon, Angus i s not one
f o r g e t d e t a i l s or leave loose ends hanging.
this aspect
The
to
best example of
of h i s r o l e i s h i s o b t a i n i n g A l e c M a c K e n z i e s . s i g n e d
1
statement of N e i l ' s innocence, which the impetuous N e i l
f o r g o t t e n i n the heat of the c r i s i s .
--he
for
l i s t s a few o f h i s f a v o r i t e s :
Nichomachaean E t h i c s , R a s h d a l l ' s
has
A l s o , being widely
Plato's Republic,
read
the
Theory of Good and E v i l ,
Horace,
C a t u l l u s , Thucydides, Shakespeare and M i l t o n - - and
being able
understand and a p p r e c i a t e what he has
the
i n t e l l e c t u a l d i s t a n c e to be
He: stands
as he
wholly
epicurean,
and
He
says he
necessary
o b j e c t i v e about the a c t i o n .
i n n e i t h e r camp, n e i t h e r the o l d nor
i n d i c a t e s when he
extremes" (208).
fairly
read, he has
to
the
i s "caught between . . .
new,
two
i s f i n a l l y a s t o i c , a b l e to endure, and
exponent of t h i s l i f e and
o f the v i r t u e s of
an
the
-
golden mean.
He
but h i s s o r t i e s
his
i s v e r y human--
i n t o the dark s i d e of h i s nature
are a p a r t of
quest.
the i n d i v i d u a l .
t h i n g s more i n terms of the u n i v e r s a l than
Before
the e x p l o s i o n , he
prophesies
f a l l of the o l d , e s t a b l i s h e d world, the t i t l e s
c l a s s i c a l works o f l i t e r a t u r e
r i n g i n h i s mind l i k e
childhood
had
-
i s by no means f a u l t l e s s --he
Angus c o n s i d e r s
and
41.
t h a t he admires making "a
from a c a t h e d r a l which the years
The
forgotten ancients
knows them.
R e f l e c t i n g on the
(193)
process
century
going
a u t h o r stands
of
i t s implica-
to be a
of t h i s a l t e r n a t i o n between boredom and
p r o v i d e s no
i n spite
of change, he asks h i m s e l f ,
a l l the r e s t of the t w e n t i e t h
He
are
Later i n
the n o v e l , Angus p h i l o s o p h i z e s on the e x p l o s i o n and
continuance
poignant
MacLennan i s c l e a r l y
i n d i c a t i n g h i s sympathies through t h i s c h a r a c t e r .
"Was
great
of the t e c h n i c a l era
i n h i s mind to d i s c a r d e d r e l i g i o n , but,
e v e r y t h i n g , Angus i s g l a d he
tions.
of the
the remembrance of a b e l l heard i n
b l i n d l y emptied" (139).
equivalent
the d e c l i n e
f i n a l answer.
But
violence?"
from where the
omniscient
a t the time of w r i t i n g , the answer i s o b v i o u s l y
"Yes!" and he can expect h i s readers
R e f l e c t i n g on the i d e a of coherent
to share
t h i s knowledge.
p a t t e r n s a t work i n the
u n i v e r s e , Murray t h i n k s , "the death o f an i n d i v i d u a l was
i n s i g n i f i c a n t event u n l e s s
an
i t c o u l d be r e c o n c i l e d w i t h a p a t t e r n
p o s s e s s i n g a wider meaning" (207).
He
sees no
p a t t e r n i n the
- 42.
H a l i f a x e x p l o s i o n , although
t h a t i s there i s the one
still
too c l o s e to see
author's
own
he
-
senses one
MacLennan s u p p l i e s .
i t . He
makes him
What puts him
is s t i l l
and
caught i n h i s
c o u l d o n l y know the meaning
longer reached a f t e r
(143).
paradox t h a t to f i n d h i m s e l f a man
Neil
like Neil,
purpose.
the
understanding,
seeks j u s t i c e f o r the maligned and
v a l u e s are h u m a n i s t i c
l i g h t , and
these he
by now
shrewd and
point
profound.
freedom f o r the caged; h i s
to r e g a i n h i s honour and
does.
a t l a s t has
summertime of l i f e
the
and he w i l l not be f a l s e to them.
i s on a quest
And
must
reach.
Angus i s g e n t l e and
He
the torment of hope"
the r e s u l t of the s u c c e s s f u l quest and
which both Angus and
and
such as A l b e r t Camus'
of peace when he no
lose himself,
the
s o l i d l y i n the t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y
i s h i s f e e l i n g t h a t "a man
This i s the
one
Even Angus i s
a man
so l i k e o t h e r modern a n t i - h e r o e s
L'etranger,
The
i s a p e r c e p t i v e man,
c h i e f spokesman, but he
time.
i s there.
He
He,
realize his
passes through the darkness i n t o
a v i s i o n of h i s f u t u r e , a
settled
i n a place t r u l y h i s home (211-12).
become c l e a r t h a t Angus has many of Odysseus'
I t has
qualities
t h a t N e i l does not have, and N e i l many that Angus l a c k s .
Together they make a whole Odysseus, and
humanist i d e a l s MacLennan v a l u e s
exemplify
so h i g h l y .
the
classical
By u s i n g Homer's
Odyssey as a model f o r h i s n a r r a t i v e s t r u c t u r e and c h a r a c t e r i z a t i o n ,
MacLennan adds some of the weight of the g r e a t e p i c ' s r e p u t a t i o n
- 43.
to h i s own
s t o r y and,
-
more important,
supplies a h i s t o r i c a l
p e r s p e c t i v e which makes the H a l i f a x e x p l o s i o n more
i n Canadian h i s t o r y .
the s h a t t e r e d Troy.
significant
H a l i f a x i s both the r e s t o r e d I t h a c a
Angus Murray i s the r e t u r n e d
and
Odysseus a t
peace i n h i s home; N e i l Macrae i s the r e t u r n e d Odysseus r e u n i t e d
w i t h h i s Penelope, the Odysseus who
has
f u r t h e r quests,
Aeneas who
But
the a n c i e n t
has
i s to r a i s e a new
deeper meaning than
I t can be
city.
seen, u s i n g Northrop F r y e ' s c r i t e r i a ,
romance.
c o n f l i c t , " and
quest
pattern
this.
Barometer R i s i n g c o n s i s t s of a b l e n d i n g o f two
comedy and
and
The a r c h e t y p a l
generic
that
plots,
theme of romance i s "argon or
the n o v e l i s l a r g e l y comprised o f such
conflict.
The a r c h e t y p a l theme of comedy i s " a n a g n o r i s i s or r e c o g n i t i o n
of a new
born s o c i e t y r i s i n g i n triumph around a somewhat
m y s t e r i o u s hero and h i s b r i d e , " 5 and
this.
The movement i n the n o v e l
the n o v e l c l e a r l y
"from a s o c i e t y c o n t r o l l e d by
h a b i t , r i t u a l bondage, a r b i t r a r y law and
a s o c i e t y c o n t r o l l e d by youth and
o f comedy.
promises
the o l d e r c h a r a c t e r s
pragmatic f r e e d o m "
0
to
is typical
At the same time, i n romance,
the o p p o s i t e poles of the c y c l e s of nature are a s s i m i l a t e d to
the o p p o s i t i o n of the hero and h i s enemy. The enemy i s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h w i n t e r , darkness, c o n f u s i o n , s t e r i l i t y , moribund
Anatomy of C r i t i c i s m
6
Ibid.,
p.
196.
(New
York:
Atheneum, 1966), p.
192.
- 44.
l i f e , and o l d age, and the hero w i t h s p r i n g , dawn, o r d e r ,
f e r t i l i t y , v i g o r , and youth.1
Such a d i a l e c t i c of f o r c e s i s c l e a r l y drawn i n the n o v e l .
novel
stands c l o s e r to the
i d e a l of romance than to the
The
ideal
of comedy; hence i t i s a comic-romance.
On
the
l e v e l of the i n d i v i d u a l , that of the hero
N e i l Macrae (and
a u t h o r and
the
to some extent
Angus Murray), and
of
himself,
the
reader,
the quest-romance i s a search of the . . . d e s i r i n g s e l f f o r a
f u l f i l l m e n t t h a t w i l l d e l i v e r i t from the a n x i e t i e s of r e a l i t y
but w i l l s t i l l c o n t a i n that r e a l i t y .
The a n t a g o n i s t s of the
quests are o f t e n s i n i s t e r f i g u r e s . . . t h a t c l e a r l y have a
parental o r i g i n .
8
The
antagonists
i n Barometer R i s i n g are epitomized
Wain, the hero's u n c l e
figures,
and
too, have a place
"wise o l d man."
foster father.
i n the n o v e l
Colonel
redeemed
parental
i n such f i g u r e s as
This r o l e i s taken by Angus Murray, and
feminine c o u n t e r p a r t ,
a potential bride
"the
. . . who
sits
On a more g e n e r a l
q u i e t l y a t home w a i t i n g
i n t o the
188.
8
Ibid.,
p.
193.
9
Ibid.,
p.
195.
first,
the
"This myth i s o f t e n
a s s o c i a t e d w i t h a f l o o d , the r e g u l a r symbol of the
p.
for
l e v e l , of the s i x i s o l a t a b l e
myth of the b i r t h or r e b i r t h of the h e r o .
Ibid.,
his
come back to her,"9 i s
phases of romance, Barometer R i s i n g f a l l s
7
the
s y b i l l i n e wise-mother f i g u r e , o f t e n
the hero to f i n i s h h i s wanderings and
Penny Wain.
But
by
beginning
- 45.
and the end of
manifestation
disaster
is
the c y c l e , " 1 0
-
the
o f cosmic d i s a s t e r .
f l o o d archetype b e i n g one
In t h i s n o v e l ,
the e x p l o s i o n which comes from the
the d i s a s t e r ,
the t r e a s u r e s
the
sea.
cosmic
Following
p r e v i o u s l y h i d d e n are r e v e a l e d and
the b u r i e d seed begins to grow; i n such a romance, the
source
of wealth
or h u m a n . "
conflict
a.nd the
rising
X i
is
potential
f e r t i l i t y or new l i f e ,
vegetable
The d i s a s t e r marks the p i v o t a l p o i n t of
between the
powers of
powers of s t e r i l i t y ,
fertility,
"real
the
o l d age and d a r k n e s s ,
youth and l i g h t ,
w i t h the
latter
victorious.
This c o n s i d e r a t i o n of
shows t h a t MacLennan i s
the n o v e l ' s a r c h e t y p a l
e x p r e s s i n g a p a t t e r n which i s
of change on both the i n d i v i d u a l and s o c i a l
levels.
deaths and r e b i r t h s of N e i l Macrae and H a l i f a x are
to the death and r e b i r t h o f Canadian s o c i e t y ,
consciousness.
The c h i l d i s now r i d of i t s
may grow to a d u l t h o o d without
beneficent
parents:
As the
time scheme i n the n o v e l i n d i c a t e s
ending l a t e r a t n i g h t - -
p.
198.
Hlbid.,
p.
198.
of Canadian
the new s o c i e t y has cast.i o f f
The new-born s o c i e t y has not y e t
Ibid.,
analogous
self-
parents and
f e a r of them, accompanied by
back.
l u
prophetic
The symbolic
sinister
t i e s and moves forward w i t h the g r e a t western
evening,
significance
there
its
its
colonial
t r a d i t i o n s at
its
t r u l y r i s e n i n triumph.
--beginning in early
i s a p e r i o d of
darkness
- 46.
left
to v e n t u r e through b e f o r e
-
the dawn.
It
is
still
winter,
/
and the s p r i n g i s
as
the sun w i l l
f a r ahead.
return.
throughout the n o v e l ,
belongs
to Canada.
But t h a t s p r i n g w i l l
This i s
the p o s i t i v e
fate
come as
sure
t h a t works
the p o s i t i v e d e s t i n y the a u t h o r imagines
Chapter
Each Man's Son:
Three:
The Growing Irony
Each Man's Son, p u b l i s h e d t e n years a f t e r Barometer R i s i n g ,
i s a n o v e l o f more s u b t l e and complex s t r u c t u r e than those
precede
(Two
.
it.
Because i n the two immediately
S o l i t u d e s , 1945,
and The P r e c i p i c e ,
that
preceding novels
1948)
"everything else
. . i s e v e n t u a l l y s u b o r d i n a t e d to the e l a b o r a t i o n o f the
national
theme, they a r e the l e a s t s u c c e s s f u l o f MacLennan's n o v e l s ,
i n human u n d e r s t a d i n g and formal Cohesion a l i k e . " !
As Edmund
W i l s o n says, when MacLennan i s c o n s c i o u s l y a c t i n g as the " s e c r e t a r y
of
society,"
one f e e l s that i n h i s e a r n e s t and ambitious attempt to cover
h i s l a r g e s e l f - a s s i g n m e n t he sometimes embarks upon themes
which he b e l i e v e s to be s o c i a l l y important but which do n o t
r e a l l y much e x c i t e h i s i m a g i n a t i o n . 2
Where, i n Two S o l i t u d e s , MacLennan t r i e s
d e f i n e the s o c i a l l y important Canadian
and,
perhaps
too h a r d to
French-English c o n f l i c t ,
i n The P r e c i p i c e , the American-Canadian c o n f l i c t , the
r e s u l t s are rather f l a t ,
f o r c e d and u n c o n v i n c i n g , w h i l e , i n
Each Man's Son, he r e t u r n s to e x p r e s s i n g a b a s i c p e r s o n a l c o n f l i c t
such as appears
i n Barometer R i s i n g .
To do t h i s , he r e t u r n s to
h i s r o o t s i n Cape B r e t o n I s l a n d , Nova S c o t i a , r e t u r n s from a world
he has i d e a s about
to examine the world he knows.
The r e s u l t i s ,
as Woodcock says, a " t e n s e l y c o n s t r u c t e d and w e l l u n i f i e d book,
1G. Woodcock, "A N a t i o n ' s Odyssey," p. 11.
2
"0
Canada,"- The New Y o r k e r , Nov. 14,
1964,
p. 100.
-
48.
i n which the balance of theme and m y t h i c a l s t r u c t u r e i s r e established.
The
p a t t e r n s t h a t develop are a t once i n t e n s e l y
p e r s o n a l and d e s c r i p t i v e o f a c r i t i c a l
n a t i o n a l consciousness.
enhanced by, and
and
The
t u r n i n g p o i n t i n the
i n t e n s i t y o f the n o v e l i s much
to a c e r t a i n e x t e n t o r i g i n a t e s i n , the
i m p l i c i t mythic
elements and
the accompanying sense
explicit
of the
preternatural.
In Each Man's Son, MacLennan once a g a i n draws upon Homer's
Odyssey f o r one
Although
o f the two b a s i c p l o t s t h a t comprise
the author
i n t r o d u c e s important
the n o v e l .
changes i n t o the p a t t e r n ,
the s t o r y of A r c h i e MacNeil
is s t i l l
Odysseus s e e k i n g h i s home.
A r c h i e ' s h e r o i c q u a l i t i e s are made
very c l e a r :
he
i s the " b r a v e s t man
the s t o r y of a wandering
i n Cape B r e t o n , " ^
u n p r e d i c t a b l e " (25), "a hero whom nobody understood
admired" (24).
As a young man
he
t h e i r whole l i v e s
(105).
"to the c a t
I am not one
t h e i r son,
"live
of them"
"gone out i n t o
done t h i s i n o r d e r to c r e a t e a new
f o r h i m s e l f and h i s f a m i l y .
"Nations's
He belongs
l i k e oxes and cows . . .
(17), and he has
J
everyone
i s q u i c k to boast t h a t w h i l e some people
He has, as h i s w i f e t e l l s
world"
and
He
Odyssey," p.
and
"had moved w i t h the s u r e ,
r e c k l e s s grace of a w i l d a n i m a l " (41).
f a m i l y " (93) and
"fierce
goes f o r t h and does b a t t l e ,
the
life
until,
14.
^Hugh MacLennan, Each Man's Son (Toronto: M c C l e l l a n d &
Stewart, 1965), p. 21.
A l l subsequent q u o t a t i o n s from the n o v e l
a r e from t h i s e d i t i o n and a r e f o l l o w e d by page r e f e r e n c e s i n
parentheses.
- 49.
"the f i g h t s
-
. . . o v e r , " he seeks to r e t u r n "to a p l a c e where
people would l i k e him"
(207), h i s home, the o r i g i n o f h i s quest.
H i s c h i e f d i f f e r e n c e from Homer's Odysseus i s t h a t he i s not
successful i n f u l f i l l i n g
or a t home.
f e r o c i o u s and
He r e p r e s e n t s o n l y one
p h y s i c a l l y mighty
intellectual qualities
to f a i l u r e .
the purpose
o f h i s quest, e i t h e r
abroad
s i d e o f Odysseus, the
s i d e , and,
l a c k i n g any o f the
t h a t c o u l d e f f e c t a b a l a n c e , he
i s doomed
In f a i l i n g , he b r i n g s down h i s Penelope w i t h
him.
M o l l i e MacNeil shares a number o f c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s w i t h
Burner's Penelope.
landscape and
Greece,
I f we
remember MacLennan's o p i n i o n that
people o f Nova S c o t i a resemble
those o f Homeric
the o m n i s c i e n t n a r r a t o r ' s d e s c r i p t i o n o f M o l l i e ' s
"so s t r a i g h t i t was
the
nose,
almost G r e c i a n " (127), i s seen to r e v e a l
an i n t e n t i o n a l p a r a l l e l .
L i k e Penelope, M o l l i e i s f o r years
faithful
to her absent husband, p a t i e n t l y w a i t i n g and working,
Penelope
does a t h e r loom, a t "a frame w i t h a p a r t i a l l y
rug mounted on i t "
(23).
She,
too, i s tempted by a
The
finished
suitor
(Camire) to f o r s a k e her husband, and begins to y i e l d
j u s t b e f o r e h e r husband r e t u r n s .
as
slightly
p a r a l l e l i s minimal but i s
there.
The
l e a d i n g f i g u r e i n the o t h e r b a s i c p l o t , D a n i e l A i n s l i e ,
is: a l s o p o r t r a y e d as a h e r o i c f i g u r e , but a hero v e r y
different
from A r c h i e M a c N e i l .
views
A l a n MacNeil, a p e r c e p t i v e boy,
A i n s l i e as " h a r d l y a man
everyone
at a l l .
e l s e he knew" (51).
He was
The Doctor, f a r above
"Above" i s a r e v e a l i n g word, f o r
- 50. -
A i n s l i e works and f e e l s h a p p i e s t
above the town.
i n the h o s p i t a l h i g h on a h i l l
Here he has been dubbed "the Regius P r o f e s s o r "
(58), p a r t l y because o f h i s "hobby" o f r e a d i n g the Greek
c l a s s i c s , and p a r t l y because o f h i s s t a t u r e i n the h o s p i t a l .
Here he i s second o n l y to Dr. Dougald MacKenzie who i s d e s c r i b e d
as
"a t r i b a l god" (121).
On one l e v e l he i s an a r t i s t :
he
compares h i m s e l f to "a c o n c e r t p i a n i s t " (169) and the h o s p i t a l
is
the "world where h i s s k i l l had made him m a s t e r " (49).
another
l e v e l he i s a s a i n t :
" I f t o t a l c o n c e n t r a t i o n on a h e a l i n g
t a s k i s a form o f h o l i n e s s , the two d o c t o r s
were s a i n t s " (120).
On
And on a t h i r d
{ A i n s l i e and Doucettej
l e v e l he i s something o f a
w i z a r d , a person w i t h niagic a t h i s command, f o r he f e e l s
s u p e r s t i t i o u s l y c o n f i d e n t o f h i s own powers" (117).
"almost
He f e e l s
t h i s so s t r o n g l y t h a t Dr. MacKenzie i s d r i v e n to demand o f him,
"Why n o t admit once i n a w h i l e
t h a t you're human?" (60)
A r c h i e MacNeil i s the hero o f brute
Where
p h y s i c a l power, A i n s l i e
i s the
hero o f the mental powers, and both heroes a r e engaged i n quests
to e r a d i c a t e mysterious
r e a l enemy.
having
Ainslie
enemies.
f i n a l l y r e c o g n i z e s h i s , but o n l y a f t e r
fought many s u b s t i t u t e s .
even r e c o g n i z e
A r c h i e never r e c o g n i z e s h i s
F o r a l o n g time he does not
t h a t he i s on a quest, although
h i s setting himself
the t a s k o f t r a n s l a t i n g "the whole o f the Odyssey that y e a r " (34)
is
evidence
enough.
He makes the g r e a t c l a s s i c
a b a r r i e r to overcome, not r e a l i z i n g
quest myth
itself
t h a t he r e a l l y wishes to
emulate Odysseus, and i t i s h i s w i f e , Margaret, who sees that the
t r a n s l a t i o n i s an "academic g i a n t "
Both heroes f i g h t
go w e l l .
there
" g i a n t s , " and f o r n e i t h e r does the
Reminiscent of N e i l Macrae on h i s
i s a "sadness i n A r c h i e ' s eyes .
had t h a t
too,
(160).
.
r e t u r n to H a l i f a x ,
. Even f e r o c i o u s
look i n t h e i r eyes when they were s i c k " (97).
has eyes that
"looked l i k e
animals
Ainslie,
those of a wounded a n i m a l "
"an animal who had been chased f o r m i l e s and knows he has
farther
to r u n " (36).
of h i m s e l f
This i s
comparison of h i m s e l f
all
connected
(59),
which i s
This p o i n t s
to the
fact
things,
what D a n i e l w i l l
dreamer i s
the "rock
struggle
is
basically
the keys
when he speaks of M a r g a r e t ; "She has
them too" (66).
l e a r n on h i s
that a "man's t r o u b l e
quest,
it's
dreamers.
One of
This
what he dreams" (60).
i n danger of becoming "a l a t t e r - d a y Job"
The Cape B r e t o n I s l a n d e r s
as g r e a t
is
and you must a c c e p t
what he does or d o e s n ' t do,
his
"Was d e f i a n c e
and D r . MacKenzie g i v e s one of
to v i c t o r y i n the s t r u g g l e
accepted
to
past of h i s whole r a c e " (200).
that A i n s l i e ' s
psychological,
still
slow down nor
The r o c k o f Sisyphus
i n them a l l , b u r i e d deep i n the
(65),
conception
linked, i n turn,
to the m y t h i c a l S i s y p h u s .
t h a t remained?" he a s k s .
internal,
to A i n s l i e ' s
" i n a t r e a d m i l l which he c o u l d n e i t h e r
escape by jumping o f f "
battle
is
isn't
The
(60).
o f H i g h l a n d stodk are p o r t r a y e d
their
traits
is a v i v i d
which works c l o s e l y w i t h t h e i r s u p e r s t i t i o u s
imagination
n a t u r e to
perceive
)
s p i r i t s a t work i n the w o r l d .
incline
toward m e l a n c h o l y ,
Their s u p e r s i t i t i o u s
imaginations
"a p r i m i t i v e sadness" (105),
typified
i n Angus the Barraman s t r i v i n g
appease the gods" (113).
to become "gloomy enough to
A i n s l i e h i m s e l f shares
this
melancholy,
c o n c e i v i n g of God as the " a l l - s e e i n g A n c i e n t of Days who
the same time damns men
that "underneath
(201).
and
l o v e s them," and he becomes aware
a l l h i s troubles . . . lay this ancient curse"
These people
f e a r the a n c i e n t c u r s e --on
l e v e l , O r i g i n a l S i n - - f o r which they must s u f f e r .
w i t c h , Mrs.
whill
MacCuish, prophesies
to come t r u e , M o l l i e
f r i e n d s h i p w i t h Camire.
paying w i t h her l i f e
t h a t Mrs.
c u r s e which hobbles
itself"
(201).
fighting,
As the o l d
The
MacCuish r e p r e s e n t s , b e l i e f i n the
the s p i r i t and
The H i g h l a n d men
they do no t r e a l i z e
(
no amount of b r u t e f o r c e w i l l
Barometer R i s i n g , the way
l e a d s "to a f e a r of love
d e f y the curse by d r i n k i n g and
fighting
the r e a l A r c h i e
t h a t t h i s i s inadequate,
that
d e f e a t an enemy i n the mind.
of v i o l e n c e i s the o l d way,
w i t h the o l d w o r l d .
Here, too, O r i o n the hunter
the o l d v i o l e n t way,
and
f o r a Homeric p a r a l l e l ,
prophecy
f o r her
i d o l i z i n g g r e a t p h y s i c a l s t r e n g t h and g r e a t
But
"You
( s e x u a l i n f i d e l i t y ) , but the whole
power i n the legendary G i a n t M a c A s k i l l and
MacNeil.
Christian
But what she r e a l l y pays f o r i s not what
Mrs. MacCuish b e l i e v e s i t to be
perverted b e l i e f
the
i n a warning to M o l l i e ,
pay f o r i t when h i m s e l f comes home" (27).
appears
at
As i n
associated
i s symbolic
of
i s l i n k e d w i t h G i a n t M a c A s k i l l and,
the C y c l o p s .
Homer's Odysseus d e f e a t e d
the Cyclops w i t h the powers of the mind, through a c l e v e r r u s e .
A r c h i e MacNeil
knows o n l y the t a c t i c s of the Cyclops h i m s e l f .
- 53.
D a n i e l A i n s l i e has a t
-
l e a s t the c a p a c i t y to d e f e a t h i s
But the odds are a g a i n s t a l l those who s u f f e r
curse,
innocent
The b a s i c
enemy.
from the
ancient
though they may be.
innocence and h e l p l e s s n e s s of the simple H i g h l a n d e r s
i s made c l e a r i n the animal imagery.
Mollie,
for instance,
shown as g e n t l e and v u l n e r a b l e , her eyes h a v i n g "the
eager
loving-kindness
Alan,
witnessing
of a d e e r ' s
the v i o l e n t
eyes" (127).
deaths
Similarly,
o f h i s mother and Camire,
stops
" l i k e a fawn caught i n the h e a d l i g h t o f a t r a i n " (212).
image c o n t a i n s a double o p p o s i t i o n - - t h e meek and the
is
The
powerful,
the n a t u r a l and the man-made-- as w e l l as a sense o f an enormous
destructive
force
i n motion which cannot be s t o p p e d .
c l e v e r Camire cannot e s c a p e .
some progress w i t h M o l l i e ,
While Camire i s
had-finally
found something to eat"
downstairs,
Camire f i r s t
f o r t h across
the room,
[givesjmouselike
used as w e l l ,
f i n a l l y making
A l a n u p s t a i r s watches a mouse
i l l u m i n a t e d i n the m o o n l i g h t , and he i s
when he f i n d s A r c h i e i s
reacts
"glad because
(209).
appears
to h i s a t t a c k " l i k e a f o x , " but
too s t r o n g f o r him he d a r t s "back and
t r y i n g to f i n d a place to h i d e as he
squeaks o f
t e r r o r " (212).
Other animals are
to p r o j e c t the g e n t l e melancholy o f the H i g h l a n d e r s ,
the c r y o f a s e a - b i r d l o s t i n the fog"
C r e a t u r e s o f the a i r e n t e r
when he i s
the mouse
When A r c h i e
as i n the d e s c r i p t i o n o f a G a e l i c song which sounds
p l a i n t i v e as
Even the
elated,
he f e e l s
into
"as s o f t and
(28).
the d e s c r i p t i o n o f A i n s l i e ,
"his s p i r i t r i s e
like a bird in
too:
the
- 54. -
sky"
(129); when he i s depressed, he f e e l s
"as though h i s
had h u r l e d i t s e l f a g a i n s t the window o f h i s l i f e
bat and broken the g l a s s , " and f e e l s h i s s p i r i t
bat over a dark and s i n i s t e r l a n d s c a p e "
spirit
l i k e a wounded
flicker "like a
(201).
On the o t h e r hand, Margaret and h e r f a m i l y , not b e i n g o f
Highland
s t o c k , do not share
t h i s melancholy.
They a r e l e s s
h e l p l e s s because they a r e n o t plagued by the a n c i e n t
curse.
Margaret's mother l i v e s " l i k e a queen bee" (45), which
the p r e s e n t a t i o n o f h e r f a m i l y as a t i g h t - k n i t ,
re-enforces
i n d u s t r i o u s group.
Margaret h e r s e l f i s d e s c r i b e d a t one p o i n t as "warm, s a t i s f i e d
and
r e l a x e d as a c a t " (89), but t h i s i s t r u e o n l y p a r t o f the
time.
She a l s o has h e r f r u s t r a t i o n s
to h e r husband's s e l f - i m p o s e d
p a t i e n c e and u n d e r s t a n d i n g
and a n x i e t i e s , l a r g e l y due
isolation.
--qualities
Her q u a l i t i e s o f
she shares w i t h
Odysseus'
w a i t i n g w i f e - - g i v e h e r the s t r e n g t h to endure u n t i l D a n i e l
r e t u r n s and g i v e s h i m s e l f
fully
to h e r .
Margaret g i v e s i s o f a woman h a p p i e s t
and whose independent nature
The g e n e r a l
impression
i n h e r domestic
surroundings
g i v e s h e r the s t r e n g t h to endure
isolation.
On a more g e n e r a l
important
l e v e l i n the n o v e l , animal imagery i s
to the development o f both mood and meaning.
a s l e e p , Dr. A i n s l i e r e c o l l e c t s
wilderness,
a boyhood experience
Half-
i n the
and p a r t i c u l a r l y v i v i d i n h i s memory a r e the images
of a s t a g w i t h
"a s c a r on i t s r i g h t
shoulder
dead hawk w i t h
i t s eyes pecked o u t "
(72).
from combat" and "a
These memories a r e
- 55.
c l e a r examples
battle,
-
of how the s t r o n g ,
and even the s w i f t
t o o , may s u f f e r
and deadly p r e d a t o r may d i e
Elsewhere,
the d o c t o r , h a v i n g j u s t
courageous
than men, i s watched by a c a t
ironic
courageous
are a c c u s i n g .
and a s s o c i a t e d
Just after
of
"the u l t i m a t e
solitude"
v i s i o n when he imagines
eyes,
to s t i m u l a t e
(86).
One i s
him,
thoughts,
The c a t ' s eyes
Ainslie
i n him a
feeling
God, "a t i g h t - s k i n n e d dog w i t h
green
r i p p l i n g under i t s
tawny
reminded of Psalm x x i i , v e r s e 16,
"dogs
sword; my d a r l i n g from the
for A i n s l i e feels
in his
spoken an
This t i e s i n w i t h A i n s l i e ' s
have compassed me," and v e r s e 20,
psalm b e g i n s ,
ignobly.
He has
with c a t s .
s t a n d i n g b e f o r e him w i t h muscles
h i d e " (173-74).
the
(85).
b e i n g s t a r e d a t by the c a t ,
hears a dog h o w l i n g , which h e l p s
in
s a i d that women are f a r more
t r u t h , f o r he has not i n c l u d e d h i s wife
and she i s
injury
" D e l i v e r my s o u l
power of the d o g . "
from the
And i t
is
important
"My God, my God, why h a s t thou f o r s a k e n me?"
f o r s a k e n , and i s ,
" l o o k i n g f o r a God" (176).
as Mackenzie p o i n t s
H i s search i s
out
largely misdirected
and the consequences of i t s m i s d i r e c t i o n are foreshadowed
image accompanying A i n s l i e ' s e l a t i o n a t
in Alan,
an image of f a r - o f f g u l l s
there can be h e a r d "a r a t t l e
(131),
sounds
to
i n an
finding a substitute
screaming i n the
fog
of wings and a scrape o f
son
while
claws"
implying death.
Animal metaphors used to d e s c r i b e
i n c r e a t i n g mood and i n d i c a t i n g the
the landscape are
presence
o f opposing
The image of Cape B r e t o n I s l a n d h a v i n g a "shape
like
effective
forces.
the claws of a
lobster"
(50)
succeeds on two
whole scene being
the i n h a b i t a n t s
sea-creature,
levels.
submerged i n the
There i s a sense of
sea and
the
a l s o a sense t h a t
of t h i s land are h e l d i n the claws of a
predatory
imprisoned i n the v i s e - g r i p of some g i g a n t i c ,
mysterious f o r c e .
The
image of a f r i g h t e n i n g s e a - c r e a t u r e
is
s p e c i f i c a l l y a p p l i e d to the Broughton coal-mine, which i s d e s c r i b e
as having g a l l e r i e s " l i k e
The
the
f e e l i n g of the mine being
re-enforced
by
t e n t a c l e s of an o c t o p u s "
p a r t of a g i a n t organism i s
the image of a c o l l i e r y
a column of b l a c k ants that had
g i g a n t i c . p l a n t and
died
p a r t i n Each Man's Son
instance)
culminating
minutes of h i s l i f e ,
The
novel
there"
forward on
crawled up
(18).
the
Giants
and
the Cyclops,
begins w i t h the image of a g i a n t
the sea
that the
s t a l k of a
i n the
seeming "of more than human s i z e "
like
"The
(215).
that s e t s
late afternoon
sun"
shadow of the " g i a n t " l i e s a c r o s s
sea p l a y s an important r o l e i n the n o v e l .
the
sea i s connected w i t h a s t a t e of innocence.
a "sense of i r r e p a r a b l e l o s s " (45),
h i s y o u t h when he went to sea,
the
and
recalls
On
(15) .
It
the
sea,
one
level
Ainslie, feeling
r e c o l l e c t s the good days of
the
sense of freedom he
Then, the "whole w o r l d had
He
final
t h a t of a g i a n t r e s t i n g on h i s elbows
the
h i s f u t u r e " (46) .
for
shadow of a promontory l a y
for
experienced.
like
p l a y an i n t e g r a l
i n the p i c t u r e of A r c h i e ,
w i t h the back of h i s neck to the
i s notable
t r a i n t h a t "looked
(Giant M a c A s k i l l
tone f o r the whole work:
(18).
seemed too small
t h i s time of h i s youth twice
then
to hold
again,
- 57.
both times when he i s t a l k i n g
to A l a n (167 and
183),
he i s pushing h i s a m b i t i o n s .
On another
the sea i s used
level
on whom
as an image of u n c o n t r o l l a b l e and c o n s t a n t change.
Having
j u s t operated on A l a n and d e l i v e r e d him from death,
Ainslie
s i t s on a wharf, t r y i n g
to get a g r i p on h i s emotions:
the n o i s e of waves ebbing back and f o r t h around
filled
own
a l l space," and "he knew h i s mind was
rhythms and h i s body was
later,
trying
the f o o t of the c l i f f ,
pounding
out of c o n t r o l " (170) .
retreated,
and
overcome by h i s emotions,
the t i d e s .
and f i g h t s
i n the
darkness
When A i n s l i e i s
to c o n t r o l them, the
the
first
tide
L a t e r , when he makes c l e a r e r h i s f e e l i n g s - - h i s
turns and begins to r i s e a g a i n .
" l o n g diminuendo of the wave [travels]
t r a i n rumbling
of h i s mother--
At the same time the
away down the c o a s t l i k e
through a v a l l e y "
the rumbing t r a i n t h a t b r i n g s A r c h i e home.
resentment
little
They are l i k e
m i s p l a c e d a d u l a t i o n of h i s f a t h e r and resentment
a freight
A
The rhythms he senses deep w i t h i n
rhythmic c y c l e s of the waves and
the t i d e
with i t s
snored i n a g a i n w i t h
h i m s e l f are as o l d and m y s t e r i o u s as the sea.
ebbing.
the p i l i n g s
"Ground s w e l l s snored sombrely
p r i m e v a l rhythm" (174).
is
. .
to c l a r i f y h i s f e e l i n g s , A i n s l i e a g a i n becomes
aware of the sea:
at
".
(175),
foreshadowing
In e x p r e s s i n g h i s
of h i s mother f o r t h i n k i n g i t more important to eat
than to l e a r n and f o r l a c k i n g h i s f a t h e r ' s w i l l power, he
expresses
the source of h i s i n t e r n a l c o n f l i c t , which i s i t s e l f a major
reason f o r the c a t a s t r o p h i c r e s u l t s of A r c h i e ' s r e t u r n .
His
elevation
of
the course
l e a r n i n g over love i s a key f a c t o r
of
events.
There i s
of
another
the n o v e l , w h i c h ,
the s e a ,
i n determining
important image i n the opening paragraph
l i n k e d to that of
provides a c l u e
the
"giant's"
to the n o v e l ' s c e n t r a l
shadow on
theme:
"Facing
the sun over the water was a s e c o n d - q u a r t e r moon, white i n
c o b a l t mass of
sentences i s
the sky" (15).
a cluster
Given i n these two
opening
of images which are of g r e a t
importance.
W. H . Auden's i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of such images, a p p l i e d to
image i n Barometer R i s i n g , i s
the
even more a p p l i c a b l e
one
to these
in
Each Man's Son:
Sky as c o n t r a s t e d w i t h water (equals) S p i r i t as c o n t r a s t e d
w i t h n a t u r e . ' What comes from the sky i s a s p i r i t u a l . . .
visitation.
What l i e s h i d d e n i n the water i s the unknown
powers of n a t u r e .
Day and Sun [equal]
Consciousness
and the P a t e r n a l P r i n c i p l e
The g i a n t ' s shadow l i e s on the s e a ,
masking the unknown powers
nature but by no means n u l l i f y i n g them.
back to the
sun,
to the
benevolent f a t h e r .
sky w i t h i t ,
is
F a c i n g the
the
spirit,
sea
l i e s with
sun, and harmoniously s h a r i n g
it
soon appears
to c r e a t e the
tides.
i n the
The sky,
pp.
75-76.
the
novel,
region
principle)
p r i n c i p l e ) , works i n harmony w i t h the
T h e Enchafed F l o o d ,
his
(reason) and the
i n which are blended the sun (masculine
and the moon (feminine
5
of c o n s c i o u s n e s s
the moon, w h i c h , as
works c l o s e l y w i t h the
of
light
The g i a n t
of
sea,
- 59. r e g i o n of n a t u r e ' s powers, and a l l of these are opposed to the
g i a n t , whose f l a n k s are the bankheads of the c o l l i e r i e s which
loom " l i k e monuments i n a g i g a n t i c cemetery"
(50), and whose
bowels are the mines, which A i n s l i e c a l l s "a c o r r u p t i o n "
in
the core of Cape Breton I s l a n d .
may
be d i s t i l l e d
paragraph
the essence of the b a s i c o p p o s i t i o n of
f o r c e s i n the n o v e l :
the h e i g h t s and
From the opening
(70)
n a t u r a l and u n n a t u r a l ; l i g h t and
the depths; harmony and
darkness;
imbalance.
L i k e Barometer R i s i n g , Each Man's Son begins a t sunset.
Once again, an o p p o s i t i o n i s s e t up between l i g h t and
between the g l o r i o u s s e t t i n g
sun of June t i n t i n g
darkness,
the c l o u d s
and "below the c l o u d s the e a r t h . . . darkening f a s t "
(26).
the b r i g h t c l o u d s move eastward,
and
Margaret A i n s l i e
and f e e l s an i n c r e a s i n g
of
loneliness,
dark.
stands watching
As
the darkness grows,
sense
the same l o n e l i n e s s her husband f e e l s i n the
A l s o , because
i n the A i n s l i e garden both l i g h t and a i r
coming from the west a r e f r e s h , n e i t h e r having c r o s s e d a s i n g l e
colliery,
unnatural.
itself,
an o p p o s i t i o n appears between the n a t u r a l and
I n s e p a r a b l e from the c o l l i e r y
d e s c r i b e d i n n e g a t i v e terms:
the
i s the town of
Broughton
there i s a c o n s t r i c t i n g
"narrow main s t r e e t , " bordered by "lamp-posts
crooked and
raw,"
b e a r i n g i n c a n d e s c e n t l i g h t s which make "the pavement look b l u e
and naked," w h i l e the s t r e e t i s "swarming w i t h a i m l e s s p e o p l e "
(42).
These people know l i t t l e
of the l i g h t ,
most of whom spend " t h e i r days underground
the men
especially,
i n the dark" (48).
- 60. -
Opposed to the town proper i s the h o s p i t a l which
stands " l i k e a
l i g h t h o u s e over the whole town" (48), "the b e s t and s a f e s t p l a c e
i n the w o r l d " ( 5 3 ) .
The c o n f l i c t o f l i g h t and darkness i s a l s o
and made i n t e r n a l .
loneliness.
To Margaret,
individualized
the darkness r e p r e s e n t s
To D a n i e l , i t r e p r e s e n t s many t h i n g s .
w i t h MacKenzie about
g u i l t , he f i n d s
Having
spoken
the a n c i e n t c u r s e and i t s accompanying
" h i m s e l f s t a r i n g i n t o the t o t a l darkness.
His
s i n ? " (67) He s t a r e s i n t o the darkness and longs " f o r the s i g h t
of something
distinct"
(68).
What he i s l o o k i n g i n t o i s the
darkness o f h i s own mind, n o t h i s s i n , as he guesses, but that
p a r t o f h i s p e r s o n a l i t y he does n o t understand.
for
He longs both
"a f o r e s t i n t o which a man c o u l d d i s a p p e a r and l o s e h i m s e l f "
(68) and f o r a woman to mother him.
escape
His yearning i s r e a l l y f o r
to the innocence o f c h i l d h o o d , away from h i s s e l f - i n f l i c t e d
problems.
He dreams o f h i s boyhood, and h i s dream b r i n g s peace
of mind and an image o f a " r o s y - f i n g e r e d dawn" such as one f i n d s
i n Homer.
But t h i s does n o t , cannot, l a s t ,
the p a s t , which e l u d e s r e c a p t u r e .
f o r the dream i s o f
He i s i n t e l l i g e n t enough to
come to r e c o g n i z e t h a t he must probe h i s i n n e r darkness to r e a c h
the l i g h t .
ready.
But i t takes time and e x p e r i e n c e , and he i s not y e t
He steps toward
and share the p a t i e n t ' s
i t when he t h i n k s ,
fear.
"to go i n t o the dark
. . To become everybody
mother, c h i l d , and o l d man-- to become everyone
d o c t o r " (165).
--father,
i n o r d e r to be a
The s u g g e s t i o n i s t h a t the i n d i v i d u a l must know
the darkness which i s
himself.
i n everyman i n o r d e r to h e a l others and
A f t e r he hears M a c K e n z i e ' s r e v e l a t i o n about h i s
and mother, A i n s l i e s t a r e s
"out to a b l i n k of l i g h t
no more than a f a i n t
presence
b e g i n n i n g to see
t r u t h about h i m s e l f ,
to go,
the
as evidenced by h i s
A l a n and h i m s e l f ,
the way o f h i s a m b i t i o n to
reveals
the
of
rushes
He i s
but has some
distance
c o n f u s i o n of M o l l i e and h i s
mother,
that n o t h i n g w i l l stand
"help" A l a n .
"off i n t o
and going "out i n t o
scene t h a t
the
east,
in
L a t e r , when Margaret
to him the e x t e n t to which he has a l i e n a t e d M o l l i e ,
thoughtlessly
aside
i n the
i n the darkness" (176).
and the a s s e r t i o n
father
is
the
the n i g h t , " b r u s h i n g Margaret
the darkness" (198).
turning point i n h i s
t r u t h b e f o r e he makes an u t t e r
harm has been l o n g done,
he
and f o r c e s
This
life.
initiates
He has a v i s i o n
f o o l of h i m s e l f .
But the
are i n motion which he
cannot c o n t r o l .
If
place
the h o s p i t a l h i g h on the h i l l
i n the w o r l d , " a k i n d of p e a c e f u l
deep under the h i l l
is
"the b e s t and s a f e s t
paradise,
are something v e r y d i f f e r e n t .
l e a v i n g the h o s p i t a l a t one p o i n t ,
The heaven on the h i l l
A l s o a t work here i s
the sea and the c o l l i e r y ,
man-made h e l l
Ainslie,
The sulphurous
reminds one of f i r e and brimstone w i t h t h e i r u s u a l
h e l l underneath.
mines
s m e l l s "a w h i f f of s a l t
and of s u l p h u r from the c o l l i e r y " (86).
of h e l l and torment.
the
is
smell
associations
opposed to
tries
the
an o p p o s i t i o n between
the n a t u r a l and the man-made.
i s what A r c h i e
water
This
to escape from, but he
s i m p l y moves to another i n T r e n t o n , where
"the a i r was
like
- 62. c o t t o n wool t h a t had been dipped i n h o t d i s h w a t e r " (132).
Archie,
accustomed to the c o o l climes
beaten by the h e l l i s h heat of New
The
cool, clean northern
Daniel A i n s l i e
the d o c t o r
of the n o r t h ,
i s finally
Jersey.
a i r i s a p o s i t i v e element to
c h i e f l y because of i t s a n t i s e p t i c n a t u r e .
A talk
has w i t h a p a t i e n t r e v e a l s h i s b i a s , f o r the "quest
w i t h the p a t i e n t had taken h i s mind out of Cape Breton to a dark
grey coast
so c l e a n and pure that men, whose crops must r i s e out
of c o r r u p t i o n ,
could
s c a r c e l y grow a v e g e t a b l e on i t " (76).
His
a t t r a c t i o n to a land which i s so pure t h a t i t i s i n h o s p i t a b l e to
l i f e and h o s t i l e to human h a b i t a t i o n i s r e v e a l i n g of a b a s i c
ambivalence i n h i s p e r s o n a l i t y .
on h i s way w i t h people, r e v e r e s
Even so, f o r a l l h i s a d m i r a t i o n
is
often happiest
Louisburg,
sun,
The doctor,
who p r i d e s
himself
t h a t which i s a l i e n and inhuman.
for clarity
when h i s mind c l o u d s .
and p u r i t y , A i n s l i e
For instance, a t
when the f o g comes i n from the sea, b l o t t i n g out the
A i n s l i e grows e l a t e d t h i n k i n g of how he can "adopt" A l a n and
shape h i s l i f e :
"Nothing was v i s i b l e i n the f o g .
happiness grew" (130).
mental f o g clouds
And h i s
As the f o g obscures the sun, A i n s l i e s
1
h i s reason, g i v i n g r e i g n to h i s i r r a t i o n a l and
dangerous d e s i r e s w i t h o u t h i s having t o acknowledge i t .
There i s , i n the n o v e l ,
the
sun which can d i s p e l l
the
l i g h t of the moon.
the moonlight,
light,
another k i n d of l i g h t from that of
the darkness and g i v e a g e n t l e i l l u m i n a t i o n ;
Near the end of the n o v e l ,
t r y i n g to s o r t out h i s problems.
the whole w o r l d --even the mighty sea--
A i n s l i e walks i n
I n the mooni s a t peace.
-
D a n i e l looks
63.
-
i n t o a brook s p a r k l i n g w i t h m o o n l i g h t ,
and has a
sudden,
c l e a r and b r i l l i a n t v i s i o n of h i m s e l f as he r e a l l y
This i s
the moment of t r u t h .
along, waiting.
But the moon has been there
time,
like a h i l l
i n a semi-conscious
out to c a r e s s i t ,
"a f e a r l e s s c l a r i t y , " and "her
of snow under the moon" (46).
state,
a woman's h i p as golden as
Margaret" (59).
all
Margaret A i n s l i e i s more than once d e s c r i b e d
i n l u n a r terms; h e r eyes have
white body i s
is.
Another
D a n i e l A i n s l i e sees "the curve of
the h a r v e s t moon, but when he
the c o l o u r changed to white and i t
He reaches
f o r the
fecund but f i n d s
reached
was
it
chaste.
The m a t e r n a l p r i n c i p l e , t h a t which he r e j e c t s i n h i s mother,
Mollie,
and i n M a r g a r e t , hovers
the n o v e l u n t i l i t
has
the i n f l u e n c e
of the
of h i s nature
(his
(his mother).
sun ( h i s
at
the end.
l i g h t of day ( h i s
father),
unconscious)
and the
rejecting
influence
Ainslie
reason)
under
the n i g h t
side
o f the moon
But n a t u r e seeks a b a l a n c e .
The moon c o n t r o l s
As the n o v e l opens,
the g i a n t
i n the background throughout
f i n a l l y asserts i t s e l f
t r i e d to l i v e merely by the
in
the
the
tide
t i d e s of both the sea and the
i s moving i n ,
lapping at
personality.
the base o f
promontory, "breaking not many yards from J A l a n ' s j
f e e t " (15).
The t i d e moves up, and A l a n and h i s mother see
sudden lump of water a r c h out of
the s e a ,
shadow of the g i a n t ' s
shoulders,
its
so t h a t
them l i k e dark h o r s e s w i t h streaming
it
manes" (18).
[comes] a t
"a
l u r c h forward i n t o
c r e s t whipped by the
the
breeze
white
The wave tumbles A l a n ' s sand c a s t l e but leaves him
- 64.
a white
conch s h e l l ,
a shell
t h a t can "remember
c o n t a i n s the " o l d e s t sound i n the w o r l d "
the s e a , " t h a t
(20).
The s h e l l
speaks
w i t h the v o i c e of the sea of the g r e a t e t e r n a l c y c l e s of nature,
the c y c l e s of l i f e ,
of
death and r e b i r t h ,
d e s t r u c t i o n and r e s u r r e c t i o n .
of apocalypse
As A l a n ' s
sand
and
renewal,
c a s t l e f a l l s to
the f l o o d of the sea, so must the r e c l i n i n g g i a n t and a l l the
g i a n t r e p r e s e n t s --the o l d , v i o l e n t , b a r b a r i c ways and the
ancient curse that i s t h e i r
power.
source-- f a l l
and y i e l d
to a new
The n a t u r e of t h a t power i s foreshadowed i n the beauty of
the s h e l l and the way
i n which A l a n i s immediately
forgetting his fallen
sand
drawn to i t ,
castle.
L a t e r i n the n o v e l , MacLennan makes c l e a r i n A i n s l i e s
1
words to A l a n t h a t the powers of the sea (nature) and the sky
( s p i r i t ) a r e b e s t u n i t e d : "The sea, A l a n , i s the m i g h t i e s t
t h i n g we know.
The sky i s the most changeable
and m y s t e r i o u s . "
He speaks of the g r e a t c l i p p e r s h i p F l y i n g Cloud,
between sea and sky, and says, "Think
t h a t - - i t was
like
have g i v e n the world
of
Ainslie,
like
one h e r o i c i n d i v i d u a l .
f o l l o w i n g i d e a s of t h e i r
e v e r y t h i n g we v a l u e " (183).
own,
I t i s clear
c o n c e i v e s of h i m s e l f i n t h i s r o l e , but, i n the t u r m o i l
his frustration,
ambitions
of one man,
says, " I n d i v i d u a l men,
that A i n s l i e
of h a n d l i n g a s h i p
sail
t u r n i n g y o u r s e l f i n t o a f o r c e of n a t u r e ! " (183)
T h i s can be done by the genius
As A i n s l i e
setting
f e e l he cannot a t t a i n i t ,
on to A l a n .
having
thus pushing h i s
Dr. MacKenaie has seen the p o t e n t i a l i n
t o l d him, "with hands l i k e y o u r s , w i t h the
flair
you have, you c o u l d become one of the g r e a t surgeons o f
w o r l d " (70).
The surgeon, l i k e the s e a - c a p t a i n ,
between sea and s k y , u s i n g h i s
sets
the
sail
d e l i c a t e l y c o - o r d i n a t e d body and
mind to s t r i k e a balance which t u r n s him i n t o a h e a l i n g f o r c e .
And the g r e a t surgeons,
Ainslie
lives,
p a r t i c u l a r l y d u r i n g the time i n which
are making important advances i n s u r g i c a l techniques
d i s c o v e r i n g new and b e t t e r ways to h e a l .
discoverer,
Ainslie
is
such a
not l i k e the wise o l d D r . Mackenzie whose "mind was
one which understood r a t h e r than d i s c o v e r e d " (61).
must undergo h i s
But A i n s l i e
quest i n t o darkness before he can a c h i e v e
heroic greatness,
b e f o r e he can r e a l i z e h i s
destiny.
The melancholy C e l t s o f Cape B r e t o n g e n e r a l l y f e e l
d e s t i n y works a g a i n s t
against
all"
them; they f e e l
that
"the l u c k must have been
them, a s u p e r s t i t i o n which more or l e s s s a t i s f i e d
(140),
including A i n s l i e .
the a n c i e n t c u r s e ,
fate
them
T r u l y , w h i l e they s u f f e r under
does work a g a i n s t
d i s c o v e r s a son i n A l a n , he t h i n k s ,
them.
When A i n s l i e
" i t had not been a c c i d e n t
which had caused Doucette to c a l l him to L o u i s b u r g that day"
(125).
But what he f e e l s
f a t e working i n h i s
interest
is
o n l y the s t i r r i n g of h i s own misbegotten d e s i r e .
I f fate
is
work h e r e ,
fate
it
is
t h a t decrees
Archie MacNeil.
the o p p o s i t e o f what A i n s l i e
the f a l l
imagines,
o f the g i a n t a n d , hence,
The Cape B r e t o n g i a n t s ,
A r c h i e M a c N e i l , must f a l l
giants,
is
it
is
the f a l l
at
the
of
G i a n t M a c A s k i l l and
as s u r e l y as the legendary C e l t i c
F i n n McCool and F i n n G a l l ,
and t h e i r c l a s s i c a l c o u n t e r -
-
66.
p a r t s , the T i t a n s ( i n c l u d i n g the C y c l o p s ) , have f a l l e n .
As
Zeus and H i s Olympians t o p p l e d the T i t a n s , Odysseus the
and
S a i n t P a t r i c k the F i n n s , so w i l l
the g i a n t s of Cape
One
final
Cyclops,
the power of love t o p p l e
Breton.
image i s c e n t r a l l y important
o f the stream, brook or s p r i n g .
When A i n s l i e
A l a n , a sense of w e l l - b e i n g r i s e s i n him
water i n the s p r i n g " (120).
to the n o v e l , t h a t
is first
"like a r i l l
drawn to
of
There i s a r e a l s p r i n g on
p r o p e r t y , which i s s i g n i f i c a n t
fresh
Ainslie's
to t h i s d o c t o r of S c o t t i s h
heritage, for
W e l l s , s p r i n g s , streams, and pools have been a c c r e d i t e d w i t h
h e a l i n g powers wherever man has had a i l m e n t s to cure and
S c o t l a n d w i t h i t s numerous mountains and glens was famed more
than many o t h e r lands f o r h e a l i n g waters.
Long b e f o r e the
C h r i s t i a n e r a , s p r i n g s endowed w i t h m a g i c a l v i r t u e were
regarded as b r i n g e r s of h e a l t h from the h e a r t of the earth.6
These waters suggest, as do o t h e r water images, renewal
rebirth.
What D a n i e l A i n s l i e
b a l a n c e d , h e a l t h y mind and
climaxes
f i n a l l y achieves
spirit
and
is a well-
i n t h a t moment of epiphany which
the development of h i s c h a r a c t e r .
He
descends i n t o
the
dark depths of h i s p e r s o n a l i t y , sees there the e x t e n t of the
a n c i e n t c u r s e , and
d e s o l a t e landscape,
his l i f e
feels his s p i r i t
flicker
as he contemplates
i n a w o r l d where nothingness
l i k e a bat over a
the u t t e r f u t i l i t y
of
i s the u l t i m a t e t r u t h .
Then,
With a slow movement, as i f coming out o f a deep s l e e p ,
A i n s l i e s a t up and looked a t the sky. With l o n g i n g f o r continuance brimming i n h i s b l o o d , he had looked ahead on h i s
Mary Banks, B r i t i s h Calendar Customs, c i t e d i n F. M.
M c N e i l l , The S i l v e r Bough (Glasgow: W. MacLennan, 1957), p.
66.
days and seen t o t a l emptiness. He had reached h i s c o r e .
And
there he had stopped. He got to h i s f e e t and looked down a t
the brook.
In that moment he made the d i s c o v e r y that he was
ready to go on w i t h l i f e . (201-02)
He reaches h i s c o r e , where l i e s h i s w i l l
of
the f u t u r e .
torment o f hope.
of
not
life,
to l i v e
He reaches that peace found o n l y beyond
the
He sees i n the brook the c u r r e n t o f time and
e v e r - f r e s h , f o r e v e r renewing i t s e l f .
like Lister,
regardless
He knows he i s
O s i e r or Dougald MacKenzie, not one o f the
" b e a t i , secure i n t h e i r age and i n themselves" (203), but h i s
v e r y d i f f e r e n c e makes him c a p a b l e o f even g r e a t e r t h i n g s ; he
need but s e a r c h .
He i s s t i l l Unsure, but he has l e a r n e d the
v a l u e of l o v e , and may
clear
is
now
i n the n o v e l ' s f i n a l
emptied, A i n s l i e ' s
Barometer
develop h i s p o t e n t i a l .
image where, w h i l e MacKenzie's
i s untouched.
Rising, Daniel A i n s l i e
Murray's
glass
L i k e N e i l Macrae, i n
is left
f u t u r e , but h i s a t t i t u d e i s d i f f e r e n t
Macrae's.
This i s
l o o k i n g toward the
from the more romantic
The Cape Breton d o c t o r ' s a t t i t u d e i s , l i k e Dr. Angus
i n Barometer
R i s i n g , much more i r o n i c
than r o m a n t i c .
There a r e , i n Each Man's Son, obvious elements o f romance:
the
in
theme i s c h i e f l y argon or c o n f l i c t ;
the c h a r a c t e r s are c a s t
t y p i c a l r o l e s o f h e r o , w a i t i n g w i f e , wise o l d man
parent.
and
sinister
A l s o t y p i c a l o f romance i s the heavy r e l i a n c e on the
quest myth:
there a r e two quests i n the n o v e l .
a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e from Barometer
But here
lies
R i s i n g , i n which the
quest myth i s a l s o c e n t r a l to the u n f o l d i n g of the s t o r y .
In the
- 68. -
l a t t e r novel,
the use o f the myth i s merely a comic one. I n
Each Man's Son, however, w h i l e A i n s l i e makes a comic quest, one
that f u l f i l l s
i t s aims and suggests the appearance o f a new
s o c i e t y , a quest w i t h i n a g r e a t e r
t i o n beyond the n o v e l , A r c h i e ' s
not
o n l y f a i l s to f u l f i l l
the hero and h i s w i f e .
quest which extends by i m p l i c a -
quest i s t r a g i c , a quest
i t s aims but ends i n the d e s t r u c t i o n o f
Beyond t h i s p a t t e r n ,
quests a r e l i n k e d together
that
the two separate
w i t h i n a g r e a t e r mythic c y c l e , the
death o f the o l d gods and the r i s e o f the new.
working behind the development o f the n o v e l
And f i n a l l y ,
as a whole i s t h a t
same f o r c e a t work i n Barometer R i s i n g , moira, n e c e s s i t y , the
i n t e r n a l balancing
he
o f the a n c i e n t
reaction.
and
c o n d i t i o n of l i f e .
The o l d j e a l o u s god,
c u r s e , has r e p r e s s e d
man's n a t u r e , f o r c i n g a
One r e a c t i o n puts too much s t r e s s on p h y s i c a l f o r c e
i d o l i z e s v i o l e n t f i g h t i n g strength,
i n e v i t a b l y r e s t o r e d and the hero
process.
The other
but a balance i s
( A r c h i e ) i s crushed i n the
r e a c t i o n i s to the o p p o s i t e
extreme, p u t t i n g
too much s t r e s s on the mental powers and denying the f l e s h , but
here, too, balance i s r e s t o r e d .
discovers
Ainslie
i s fortunate
i n t h a t he
f o r h i m s e l f how to escape the f a t e o f the o l d gods,
to c a s t a s i d e hope and f e a r , and simply
to l o v e .
A i n s l i e becomes
l i k e A l b e r t Camus' Sisyphus, j o y f u l i n the face o f h i s absurd
f a t e , a t once a c c e p t i n g
i t w i t h h i s sheer w i l l
balancing
point
i t w i t h s t o i c a l endurance and d e f y i n g
to s u r v i v e .
He has found the d e l i c a t e
t h a t i s the E p i c u r e a n
golden mean.
I n love i s
the b a l a n c e r e s t o r e d , as n e c e s s i t y demands:
and
sea,
sun and moon, sky
p a t e r n a l and m a t e r n a l , s p i r i t u a l and n a t u r a l , are
r e s o l v e d i n harmony.
The
novel
to A i n s l i e ,
ends w i t h
to A l a n and
this in sight.
The
to Canada i t s e l f
destiny
is s t i l l
unrealized.
L i k e Barometer R i s i n g , t h i s n o v e l begins a t sunset
the depths of n i g h t .
early f a l l ,
just
The
"heart of d a r k n e s s " s t i l l
for
the c h a r a c t e r s
Alan,
the
Sisyphus.
He has
the s p i r i t u a l son of
He
quest to make.
passed on;
ahead f o r these people, the new
i n the
War.
god has
s t o r y of a few
Daniel
i s Telemachus, son
But
son
of
the
regardless
of
l e s s o n of
of the
love
trials
r i s e n above the o l d .
i n d i v i d u a l men,
MacLennan has
made a prophecy o f the d e s t i n y i n s t o r e f o r h i s n a t i o n , and
prophecy i s o p t i m i s t i c .
in
Telemachus, son of Odysseus the wise,
been l e a r n e d and w i l l be
Once a g a i n ,
of the F i r s t World
i s a l s o Odysseus h i m s e l f ,
h i s own
ends i n
the f u t u r e i s c o n t a i n e d
i s each man's son.
but more than t h i s he
has
But
p h y s i c a l son of A r c h i e and
Odysseus the mighty, and
ends i n
l i e s ahead f o r the n a t i o n , i f not
i n the n o v e l .
A i n s l i e ; c l e a r l y he
and
I t begins i n e a r l y summer and
p r i o r to the b e g i n n i n g
promised
the
Chapter Four:
The Watch That Ends the N i g h t :
The Comic S y n t h e s i s
The v e r y t i t l e
an important
day,
o f The Watch t h a t Ends the N i g h t
o p p o s i t i o n between l i g h t and darkness,
s i m i l a r to t h a t found
p o i n t s to
n i g h t and
i n Barometer R i s i n g and Each Man's Son.
In t h i s n o v e l , the c o n f l i c t o f f o r c e s i s examined to a depth o n l y
hinted at before.
The c o n f l i c t
i s focused on the c e n t r a l
c h a r a c t e r o f the n o v e l , George Stewart,
and i s worked out i n the
development o f h i s c h a r a c t e r .
When the n o v e l b e g i n s , George i s a t peace.
late winter.
The time
l i g h t and darkness,
i s sunset,
The season i s
s t a n d i n g between day and n i g h t ,
t h a t time when the u n i v e r s e seems m y s t e r i o u s l y
to h o l d i t s b r e a t h .
As George says, the "pale t w i l i g h t
the c i t y e r a s e d time:
bathing
i t c a l l e d me back to the Montreal
once had been one o f the t r u e w i n t e r c i t i e s
which
o f the w o r l d . "
It
c a l l s him back t o the days when he " f e l t young and c l e a n and
u n t r o u b l e d , " a time
live
t h a t "was gone now t h a t we were l e a r n i n g to
l i k e New Y o r k e r s . " !
simple
The o p p o s i t i o n i s g i v e n here between a
past and a c o m p l i c a t e d ,
s o p h i s t i c a t e d present.
An o p p o s i t i o n
a l s o appears between w i l d e r n e s s and c i t y , n a t u r a l and man-made,
when George looks a t "the c l e a n , n o r t h e r n t w i l i g h t f e e l i n g
and
relaxed" (7).
George l i k e s
easy
to l e t h i s mind escape from the
b u s t l e o f the c i t y , and f i n d s t h i s e a s i e s t a t dusk and a t dawn,
f o r he f e e l s t h a t n o t h i n g i s " q u i t e l i k e
the s i l e n c e o f a n o r t h e r n
iRugh MacLennan, The Watch t h a t Ends the Night (New York:
New American L i b r a r y , 1960), p. 7. A l l subsequent q u o t a t i o n s
from the n o v e l a r e from t h i s e d i t i o n and a r e f o l l o w e d by page
r e f e r e n c e s i n parentheses.
c i t y a t dawn on a w i n t e r morning" ( 7 ) .
To George, the w i n t e r w i l d e r n e s s
contrasted with
i s a positive
world
the modern c i t y which n e g a t i v e l y r e f l e c t s the
i n f l u e n c e o f man's i n v e n t i o n s on h i s l i f e .
rush-hour t r a f f i c
Looking a t the
(he p r e f e r s to w a l k ) , he says,
"Sherbrooke
S t r e e t looked l i k e an army i n r e t i r e m e n t " (21).
Shortly after
t h i s , he coments on another
"like a dentist'
drill
the telephone
political
work o f t e c h n o l o g y :
s n a r l e d a t me" (36).
Man-made t h i n g s ,
i d e o l o g i e s as w e l l as machines, a r e o f t e n g i v e n
negative a t t r i b u t e s .
get out o f c o n t r o l .
George i s bothered
by the way such
things
He sees man b l i t h e l y s e t t i n g f o r c e s i n
motion which a l l too o f t e n assume a m i n d l e s s momentum o f t h e i r
own, sometimes t h r e a t e n i n g to d e s t r o y him u t t e r l y .
But, t o
George, where man has n o t meddled, the w o r l d remains
uncorrupt.
He i s r e f r e s h e d by the c o l d w i n t e r a i r which has "come down from
the germless,
sinless
l a n d " (24).
D a n i e l A i n s l i e o f Each Man's Son.
harsh, uncorrupt
In t h i s , George i s l i k e
Where A i n s l i e approves o f the
Newfoundland landscape,
George r e m i n i s c e s
p o s i t i v e l y about a boyhood canoe t r i p on the Great Lakes where
"the days were a s t r i n g e n t and the n i g h t s were c o l d " (51).
finally
states h i s feeling e x p l i c i t l y ,
He
describing a "beautiful,
c o l d s k i e r ' s morning i n the innocent n o r t h l a n d , " which leads him
to
say, "to be young . . . to be innocent o f l i f e
. . . were
v e r y heaven.'" (318)
George's f e e l i n g s toward the w i l d e r n e s s a r e , however,
ambivalent.
While i t serves as a place o f escape from the c i t y
and o f i s o l a t i o n
from the busy confused world, i t i s a l s o
f r i g h t e n i n g i n i t s greatness.
Canoeing
on a s i l e n t
rather
lake w i t h
Jerome M a r t e l l , George becomes aware that "the s i l e n c e went a
thousand m i l e s to Hudson Bay"
(149).
L a t e r , George s i t s
i n s i l e n c e s t a r i n g a t the landscape which s t a r e d back:
form
and c o l o u r and l i g h t and shade, u s e l e s s to farmers, some o f
the o l d e s t rock i n the world c r o p p i n g out of i t , dark green
and l i g h t green, a n c i e n t , m i n d l e s s , from e v e r l a s t i n g to everl a s t i n g without any purpose anyone c o u l d p o s s i b l y understand,
but t h e r e . (247)
As he says o u t r i g h t ,
"Jerome l o v e d the s t a r k grandeur
L a u r e n t i a n S h i e l d which evoked
called
out i n me,
a response i n him
of the
i t has
f o r I p r e f e r a g e n t l e r l a n d where f l o w e r s
and
f r u i t s grow" (252).
his
l i k i n g , a garden
his
one y o u t h f u l summer w i t h C a t h e r i n e .
A g e n t l e r p a s t o r a l l a n d i s more to
l a n d such as the " a r c a d i a " he enjoyed i n
He yearns f o r t h i s
i d y l l i c Eden, l o s t when he became aware o f h i s p h y s i c a l
" I f c h i l d h o o d i s a garden," he says, "The
desire:
then
A paradise
i t i s , a l o s s he mourns u n t i l he reaches h i s t r u e manhood
near the end o f the n o v e l .
his
lost
gates c l o s e d on us
and ever a f t e r w a r d s we were on the o u t s i d e " (58).
lost
never
dream, but, unable
as an escape,
to f i n d
A r e t u r n to t h i s
garden world i s
to f u l f i l l h i s dream, he uses
i n the c o l d , b a r r e n s i l e n c e
the w i l d e r n e s s
temporary
peace.
George's f i n d i n g peace i n w i n t e r c o l d and s i l e n c e and
the
w i l d e r n e s s , or w h i l e the c i t y s l e e p s , t e l l s us much about h i s
character.
He
f i n d s peace without people, without t h e i r n o i s e ,
b u s t l e and c o n f u s i o n .
H i s form o f peace i s the p a r t i a l ,
inadequate
- 73. -
peace of a r e c l u s e , a peace found i n i s o l a t i o n from the human
community i n a d e n i a l of h i s p l a c e i n the l i f e
of mankind.
Such
a peace he enjoys when the n o v e l opens, but i t i s q u i c k l y
s h a t t e r e d by a telephone
the window and
call
from Jerome.
sees the e n c r o a c h i n g
down over the snow w i t h i t s s q u i r r e l
George looks out
"darkness
visibly
t r a c k s " (11).
flooding
The
gentle
George f e e l s as h e l p l e s s as a s q u i r r e l a t the mercy of f o r c e s
g r e a t e r than he can understand.
Night has
begun.
N i g h t , to George, means c o n f u s i o n and
the d e p r e s s i o n y e a r s , he remembers w a l k i n g
a f t e r midnight:
blowing
"The moon had
scraps o f paper and
terror.
Recollecting
the M o n t r e a l
sunk and a r i s i n g wind
d u s t " (124).
was
In t h i s dark
r e m i n i s c e n t of the dark and dingy n i g h t scene of T. S.
" P r e l u d e s " , George has a v i s i o n of the abyss,
in his l i f e :
I saw
the bottom h o l e of my
then - - i t i s one
see-- my
himself:
and
" I t was
own
worthlessness."
He
"I s t a r e d a l l the way
Eliot's
nothingness
l i f e up to t h a t time.
glimpses
the darkness
within
down t h a t b l e a k , empty s t r e e t
seemed to be s t a r i n g i n t o the r e c e s s e s of my
night " f u l l
scene,
of the most t e r r i b l e t h i n g s anyone can
Much l a t e r i n the n o v e l and
in
the
streets
i n h i s l i f e , he
own
imagines
soul"
(125).
Catherine's
of p a i n , of f e a r , of tumbling down unknown t u n n e l s
the e n d l e s s d a r k "
" o n l y the f e a r f u l
n i g h t and darkness
(318).
And
f o r C a t h e r i n e ' s f u t u r e he
t u n n e l w i t h n o t h i n g a t the end"
c o n t a i n chaos, meaningless
t h i s w o r l d of darkness
people are " l o s t
like
(320).
sees
The
c o n f u s i o n , and i n
shadows moving
- 74. -
p e r i l o u s l y over a c r u s t c o v e r i n g the v o i d : (265), one s t e p
falling
to drown i n the dark.
George nears
f e e l s he i s going to l o s e C a t h e r i n e .
from
t h i s p o i n t when he
With C a t h e r i n e i n h o s p i t a l
c l o s e to d y i n g , George d e s c r i b e s h i m s e l f a l o n e i n bed, s h i v e r i n g
with fear, while
"the darkness
descended and the ocean r o s e "
(332).
The
image o f the ocean i s used o f t e n i n The Watch That
Ends the Night and i n many d i f f e r e n t ways.
Most important, the
ocean i s used as an image o f the mind and o f time.
e a r l i e s t r e f e r e n c e s to the ocean l i n k s both
George f e e l s
The past i s an ocean t o be r e v i v e d i n the
ocean o f the c h a r a c t e r s ' memories.
George.
fully
the mind and time:
t h a t Jerome " w i l l b r i n g up a l l the ocean out o f
the p a s t " (30).
to
One o f the
T h i s ocean i s f r i g h t e n i n g
As he says when he has d e c i d e d to commit h i m s e l f
to l o v i n g C a t h e r i n e , "Now I , too, was a t sea and I
thought
o f t h a t v a s t r e s e r v o i r o f emotions and memories o f
which every f r a g i l e human l i f e
a Mindinao
floats until
the depth becomes
j^sicj Deep so profound he cannot plumb i t " (296).
ocean o f the mind t h r e a t e n s even t h a t f r a g i l e c o n s c i o u s
which appears
self
on the s u r f a c e , t h r e a t e n s i t l i k e
the e x t e r n a l
ocean o f time o r the sea o f h i s t o r y which r i s e s
to f l o o d the
w o r l d w i t h v i o l e n c e and d e s t r u c t i o n .
During the Second World
War, George says, h i s " p r i v a t e l i f e almost
drowned i n what
seemed to be the d i s i n t e g r a t i o n o f the w o r l d i t s e l f "
But
Th
(296).
t h i s ocean can be b e n e f i c e n t , t o o ; f o r example, i t can h e a l
an i n j u r y as bad C a t h e r i n e ' s l o s s o f Jerome:
Catherine's
"love f o r Jerome had gone down l i k e a wounded l i v i n g t h i n g
to
the f l o o r o f the sea and time had covered i t , the deep
t i m e " (301).
The use o f the sea as a metaphor f o r time i s a l s o
sometimes s p e c i f i c a l l y focused on the passage o f a day or o f
a person's
rising
life.
in full
George d e s c r i b e s one "August morning . . .
t i d e " (51).
George h i s f i r s t
Elsewhere,
when C a t h e r i n e
offers
s e x u a l e x p e r i e n c e , he sees h e r "as q u i e t l y
r e s t l e s s as a q u i e t s e a " (75), but he denies h e r and h i s own
desire.
He i s a f r a i d .
Much l a t e r , however, s i t t i n g
C a t h e r i n e a f t e r t h e i r r e u n i o n , he senses
in
the t i d e o f h e r l i f e , " and he f e e l s
The
is
"her b r e a t h i n g
presence
" l i k e a man come home" (129).
g r e a t t i d a l ocean i s a s s o c i a t e d i n t h i s n o v e l , as i t
i n Each Man's Son, w i t h the moon.
f o r c e throughout
and
with
the mind.
The moon i s a c o n t r o l l i n g
n a t u r e , i n f l u e n c i n g the ocean, the human body
Images o f the moon appear a t many
important
moments i n the n o v e l , when emotion i s a t i t s h i g h e s t .
young George and C a t h e r i n e a r e b l i s s f u l l y
When the
i n l o v e , the s i g n i f i c a n t l y
"moonless n i g h t s were as s o f t as warm m i l k " (62 , i t a l i c s
mine).
T h i s g i v e s a sense o f an i n n o c e n t c h i l d a t i t s mother's b r e a s t ,
warmed by a mother's h e a t .
and C a t h e r i n e e x p e r i e n c e
h u n t e r ' s moon."
The t i d e s o f d e s i r e r i s e , and George
their f i r s t
kiss
"on the n i g h t o f a
The moon stood over the l a k e , and "there i t
hung w i t h a r i n g g l i t t e r i n g about i t and dominated the w o r l d "
(63).
The h u n t e r ' s moon reminds one o f the goddess Diana,
the chaste
h u n t r e s s , e s p e c i a l l y as C a t h e r i n e i s s t i l l
chaste.
As the
"hunter's moon s t a r e d down," George n o t i c e d t h a t " f a r out i n
the channel were the r i d i n g l i g h t s o f a moving s h i p " ( 6 4 ) .
There i s a h i n t here o f a j o u r n e y by water - - a c r o s s the ocean
of
time and the unconscious-- and t h a t such moments as t h i s a r e
f l e e t i n g , c a r r i e d away q u i c k l y by the c u r r e n t .
And so i t
happens: "The moon c o n t i n u e d to s t a r e down on us . . . u n t i l a t
l a s t a wandering
c l o u d covered the moon and the lake gave a
s h i v e r and went d a r k " (66).
the lake i s darkened,
fulfilled
a little
The moon i s h i d d e n from the c o u p l e ,
g i v i n g a sense o f f o r e b o d i n g which i s
l a t e r when George s p o i l s
their
relationship.
The weather has changed f o r the worse when the couple meets
a g a i n ; George has l o s t h i s innocence but i s s t i l l
of
h i s childhood.
not free
He denies the t i d a l demands o f the f l e s h - - i s
a f r a i d o f them-- and a t the same time denies h i m s e l f the r i g h t
to
Catherine.
Years l a t e r , when George i s about
to meet h i s
love a g a i n , there i s a p r o p h e t i c "hunter's moon over the c i t y "
(123).
Having met C a t h e r i n e , he n o t i c e s moonlight
the darkened windows o f a c h u r c h " (131).
"flicker off
The r e l i g i o n the church
r e p r e s e n t s i s dead to him, but the moon c o n t i n u e s to a s s e r t
itself.
The moon i s f o r e v e r p r e s e n t , i f n o t i n the sky, i n the
c h a r a c t e r o f C a t h e r i n e , f o r she, l i k e Margaret A i n s l i e
i n Each
Man's Son, i s o f t e n d e s c r i b e d i n l u n a r terms.
When, i n t h e i r youth, George and C a t h e r i n e walk i n the
moonlight,
George t h i n k s "of h e r as a whiteness
o f the dusk"
(58).
L a t e r , when Jerome i s d e p a r t i n g f o r Spain, he sees her
as "serene,
life,
p a l e and b e a u t i f u l " (261).
i n her
j u s t p r i o r to the l a s t embolism which p r e c i p i t a t e s the
climax, George notes
C a t h e r i n e ' s " s m a l l curved f a c e p a l e ,
(311), h i n t i n g of a waning moon.
and wanes l i k e
to
Later s t i l l
the moon.
C a t h e r i n e ' s very
And she s i l e n t l y
George which he does n o t see u n t i l v e r y
calm"
l i f e waxes
offers
something
l a t e i n the n o v e l .
F i n a l l y a t peace w i t h h i m s e l f , George says, "my s o u l was l i k e a
landscape w i t h water when the f o g goes and the moon comes out
all
the promontories
long l a s t a c c e p t s
a r e c l e a r and s t i l l "
(346) .
George a t
the moon, f u l l y a c c e p t s C a t h e r i n e , and f i n a l l y
sees h e r as she r e a l l y i s ; of h e r f a c e , he says, " L i g h t was i n
it.
L i g h t came out of i t . L i g h t came from h e r c o n s t a n t l y i n t o me"
(348) .
But, i f C a t h e r i n e on one l e v e l r e p r e s e n t s the powers of
the moon (the m a t e r n a l
mysterious
p r i n c i p l e and the m i s t r e s s of the
powers of n a t u r e ) , she a l s o r e p r e s e n t s a g r e a t d e a l
more.
The f i r s t
time young George sees C a t h e r i n e i n the n o v e l ,
"she was a l l d r e s s e d i n g r e e n "
(50), and he l a t e r says
that
"green was her c o l o u r a t t h a t supreme moment of my y o u t h " ( 5 2 ) .
Later i n l i f e ,
George d e s c r i b e s C a t h e r i n e ' s p a i n t i n g which i s
c l o s e s t to a s e l f - p o r t r a i t :
"simply a l l the young g i r l s
i t i s of a young g i r l ,
there ever were l o s t i n a spectrum of
s p r i n g and knowing themselves a l o n e .
f l o w e r on a s t a l k " (308) .
featureless,
The head drooped l i k e a
These a s s o c i a t i o n s of C a t h e r i n e w i t h
nature do n o t stand a l o n e .
F o r i n s t a n c e , the seasons
f o l l o w h e r e a r l y r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h George.
seem to
About to deny
C a t h e r i n e and l e a v e h e r f o r a long time, George says he " c o u l d
almost hear
the v o i c e o f w i n t e r " (74).
And w i n t e r does come;
" I n d i a n Summer was over, and w i t h i t my time i n A r c a d i a " ( 6 7 ) .
The
p a s t o r a l Eden, the summer he has spent w i t h C a t h e r i n e , i s
over, but George does n o t want to a c c e p t i t s p a s s i n g ; hence, he
fails
C a t h e r i n e by b e i n g too f e a r f u l
He has l o s t h i s c h i l d h o o d innocence
maturity.
to respond
to h e r advance.
but i s a long way from
He denies n a t u r e , f o r which nature
he d e r i v e s a m a s o c h i s t i c p l e a s u r e from
punishes him, and
the punishment:
"the
wind t e a r i n g my h a i r and the r a i n l a s h i n g my face were g r a t e f u l "
(76).
Many years l a t e r , when he and C a t h e r i n e a r e m a r r i e d ,
George r e t u r n s to a p a r t i a l acceptance
t h a t happiness
it
o f nature.
He e x p l a i n s
" d i d n o t come t o C a t h e r i n e and me i n a rush; r a t h e
grew l i k e summer weather a f t e r a c o o l s p r i n g i n a n o r t h e r n
l a n d " (300), and t h a t t o g e t h e r they "grew i n t i m a t e w i t h the
seasons"
(301).
George's d e s c r i p t i o n o f C a t h e r i n e ' s i n f l u e n c e
reminds one o f Jerome s a y i n g "the f i r s t
two years w i t h h e r
the world opened up l i k e a r o s e " (157).
This c l o s e a s s o c i a t i o n
of
p a r a l l e l s the
C a t h e r i n e w i t h nature and the seasons
p e r s o n i f i c a t i o n o f the year i n MacLennan's essay,
"Portrait of a
Year": i n
May . . . she e n t e r e d l i k e a supple g i r l o f p e r f e c t deportment,
yet one who knew what she wanted and how to get i t , and the
most d e l i c a t e shades o f green became h e r w e l l .
-
79.
. . . i n September . . . the bones of her face showed f i n e
aristocratic.
By October she was a g r e a t lady knowing her
l i f e had been so f u l l she c o u l d a f f o r d to be serene, wise,
t h o u g h t f u l and remembering.
This p e r s o n i f i e d year speaks to the a u t h o r , s a y i n g ,
w i t h me
and
be my
love and we
This i s what C a t h e r i n e
and
w i l l a l l the
offers f i r s t
then to George a g a i n .
and
"Come l i v e
pleasures
prove.
to George, then to Jerome,
MacLennan's d e s c r i p t i o n of a
year's
passage, h i s p e r s o n i f i c a t i o n o f the c y c l e of the seasons, bears
a c l o s e resemblance to the broad o u t l i n e s of
character.
She
artist,
i s "ambitious,"
she
i n her c o r e "
(249)
Her
and
i s green i n youth, and
(26), and
she ages g r a c e f u l l y .
" r u t h l e s s , " and
"strangely
s i g n i f i c a n t l y she both " l o v e s
i s a p e r f e c t i o n i s t a t i t , an a r t i s t
of the
She
gardening"
garden.
i s of a r i s t o c r a t i c b e a r i n g ;
c o u l d t h i n k of C a t h e r i n e
year, her
as
queen-like"
time i s l i m i t e d , and her
a larger cycle.
which i s "her
on r e g a r d l e s s .
But her
(26).
and
in fact,
Like
the
l i f e moves i n c y c l e s w i t h i n
i n e f f a b l e , unconquerable s p i r i t ,
s t r e n g t h , her
that
essence, her mystery" (26), c a r r i e s
A f t e r each scrape w i t h
death she
revives.
It is
not c o i n c i d e n t a l t h a t George, going
to the h o s p i t a l to' f i n d
Catherine
the c a b - d r i v e r
was
i s recovering,
almost over and
As
solitary
face i s f i n e - f e a t u r e d , "heart-shaped, l a r g e grey eyes
s e n s i t i v e mouth" (26).
"you
Catherine's
i s t o l d by
t h a t s p r i n g , she was
Scotchman's Re t u r n , pp.
259-60
"that
coming f o r s u r e "
that
winter
(3'32).
an
- 80. -
When he does 1 e a r n that C a t h e r i n e w i l l
l i v e , he suddenly becomes
aware t h a t the seasons a r e changing, w i n t e r y i e l d i n g to s p r i n g .
(346)
of
the
Catherine's ' s p i r i t , l i k e
unconquerable
tidal
t h a t o f n a t u r e , i s the seed
l i f e w i t h i n her.
Her f a t e i s l i k e
that of
s e a , the changing moon, the s e a s o n a l v e g e t a t i o n , and
is reflected
i n h e r heart-shaped f a c e .
George comments t h a t
a "rheumatic h e a r t i s f a t e p a l p a b l e and u n a v o i d a b l e " ( 8 ) , and,
during Catherine's l a s t
embolism, he says t h a t "the image o f h e r
f a c e " haunted him and that "the f e e l i n g o f h e r body melted
mine so warm and c l o s e t h a t the n i g h t throbbed" (296).
into
The
t h r o b b i n g o f h e r h e a r t becomes a t h r o b b i n g i n the n i g h t ,
pulsing
as the moon, m i s t r e s s o f the n i g h t and the t i d e s , s l o w l y p u l s e s ,
as the y e a r l y seasons
but he w i l l
pulse.
George i s haunted by i t , f e a r s i t ,
l e a r n to a c c e p t i t .
The moon s h i n e s over more c h a r a c t e r s than George and C a t h e r i n e .
Jerome i s born i n i t s l i g h t ,
i f not a c t u a l l y , c e r t a i n l y
symbolically.
D e s c r i b i n g h i s mother's murder, Jerome says he "saw moonlight
p o u r i n g i n t o the k i t c h e n i n t h r e e s e p a r a t e s h a f t s " (167).
F o l l o w i n g the murder, he runs out i n t o the moonlight,
and l a t e r ,
afraid,
as he escapes down-river i n h i s canoe ( s t i l l t h r e a t e n e d
by h i s mother's m u r d e r e r ) ,
"the moon was enormous i n the wide
g r e e n l y - s h i n i n g s k y " (174).
and s y m b o l i c a l l y Jerome s t i l l
There i s sense o f submersion h e r e ,
i s submerged, f o r he has n o t y e t
been born.
Jerome's n a t u r a l mother c o u l d have stepped s t r a i g h t out a
myth.
Her r e a l name i s obscure, but the "men c a l l e d h e r 'Anna'
or'Mrs. Anna'" (162).
The name "Anna" has been g i v e n to
numerous goddesses i n a n c i e n t m y t h o l o g i e s , and the word
itself
descends from an Indo-European r o o t the meaning o f which i s
a s s o c i a t e d w i t h "mother".
The goddess named Anna or h a v i n g
v a r i a t i o n s o f t h a t name (e.g., Roman Anna Perenna o r Greek Urana)
is
g e n e r a l l y an e a r t h goddess or mother goddess l i n k e d to
c r e a t i o n and f e r t i l i t y .
and
She i s , however, a l s o l i n k e d to death
d e s t r u c t i o n , f o r i t i s o f h e r d u a l nature to both g i v e and
take away.
As the mother e a r t h g i v e s l i f e
summer, she takes i t i n f a l l
whole year ( L a t i n annus:
as
the mother o f a l l
and w i n t e r :
year).
chaos to take form as the e a r t h .
she i s a goddess o f the
She i s g e n e r a l l y worshipped
things, l i k e
Olympian C r e a t i o n Myth, a r i s i n g
i n s p r i n g and
the Mother E a r t h o f the
( m y s t e r i o u s l y unengendered) from
Jerome's mother, Anna,
closely
resembles such a goddess; no-one i n the l o g g i n g camp knows where
she
has come from.
She speaks l i t t l e .
She i s a " s h o r t , square,
powerful woman" (162), a s t a t u r e reminding one o f p r i m i t i v e
c l a y r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s o f the mother goddess.
woman" i n the camp" (163).
She i s "the p r i n c i p a l
She has a simple and p r i m i t i v e n a t u r e ,
s p o r a d i c a l l y and i n d i s c r i m i n a t e l y g i v i n g h e r s e x u a l
to
favours
the men o f the camp, and i s tough and r u t h l e s s i n demanding
s a t i s f a c t i o n from these men.
She r e p r e s e n t s the h a r s h , b r u t a l but
b a s i c and n e c e s s a r y powers o f n a t u r e .
She i s the g r e a t mother.
Jerome's a d o p t i v e mother i s a new k i n d o f woman to him.
Of
- 82. -
the two M a r t e l l ' s ,
woman was
the s t r o n g e r . . . y e t
u t t e r l y d i f f e r e n t from h i s mother.
and g e n t l e and
mystery,
"the woman was
still
she was
s t r o n g " (193).
She was
She
civilized,
She
is s t i l l
Christianized.
lack
little
the mother goddess, but the goddess
Where Jerome's n a t u r a l mother i s "as
p o s s e s s i v e as a female bear w i t h a cub"
" l i k e a g e n t l e b i r d " (189).
(163), Mrs M a r t e l l i s
The c o n t r a s t i s l i k e
c o n t r a s t between w i l d e r n e s s and garden.
between the n a t u r a l and
s o f t , warm
does not
however, f o r she i s d e s c r i b e d as a "strange
p e r s o n " (189).
this
George's
It is like
the man-made i d e a l :
the c o n t r a s t
w h i l e Anna i s
c o n t e n t w i t h , and r e i g n s i n , the p r i m i t i v e , ambivalent w i l d e r n e s s ,
a l a n d both h a r s h and b e a u t i f u l , Mrs. M a r t e l l l i v e s
in a
and c a s t s her thoughts
visualizes
as an A r c a d i a n garden
to f a r - o f f England which she
city
of C h r i s t i a n Eden on e a r t h , "the most
b e a u t i f u l and wonderful
c o u n t r y i n the w o r l d , and
the k i n g l i v e s "
Jerome d i s c o v e r s , l i k e N e i l Macrae i n
(199).
i t ' s where
Barometer R i s i n g , t h a t t h i s p a s t o r a l p a r a d i s e does not
exist,
t h a t the r e a l w o r l d i s h a r s h e r than a c o l o n i a l ' s dreams would
have i t .
While
Jerome's n a t u r a l mother i s the o r i g i n a l ,
primitive
mother o f d u a l n a t u r e , then, h i s a d o p t i v e mother i s the
more human mother.
When C a t h e r i n e m a r r i e s Jerome, she
over t h i s g e n t l e , p r o t e c t i n g r o l e .
this,
protective,
takes
But she g i v e s him more than
f o r she b r i n g s to him her o t h e r mythic a t t r i b u t e s , her
a f f i n i t y w i t h n a t u r e and
the moon.
What Robert
Graves c a l l s
the
- 83. -
White Goddess, t h a t i s ,
the moon goddess, takes three major
forms, r e p r e s e n t i n g the three major phases the moon passes
through; maiden
(newly waxing), nymph ( l a t e waxing, f u l l , and newly
waning), and crone ( l a t e waning and d a r k ) .
of
these forms.
chaste l i k e
When George f i r s t
C a t h e r i n e takes two
knows h e r , she i s a maiden,
the goddess Diana. During t h i s time, she matures,
e v i d e n t i n George's d e s c r i p t i o n o f h e r "coming out o f the lake
when she was e i g h t e e n w i t h the summer water streaming o f f h e r
s h o u l d e r s and t h i g h s " (44), an image p a r a l l e l
Aphrodite r i s i n g
to that o f
from the sea (the b i r t h o f Venus).
Aphrodite
r e p r e s e n t s the moon goddess i n h e r nymph phase, the p o s i t i v e
nymph, she o f s p r i n g and summer, o f f e r t i l i t y
and c r e a t i o n .
But
there i s another a s p e c t o f the nymph; she o f the waning moon, who
r
draws toward the cone, she o f darkness and death.
Like
Circe
A
of
and
the S i r e n s i n the Odyssey, she should be approached w a r i l y
o n l y by one w i t h knowledge o f h e r d u a l n a t u r e .
Blackwell c l e a r l y f i l l s
t h i s r o l e f o r Jerome.
love f o r Jerome makes h e r a p o s i t i v e f i g u r e ,
Norah
On one hand h e r
l e a d i n g George to
d e s c r i b e h e r as "a f l o w e r which had opened a f t e r a long
(257).
But t h i s same b l i n d
frost"
love a l s o makes h e r a n e g a t i v e
f i g u r e , f o r i t leads h e r to d e s e r t h e r husband and causes much
unhappiness.
Her nature t r u l y does c o n t a i n a "black w e l l , " as
George notes when he sees h e r on board s h i p w i t h Jerome, bound
for
Spain:
" t h a t woman's head had come by s t e a l t h , had come under
the
t e r r i b l e compulsion o f the d e s t r u c t i v e power w i t h i n h e r "
- 84.
(264).
who
She
-
i s t h a t form o f nymph - - i n f a c t , a nymphomaniac--
i s l e d to her d e s t r u c t i o n by her own
the hero w i t h h e r .
Her
fate,
d e s i r e , and would
l i k e her v o i c e , i s C o r d e l i a ' s
(112), t r a g i c , absurd and out of her c o n t r o l .
dark phase or crone
Finally,
i n f l u e n c e on h i s young l i f e , who,
dead and
itself
stands
i f the
i s r e p r e s e n t e d by any c h a r a c t e r i n the
n o v e l , i t i s George's Aunt Agnes, the dominant and
Man's Son,
take
baleful
l i k e Mrs. MacCuish i n Each
f o r the s t a t i c and n e g a t i v e f o r c e s of the o l d ,
r o t t e n world.
On a more a b s t r a c t l e v e l ,
i t i s death
t h a t i s the dark phase, the enemy George f e a r s and
Jerome
fights.
Jerome i s a f i g h t e r and o s t e n s i b l y the most h e r o i c f i g u r e
in
the n o v e l .
He
i s , as Woodcock p o i n t s out,
though not t e c h n i c a l l y the hero . . . a f i g u r e i n the h e r o i c
mould, the wanderer and the g i a n t and .the medicine man a l l
i n one, an energumen i n the t h i r t i e s , a man of sorrows and
s a i n t l y wisdom i n the f i f t i e s , who seems f o r most of the
n o v e l too f a r above common c l a y to be e i t h e r t r u e or t o l e r a b l e u n l e s s we a c c e p t him as myth incarnate."^
From the b e g i n n i n g , Jerome f i t s
mythical hero.
i n t o the p a t t e r n of the
H i s o r i g i n s are obscure; h i s mother i s a most
m y s t e r i o u s woman and h i s f a t h e r i s unknown.
his
birthplace,
l o n e l i n e s s " (158).
3
As a c h i l d , he
an o l d s a i l o r who
"Nation's
i s unsure of
the f i r s t home he knows b e i n g a "primeval
(160), of which he says, "I've never
f i g u r e s ; one,
He
Odyssey," p.
seen a n y t h i n g l i k e i t f o r
i s t u t o r e d by two
prophetically
16
forest"
"tried
strange
to make him
- 85. -
promise t h a t when he grew up he would take to the s e a " (162),
and
the other a "red-headed g i a n t [who} was a l s o a master
crafts-
man" (163) and who b u i l d s him the canoe that w i l l c a r r y him
down-river.
he
.
A f t e r the murder o f h i s mother, he escapes by canoe:
"began to move f a s t on a r i v e r wide, f i r m , s i l v e r and a l i v e
. . u t t e r l y alone f o r the f i r s t
him
time i n h i s l i f e ,
down under t h a t wide open sky through the f o r e s t to the open
sea which he knew was a t i t s end" (174).
sea and escaped the g r e a t e s t
threat
Having reached the
to h i s l i f e
(the E n g i n e e r
who murdered h i s mother), he i s adopted by the g e n t l e
This
follows
almost e x a c t l y
the Hero, the b a s i c m o t i f s
the a r c h e t y p a l
o f which a r e :
b i r t h which can be a v i r g i n or m o d i f i e d
unknown), 2.
Myth o f the B i r t h o f
virgin birth
i n f a n t e x i l e or exposure on the waters
by
simple f o l k , 4.
his
"true" estate
(father
(water-birth:
rescue and f o s t e r a g e
a p r o s p e c t , u l t i m a t e l y , o f ascendance to
( o f t e n as the beloved o f the moon goddess:
compare Perseus, Theseus).^
At night,
Jerome i s "submerged" ( s t i l l
i n a symbolic p r e n a t a l
under the "wide g r e e n l y
up
Martells.
1. a noble or d i v i n e
compare Greek Perseus, Hebrew Moses), 3.
the
bearing
l i g h t o f dawn s w e l l s
s h i n i n g sky."
f o l l o w i n g the r i v e r ,
state)
But, as he nears the ocean,
" i n t o a cool c o n f l a g r a t i o n that
flushed
i n t o the wide and r e a l sky as the e n t i r e world opened up"
(178).
A t t h i s moment, waking from s l e e p , Jerome i s t r u l y born
^ J . Campbell, The Masks o f God'; O c c i d e n t a l
( T o r o n t o : M a c m i l l a n , 1 9 6 4 ) , ^ . 73-74.
Mythology
- 86. -
i n t o t h i s world.
it
I t i s important
t h a t , a t h i s symbolic
birth,
i s the r i s i n g sun that wakes him from s l e e p , "a t u r m o i l o f
g o l d l i k e a tremendous excitement
i n t o the f o r e s t and
"excitement
i n heaven p o u r i n g i t s arrows
f l a s h i n g them o f f the stream"
(179).
The
i n heaven" h i n t s i£ h i s " d i v i n e " n a t u r e , and
arrows o f the r i s i n g sun remind
one
god o f the sun and a famous a r c h e r .
the
o f the Greek god A p o l l o ,
C l e a r l y Jerome can be
i d e n t i f i e d w i t h the sun, as C a t h e r i n e i s w i t h the moon.
powerful and
times
all
dynamic, a source of power and
life
"more l i k e a f o r c e of nature than a man"
He i s
to o t h e r s , and a t
(140).
Jerome i s
these t h i n g s and more.
Jerome i s a l s o a q u e s t i n g Odysseus f i g u r e ,
perhaps
although
l e s s o b v i o u s l y than e i t h e r N e i l Macrae o f Barometer
R i s i n g or A r c h i e MacNeil o f Each Man's Son.
goes to a g r e a t war
i n the e a s t and
to t h i s
who
p o i n t a man
C h r i s t i a n B i b l e , who
(202), i n the "war
L i k e Odysseus, he
t h e r e becomes u n s e t t l e d .
f e r v e n t l y b e l i e v e d i n the t r u t h o f the
"thought
o f h i m s e l f as a s o l d i e r o f
to end a l l wars " he
;
loses h i s f a i t h .
t h r u s t i n t o a w o r l d i n which he can f i n d no a b s o l u t e s .
e n t e r s on a quest to f i n d i d e a l s
God"
He i s
He
to r e p l a c e those he has
where they l i e i s h i s t r u e home, a p l a c e o f peace and
the " C i t y o f God".
Up
lost;
contentment,
H i s e x p e r i e n c e i n the s h e l l - h o l e , the hours
spent w i t h h i s dead "enemy", have turned him a g a i n s t the god
he
once b e l i e v e d i n , and h i s r e a c t i o n takes the form o f an
i d e a l i s t i c humanism.
At t h i s
time, he i d e n t i f i e s
the g o a l o f h i s
quest w i t h
the crowning g l o r y of c l a s s i c a l Greece, a
non-
C h r i s t i a n humanist's s u b s t i t u t e f o r the C i t y of God,
top of a h i l l
--Athens perhaps.
b e a u t i f u l , and
i t was
a great
I t was
privilege
D a n i e l A i n s l i e of Each Man's Son,
guilt
f o r having
turned a g a i n s t
himself into a l i f e
white and
"a c i t y
on
i t was
to e n t e r i t " (227).
Like
l a b o u r i n g under a burden of
the god
o f h i s youth, he
of e x p i a t i o n f o r h i s " s i n s " ,
sacrificing
h i m s e l f on the a l t a r of humanity.
As he
immortality
turns h i s enormous s t r e n g t h , of
i s mankind" (254).
both body and
around him,
he
George, "The
p e r s o n a l i t y , a g a i n s t whatever enemies he
p a r t i c u l a r l y s i c k n e s s , death and
t h i n k s does not
says,
He
tells
throws
"a w a r r i o r
stand w i t h him
...
anything
in his fight.
He
In h i s more obstreperous
Ha-ha i n the midst of the trumpets" (129).
He
only
finds
or anybody
i s , as
Catherine
moments he
says
is a special
kind
of w a r r i o r , as Adam B l o r e , the c y n i c a l s c u l p t o r , makes c l e a r to
George:
He's an i d e a l i s t , and he has ten times more energy than a
normal man.
Push a man l i k e him o u t s i d e your camp and what
does he do?
Nine times out of ten he t r i e s to break i n and
capture i t .
(122)
He has
the might and
i d e a l i s m makes him
the t h i r t i e s .
to
h i s departure
f i r s t war.
is
He
of Homer's Odysseus, but
unable to f u l f i l l
l a c k s wisdom.
the aims of h i s quest
Hence, the whole p e r i o d
f o r Spain f i n a l l y becomes an e x t e n s i o n
That he
d e s c r i b e d as
determination
is s t i l l
"a g e n e r a l
f i g h t i n g a war
blind
during
prior
of
the
becomes c l e a r when he
pondering a tough d e c i s i o n " (218).
His
- 88. -
l a c k o f wisdom causes him t o be too e a s i l y e x c i t e d , and when he
i s e x c i t e d and s t i r r e d he o f t e n r e v e r t s " t o the p r i m i t i v e "
He moves through
life
w i l d l y a t h i s enemies.
" l i k e a s l e e p w a l k e r " (248), s t r i k i n g out
But h i s e x t e r n a l enemies a r e r e a l l y o n l y
p r o j e c t i o n s o f h i s enemies w i t h i n .
"I don't
(231)*
know who I am" (158).
can he complete h i s quest.
Jerome h i m s e l f t e l l s
George,
And o n l y when he l e a r n s who he i s
L i k e Dr. A i n s l i e
i n Each Man's Son,
Jerome i s l o o k i n g f o r a God, one t h a t w i l l s a t i s f y h i s humanist
ideals.
his
F o r a l l h i s admirable
works i n M o n t r e a l , he cannot
l o n g i n g , and s e t s out on another
from home, one t h a t begins
quest, t h i s
i n Spain, c a r r i e s
time
He t e l l s
t h a t d u r i n g t h i s f i n a l , more t r u l y Odyssean quest,
wanted was to come home" (12).
t r u l y away
him through
R u s s i a and China, and f i n a l l y back to M o n t r e a l .
satisfy
France,
George
" a l l I ever
I t i s d u r i n g t h i s journey t h a t he
g a i n s the wisdom o f Odysseus; when he r e t u r n s , George notes t h a t
he has a c q u i r e d an "obscure wisdom," an "obscure
power" (349).
In d e a l i n g w i t h the Odysseus f i g u r e i n t h i s n o v e l ,
MacLennan uses o n l y the bare bones o f the p a t t e r n , r a d i c a l l y
changing many o f i t s p a r t s .
Penelope,
C a t h e r i n e i s the w a i t i n g w i f e ,
o n l y d u r i n g the I l i a d s e c t i o n o f the c y c l e .
i s on h i s f i n a l
When Jerome
quest and i s taken f o r dead (as Odysseus i s o f t e n
a s s e r t e d to b e ) , C a t h e r i n e a c c e p t s the evidence and r e m a r r i e s
not long a f t e r .
Oddly enough, she m a r r i e s
the v e r y man who i s
s y m b o l i c a l l y h e r husband's son. As George says,
f o r a time i n the t h i r t i e s , when I was s p i r i t u a l l y and e m o t i o n a l l y
fatherless
(9) . . . I had come to t h i n k o f Jerome as a p r o t e c t o r ,
- 89. -
almost as a s u b s t i t u t e f o r the f a t h e r I never had except i n
the b i o l o g i c a l sense. (140)
On t h i s
level,
George i s i d e n t i f i e d w i t h Telemachus.
This
Telemachus not o n l y m a r r i e s the w i f e of h i s " f a t h e r " ; he m a r r i e s
his
own
"mother", f o r , as Jerome t e l l s him,
for
safety against l i f e "
mother s u b s t i t u t e
she f u l f i l l e d
(343).
"You m a r r i e d h e r
Here, C a t h e r i n e a c t s as a
to the immature George, and Jerome admits
the same r o l e f o r him b e f o r e h i s f i n a l
quest.
that
The
p a t t e r n s o f r e l a t i o n s h i p are extremely s u b t l e and complex i n t h i s
n o v e l , and, when viewed
r e s o l v e themselves
simply a t t h i s
i n incest.
however, i n much the same way
Son, and
l e v e l , almost seem to
The r e l a t i o n s h i p s are c o n f u s e d ,
they are c o m p l i c a t e d i n Each Man's
they r e s o l v e themselves
p o s i t i v e l y when the o t h e r major
q u e s t i n g h e r o , George Stewart h i m s e l f , i s more c l o s e l y examined.
George, l i k e Jerome, i s a man
his
youth and seeks a replacement.
p h i l o s o p h y o f humanism.
i s more s k e p t i c a l about
because
he
has
He,
too, i s drawn to a
the a t t a i n m e n t o f humanist
l a c k s f a i t h i n h i m s e l f and
He
He has
goals, partly
projects t h i s lack of
little
r e s p e c t f o r mankind as
i s o l a t e s h i m s e l f from humanity, becoming an
o b s e r v e r , and he seeks escape
and f r i g h t e n i n g i n the w o r l d .
s a t i s f y him:
l o s t the r e l i g i o n o f
But, u n l i k e the i d e a l i s t Jerome, George
c o n f i d e n c e on to o t h e r men.
a whole.
who
he s t i l l
insecure, feeling
from what he f i n d s j u s t too c o n f u s i n g
But h i s p h i l o s o p h y does not
seeks something
b e t t e r ; he i s a f r a i d
"no more s u c c e s s f u l than the o l d Greek
pushed b o u l d e r s up the h i l l
"objective"
and
who
knowing they would tumble down the
- 90.
moment they reached
l i k e Sisyphus.
He
the t o p " ( 6 ) .
i s a person
had been born clumsy and had
He
-
L i k e D a n i e l A i n s l i e , he
"who
wished he was
animal:
ox"
Jerome, i n f a c t , i s o f t e n d e s c r i b e d as
he has a " b u l l d o g jaw"
(126).
a man.
He a l s o has
a t one
time r e l a x e s on
time s n i f f s
an
"the
"the
ears "shaped l i k e a
faun's"
the sense of h i s b e i n g something more
George, however, i s i d e n t i f i e d and
w i t h the g e n t l e r , more h e l p l e s s animals
s u r v i v e on s c r a p s .
of i t .
He
He would l i k e
than
i d e n t i f i e s himself
like
the s q u i r r e l s which
to be a hero but i s i n c a p a b l e
i s aware of h i s i n t e r n a l c o n f l i c t but can determine
no
to r e s o l v e i t .
Although
Jerome admits
t h a t i t "gets damned l o n e l y
the c u r r e n t a l l the t i m e " (226), he has
c u r r e n t of h i s times and he does.
the s t r e n g t h and
I n s t e a d , he
tries
i s o l a t e d observer.
the courage,
to get out of i t ,
And
bucking
the s t r e n g t h to f i g h t
the
Nevertheless, h i s f i g h t i n g
a v a i l s him n o t h i n g but f u r t h e r f r u s t r a t i o n .
both
an
A l l t h i s r e - e n f o r c e s the powerful, p r i m i t i v e s i d e of
Jerome's c h a r a c t e r and
way
like
(14), and a " c o n s t i t u t i o n l i k e
(15); he i s a " s t a l l i o n " ( 1 2 6 ) who
l i k e an a n i m a l " (150).
(63).
attacks h i s fate
s o f a l i k e a r e s t i n g a n i m a l " (133), and another
air
and
grown up w i t h o u t much courage"
s h r i n k s from h i s f a t e , u n l i k e Jerome who
a powerful a n i m a l .
a hero,
feels
George,
does not f i g h t
the c u r r e n t .
to stand to one
t h i s a v a i l s him n o t h i n g .
lacking
s i d e as
Neither
an
trying
to t u r n the c u r r e n t nor t r y i n g to a v o i d p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n i t are
s u c c e s s f u l methods of c o p i n g w i t h what i s u l t i m a t e l y the c u r r e n t
of time.
The
quests of both Jerome and
George are f a t e d to
fail
w h i l e they adopt
such extreme measures.
George f e e l s
t h a t a form o f f a t e i s a t work around
him,
t h a t some g i a n t f o r c e i s changing the face of the w o r l d .
The
m e l t i n g g l a c i e r s of the f a r n o r t h a r e but one example of
this
slow, i n e x o r a b l e change.
H i s knowledge of change i s connected
to h i s awareness o f time and h i s f e a r of i n e v i t a b l e death.
he c o n s i d e r s the beauty o f a w i n t e r ' s day, he i s reminded
As
of h i s
"youth and o f the time b e f o r e the g l a c i e r s began to m e l t " (24).
As he has grown o l d e r , he has
o f a f a t e which
l o s t h i s innocence, becoming aware
t h r e a t e n s him. • And,
as t h e r e are g r e a t ,
u n c o n t r o l l a b l e f o r c e s a£ work changing n a t u r e , so t h e r e are
forces
a t work i n s o c i e t y , processes beyond the c o n t r o l o f i n d i v i d u a l
men.
George sees t h i s as p a r t o f the e f f e c t o f modern technology
on p o l i t i c s and p o l i t i c i a n s
the man-made):
(an o p p o s i t i o n between nature and
"The c a p i t a l c i t i e s where they worked had become
c o l o s s a l Univac machines g r i n d i n g out more s t a t i s t i c a l l y - b a s e d
i n f o r m a t i o n i n a month than any t r a i n e d mind c o u l d comprehend i n
a l i f e t i m e " (39).
He a l s o sees p o l i t i c a l a c t i o n i t s e l f
c o n f l i c t ) as e s s e n t i a l l y i r r a t i o n a l and a i m l e s s .
He
most i n t e r n a t i o n a l c r i s e s are l i k e g i g a n t i c mystery
obscure and a b s o l u t e l y i r r a t i o n a l
(man-made
feels
"that
p l a y s i n which
p a s s i o n s are handled by
politicians,
and viewed by the p u b l i c , i n a form o f r i t u a l a k i n to p r i m i t i v e
religious rites"
i n r e l i g i o n and
technology and
(288).
People, h a v i n g turned a s i d e from
faith
love of n a t u r e , have s u b s t i t u t e d a b l i n d f a i t h i n
political
i d e o l o g y and a love o f the m a t e r i a l products
of
t h e i r technology.
But n e c e s s i t y demands a b a l a n c e , and
wheel of f a t e r o l l s onward.
On a more i n d i v i d u a l
n o v e l opens, George says, "I thought
l e v e l , as
w i f e " (6).
But
the
I had come to terms w i t h
m y s e l f and w i t h the p e c u l i a r f a t e which c o n t r o l l e d me
my
the
owing to
i t l a t e r becomes c l e a r t h a t he has come
nowhere near r e a l s a t i s f a c t i o n or contentment, as he h i m s e l f makes
very clear:'
F a t e , I thought.
Who i s e q u a l to i t ? For to be equal to f a t e
i s to be equal to the knowledge t h a t e v e r y t h i n g we have done,
a c h i e v e d , endured and been proud and ashamed o f i s n o t h i n g .
So I thought, a l o n e as I had never been a l o n e . (318)
He
i s r e a c h i n g i n t o h i s darkness, n e a r i n g the p o i n t a t which
A i n s l i e had a v i s i o n of h i s t r u e nature
quest i s l e a d i n g him
little
longer.
i n t o the darkness.
i n Each Man's Son.
But
His
George must w a i t a
He needs h e l p .
H i s f e a r of h i s f a t e i s l i n k e d to h i s f e a r of n i g h t ,
c o n f u s i o n and
a f e a r of l i f e
full
death, which, as Jerome p o i n t s out to him,
i n i t s e n t i r e t y , a f e a r of a c c e p t i n g the burden o f
r e s p o n s i b l i l i t y f o r l i v i n g and
c a r r i e s with i t .
(343)
the s o l i t u d e the
To be born i n t o t h i s w o r l d ,
responsibility
to be
s e p a r a t e d from one's mother, i s a f r i g h t e n i n g e x p e r i e n c e
gists c a l l
i t the " b i r t h trauma").
i s s u e d from the f o r e s t had now
"The
(271).
to t h i s
canoe i n which
taken him out i n t o the ocean.
A canoe i n an ocean, a t n i g h t , w i t h a h u r r i c a n e r i s i n g .
M y s e l f , Everyone"
(psycholo-
George p o i n t s d i r e c t l y
when he d e s c r i b e s Jerome's symbolic b i r t h :
he had
is really
Another b i r t h i s needed, the
Jerome,
birth
symbolized i n the " r i t e s o f passage," an i n i t i a t i o n or
b i r t h i n t o manhood.
rebirth,
Without the m a t u r i t y gained i n such a
the i n d i v i d u a l must l i v e
i n t e r r o r such as
George
d e s c r i b e s , whenever
he d i s c o v e r s t h a t what he b e l i e v e d to be h i s i d e n t i t y i s no
more than a t i n y canoe a t the mercy o f an ocean.
Sharkfilled,
p l a n k t o n - f i l l e d , r e f r a c t o r o f l i g h t , t e r r i b l e and m y s t e r i o u s ,
f o r years t h i s ocean has seemed to slumber beneath the t i n y
i d e n t i t y i t r e c e i v e d from the dark r i v e r .
Now the ocean r i s e s and the t h i n g s w i t h i n i t become
visible.
L i t t l e man, what now? The ocean r i s e s , a l l frames
d i s a p p e a r from around the p i c t u r e s , there i s no form, no
sense, n o t h i n g but chaos i n the darkness o f the ocean storm. (321)
The i n d i v i d u a l i s submerged i n the d e s t r u c t i v e element, taken
back once more i n t o the womb o f the g r e a t mother, back i n t o the
void.
There he must face h i m s e l f , a l l of h i m s e l f , the love and
the h a t e , the hope and the f e a r , f o r the "shark i n the ocean
be i n v i s i b l e , but he i s t h e r e .
of the u n c o n s c i o u s " (304).
human s t r u g g l e .
be done.
So a l s o i s the f e a r i n the ocean
The man
l e a r n s "the n a t u r e o f the
W i t h i n , not w i t h o u t .
But w i t h i n " (321).
may
Without t h e r e i s n o t h i n g to
He l e a r n s , as Jerome l e a r n s , t h a t
one
cannot d e f e a t the i n t e r n a l c u r r e n t no m a t t e r how much one bucks
it,
and, as George
l e a r n s , t h a t one cannot a v o i d the c u r r e n t , f o r
there i s a t l a s t no escape.
George
l e a r n s , as Jerome has, t h a t
he must a c c e p t the ocean o f h i s own mind and the s u r g i n g ocean
o f time.
As Jerome t e l l s him, he must s i n k to the bottom o f the
ocean and c r a w l i n s i d e the s h e l l o f death:
i n s i d e of death and d i e y o u r s e l f .
must l o s e i t to y o u r s e l f "
(342).
"You must c r a w l
You must l o s e your l i f e .
You
Only then can he l i v e w i t h o u t
- 94. -
fear.
A man
in
i s c a s t out alone i n t o t h i s w o r l d ,
the s o l i t u d e of h i s i n d i v i d u a l s e l f .
this solitude:
p r o t e c t and
"Love c o n s i s t s i n t h i s ,
touch and
Only
f a t e d to remain
love can
t h a t two
g r e e t each o t h e r " (290).
must t r a n s c e n d the s e l f ,
the ego,
" ' I t comes - - t o pass.
(293).
individual
11
That i s , i t comes, i n order to
i n the ocean o f
pass"
time
" r o l l e d over them as though they had never been" (293).
But a l s o , as the maturer George sees, the "past was
now
to l o v e , one
As Jerome's f o s t e r - p a r e n t s have
Mr. M a r t e l l and h i s w i f e are caught
which has
But,
of the g r e a t e r mind of a l l mankind (Everyman), of
time past, present and e t e r n a l .
seen,
solitudes
r e c o g n i z i n g t h a t t h i s i s but a
s m a l l t h i n g a f l o a t on a g r e a t e r ocean - - o f the
unconscious,
breach
not dead but
the present flowed over i t , as the f u t u r e would f l o w over
the p r e s e n t " (349).
Although
swallowed i n time, the M a r t e l l s are
i n e r a d i c a b l y a p a r t o f i t , as i s every man
matter
how
insignificant.
A man
who
has ever l i v e d ,
makes h i s mark simply by b e i n g
a l i v e , by b e i n g a p a r t of and c a r r y i n g on the process of
itself.
no
life
A l l make t h e i r mark; Jerome, George, C a t h e r i n e , Everyman.
As George f i n a l l y remarks of C a t h e r i n e , "What i f the ocean o f
overwhelmed her?
I t overwhelms us a l l "
f a t e , George a l s o l e a r n s how
(350).
to t r a n s c e n d i t .
In a c c e p t i n g h i s
He
learns that
Vthe human bondage i s a l s o the human l i b e r t y " (322), and
the acceptance
of a l l t h i n g s - - d e s t r u c t i o n as w e l l as
death as w e l l as b i r t h - -
i s the f u l l
acceptance
time
of
that i n
creation,
life:
the l a s t p o s s i b l e harmony, the o n l y one there can be, which
i s a w i l l to l i v e , l o v e , grow and be g r a t e f u l , the determinat i o n to endure a l l t h i n g s , s u f f e r a l l t h i n g s , hope a l l
t h i n g s , b e l i e v e a l l t h i n g s n e c e s s a r y f o r what our a n c e s t o r s
c a l l e d the g l o r y of God.
To s t r u g g l e and work f o r t h a t , a t
the end, i s a l l there i s l e f t .
(321)
Jerome, r e t u r n i n g home l i k e
underworld, the
Jerome i s no
He has
the wise Odysseus from
the
land o f the dead, b r i n g s wisdom to George.
longer a q u e s t i n g
become a "wise o l d man",
h e r o : he
has
f u l f i l l e d his
a redeemed p a r e n t a l
w i l l h e l p h i s "son", George, to a t t a i n h i s g o a l .
Odysseus, George i s Telemachus, and
i s Hermes, patron
god
As
quest.
figure,
who
Jerome i s
as George i s Odysseus, Jerome
o f the Odyssey.
At
the end
of the
novel,
Jerome i s many t h i n g s ; a wise Odysseus, a f r i e n d l y Hermes, a
resurrected
"returned
He
returns
along,
the
sun-hero, a humanist C h r i s t , the epitome of Everyman
from the dead" (306)
to teach
to teach what C a t h e r i n e
l e s s o n the moon and
has
nature
the
l e s s o n of l i f e
renewed.
been s i l e n t l y o f f e r i n g a l l
teach,
the concept of l i f e i n death and death i n l i f e , of the f a c t
t h a t no matter how many i n d i v i d u a l l i v e s and years pass away,
there w i l l be more years and l i v e s , and t h a t the r i t u a l s o f
both are e t e r n a l . - '
The
l e s s o n i s t h a t the s p i r i t o f l i f e
i s unconquerable.
This i s b a s i c a l l y the same l e s s o n Odysseus l e a r n s i n the
Homeric c y c l e , and
reveals greater
a profound examination of the Homeric myth
depths i n The
Watch that Ends the N i g h t .
MacLennan, Scotchman's Return, p.
72.
"The
patron god o f the I l i a d
of
i s A p o l l o , god o f the l i g h t w o r l d and
the e x c e l l e n c e o f heroes."6
Jerome M a r t e l l
i s c l e a r l y born
i n t o the " r e a l " world under the a u s p i c e s o f j u s t such a mythic
d i e t y , and s h i n e s by h i s l i g h t
up
to h i s d e p a r t u r e
f o r Spain.
throughout
the years o f b a t t l e
"In the Odyssey, on the o t h e r hand,
the patron o f Odysseus's voyage i s . . . Hermes, guide o f s o u l s
to the underworld,
the patron, a l s o ,
o f r e b i r t h and the l o r d o f
the knowledges beyond death, which may be known to h i s i n i t i a t e s
even i n l i f e . " 7
is
Jerome has no such a i d , but George h a s , and i t
the changed, r e - b o r n Jerome h i m s e l f .
G i l b e r t Murray has noted
s p e c i f i c s o l a r and l u n a r a n a l o g i e s i n the Odyssey --which i s o n l y
n a t u r a l i n a quest-romance, as Frye i n d i c a t e s
Criticism,
p. 188-- Odysseus b e i n g s o l a r
i n t o darkness
(a sun-hero who
recedes
and r e t u r n s ) and Penelope l u n a r ( a t h e r loom she
weaves and unweaves l i k e
and
i n Anatomy o f
the moon going through
i t s phases).
C a t h e r i n e have been i d e n t i f i e d i n a s i m i l a r way.
leads to a f u r t h e r
Jerome
But t h i s
i n s i g h t on the p s y c h o l o g i c a l l e v e l ;
t h a t the inward t u r n i n g o f the mind (symbolized by the sunset)
should c u l m i n a t e i n a r e a l i z a t i o n o f an i d e n t i t y i n esse o f
the i n d i v i d u a l (microcosm) and the u n i v e r s e (macrocosm), which,
when a c h i e v e d , would b r i n g t o g e t h e r i n one order o f a c t and
r e a l i z a t i o n the p r i n c i p l e s o f e t e r n i t y and time, sun and moon,
male and female.8
"Campbell,
O c c i d e n t a l Mythology, p. 162
?Ibid.
8
Ibid.,
pp. 163-64.
T h i s i s what takes p l a c e i m p l i c i t l y i n the Odyssey, and both
i m p l i c i t l y and e x p l i c i t l y i n The Watch that Ends the N i g h t .
The m a s c u l i n e , h e r o i c age d e p i c t e d i n the I l i a d
i s too
o n e - s i d e d , and Odysseus' quest i s n e c e s s a r y i n o r d e r t h a t the
mighty male hero can g a i n the knowledge to r e s t o r e the balance
i n s o c i e t y and n a t u r e .
T h i s p a t t e r n has been seen a t work i n
Each Man's Son, and i s e q u a l l y a t work i n The Watch t h a t Ends the
Night.
During the age o f r a t i o n a l i s m , men e s t a b l i s h e d a d e i s t i c
r e l i g i o n o f the One Engineer and a cosmology o f a m e c h a n i s t i c
universe
(designed and o i l e d by the omnipotent
the s c i e n c e o f machines almost
e f f e c t i v e l y completed
Engineer), elevating
to the p o i n t o f s a n c t i t y .
This
the d i v i s i o n o f God from n a t u r e , n a t u r e
from man and man from God, i s o l a t i n g man i n an a l i e n and l o n e l y
w o r l d o f h i s own making.
T h i s , o f c o u r s e , prompted the Romantic
r e a c t i o n , but i t i s a r e a c t i o n t h a t never r e a l l y reached
the common
man, who c o n t i n u e d , and c o n t i n u e s , to b e l i e v e i n an u l t i m a t e
s a l v a t i o n to be c o n f e r r e d by technology.
significant
In t h i s novel, i t i s
t h a t i n the w i l d e r n e s s camp o f Jerome's c h i l d h o o d ,
where t h i n g s a r e reduced
to t h e i r b a s i c e s s e n t i a l s , i t i s the
Engineer who, "Of a l l the l o n e l y men i n the camp," i s the " l o n e l i e s t
of
and
them a l l " (167).
And i t i s he who murders Anna
s e p a r a t e s Jerome (epitome
s t a r t s him on h i s quest.
(Earth-Mother),
o f Everyman) from h i s mother and
The masculine hero, unbalanced,
alienated
from female n a t u r e , v e n t u r e s out i n t o the ocean and the n i g h t ,
there e v e n t u a l l y to f i n d the t r u t h about h i m s e l f and r e t u r n ,
-
98.
humbler and w i s e r , h a v i n g l e a r n e d the nature of the
delicate
balance of reason and emotion, c o n s c i o u s and unconscious, male
and
female.
T h i s p a r t of the r e s o l u t i o n of The Watch t h a t Ends
the N i g h t , w h i l e r e s e m b l i n g
profound
and
i s even more
universal.
MacLennan extends
conflict
t h a t of Each Man's Son,
h i s scope to r e s o l v e what George c a l l s
"between the s p i r i t and
the human c o n d i t i o n " (27).
the
He
r e s o l v e s i t by a c c e p t i n g the humanist Greek view, which, as
Campbell says,
suggests an i n d e f i n a b l e c i r c u m s c r i p t i o n , w i t h i n the bounds of
which both the gods and men work t h e i r i n d i v i d u a l w i l l s , ever
i n danger of v i o l a t i n g the u n d e f i n e d bounds and b e i n g s t r u c k
down,\yet w i t h p l a y enough - - w i t h i n l i m i t s ^ - - to a c h i e v e a
comely r e a l i z a t i o n of ends humanly c o n c e i v e d .
9
\
This i s the o u t l o o k of c l a s s i c a l humanism, i n which MacLennan
f i n d s many of h i s b a s i c t r u t h s .
D i v i n e d e s t i n y moves i n g r e a t
c y c l e s tof c r e a t i o n , d e s t r u c t i o n and c r e a t i o n , b i r t h , death
rebirth.
The
ocean of time surges and ebbs, each
chaos b e i n g s u p p l a n t e d by a g e n e s i s , and
w i t h i n these c y c l e s (of the day,
time, the age
is
a "good and
and o f e t e r n i t y ) ,
faithful
succeeding
the i n d i v i d u a l
caught
the month, the y e a r , the
the man
who
and
life-
accepts h i s f a t e ,
who
s e r v a n t . . . f a i t h f u l over a few t h i n g s , "
becomes " r u l e r over many" and e n t e r s " i n t o the j o y o f the L o r d "
(350:
and
from Matthew 25:
there i s l i g h t .
Or,
21).
i n the words of Psalm v. of Isaac Watts,
from which MacLennan takes h i s
9lbid.,
p.
180.
Thus, chaos and n i g h t a r e ended,
title,
I
- 99. -
Before the h i l l s i n o r d e r stood,
Or e a r t h r e c e i v e d h e r frame,
From E v e r l a s t i n g Thou a r t God,
To e n d l e s s years the same.
A thousand ages i n Thy s i g h t
Are l i k e an evening gone;
Short as the watch t h a t ends the n i g h t
Before the r i s i n g sun.
Time, l i k e an e v e r - r o l l i n g stream,
Bears a l l i t s sons away;
They f l y f o r g o t t e n , as a dream
Dies a t the opening day.
The f i n a l
tone o f the n o v e l i s a r e l i g i o u s one, s y n t h e s i z i n g both
c l a s s i c a l and C h r i s t i a n
thought.
As i n Barometer R i s i n g and Each Man's Son, i n t h i s n o v e l
MacLennan has blended the elements
o f romance and comedy.
The
main body o f the n o v e l i s concerned w i t h quest and c o n f l i c t :
is
the s t o r y o f two heroes
t h e i r enemies.
i t
--the mighty and the meek-- b a t t l i n g
They win t h e i r b a t t l e s when they r e a l i z e
that the
f i g h t i s i n t e r n a l r a t h e r than e x t e r n a l , t h a t the "enemy" i s a
very r e a l psychological fact
social evil
to be a c c e p t e d r a t h e r than some a b s t r a c t
t o be e x t e r m i n a t e d .
When they r e c o g n i z e t h e i r
to Everyman, they a r e a b l e t o take t h e i r
Jerome the mighty
relation
places i n s o c i e t y :
but now humble hero s e t s o f f to share h i s wisdom
w i t h the w o r l d ; George, the meek, i n h e r i t s
the e a r t h .
So the
n o v e l ends w i t h a v i s i o n o f a s o c i e t y i n which a l l men a r e u n i t e d ,
a s o c i e t y which extends beyond n a t i o n a l boundaries
the w o r l d .
to encompass
The s o c i e t y does n o t y e t e x i s t , but, as i n the o t h e r
n o v e l s , i t i s a v i s i o n o f the f u t u r e .
T h i s i s a comic
resolution,
- 100.
f o r i n comedy, as Northrop Frye says, i s the h o p e f u l
of the end o f s o c i a l e f f o r t
"vision
. . . the f r e e human s o c i e t y .
And MacLennan's r e s o l u t i o n i s s o l i d l y based on the c l a s s i c a l
tenet t h a t human freedom i s i n human bondage, y i e l d i n g a
comedy i n which, as i n tragedy,
"the a b s o l u t e b e g i n n i n g . . . i s
the c o n d i t i o n o f freedom, the a b s o l u t e end the r e c o g n i t i o n o f
necessity."11
In The Watch that Ends the N i g h t , MacLennan p o r t r a y s
the grave and c o n s t a n t i n human s u f f e r i n g and i n human j o y , which,
leads - - o r may l e a d - - to an e x p e r i e n c e that i s regarded by
those t h a t have known i t as the apogee o f t h e i r l i v e s , and
which i s y e t i n e f f a b l e .
And t h i s e x p e r i e n c e . . . i s the
u l t i m a t e aim o f a l l r e l i g i o n , the u l t i m a t e r e f e r e n c e o f a l l
1 7
myth and r i t e .
Human s u f f e r i n g and human j o y a r e r e s o l v e d i n a paradox; as George
says,
Where wast
Declare,
So, f o r an
To have i t
darkness o f s e l f
t i f u l experience
earth?
thou when I l a i d the f o u n d a t i o n o f the
i f thou hast u n d e r s t a n d i n g .
i n s t a n t , you may have that u n d e r s t a n d i n g .
, to f e e l the movement o f l i g h t f l o o d the
--even f o r an i n s t a n t - - i s the most beauanyone can ever know. (322)
The g r e a t quest c y c l e ends j o y f u l l y w i t h the symbolic r e b i r t h o f
the hero, who i s f i n a l l y mature, who has l e f t
the p r o t e c t i v e
mother and can now be a r e a l husband to h i s w i f e .
George's e x p e r i e n c e o f epiphany
occurs l a t e a t n i g h t :
once
a g a i n MacLennan p l a c e s the c l i m a x o f h i s n o v e l a t the "heart o f
iOpables o f I d e n t i t y , p. 18
F . von S c h l e g e l , c i t e d i n M i c h a e l Grant, Myths o f the
Greeks and Romans (New York: Mentor, 1962), p. 165.
i X
12campbell,
P r i m i t i v e Mythology, p. 54.
darkness".
101.
-
George walks out i n t o the n i g h t to f i n d
seems no l o n g e r dark or t h r e a t e n i n g .
The darkness w i t h i n him,
by b e i n g accepted, has been p a r a d o x i c a l l y d i s p e l l e d .
is
still
But George p r o v i d e s an e p i l o g u e ,
the pheasants
appear
flamboyant,
C a t h e r i n e a r e happy and c o n t e n t .
(347) .
The s q u i r r e l s f o r a g e ,
S p r i n g comes, and C a t h e r i n e
--as n a t u r e blossoms,
Summer passes and C a t h e r i n e s h i n e s t r a n q u i l l y .
approaches
paramount.
Autumn
The sense of nature as a s a c r e d mystery
I n t h i s evening of t h e i r
life
together, George a t
f u l l y appreciates, without anxiety, that "the early
a good day h o l d s w i t h i n i t s e l f
than the promise
the dawn and the morning no l e s s
the new day f o r Canada and the world,
can be seen i n the c h a r a c t e r of S a l l y ,
George,
evening
of the n i g h t " (301) .
The dawn, h e r a l d i n g
Catherine,
so does
and George speaks of " t h e c a t h e d r a l hush of a Quebec
I n d i a n Summer" (349) .
last
for,
and g e n t l e George and a r t i s t i c
r e t u r n s to h e r a r t and h e r gardening
she.
my
the p r e c i s e j o u r n a l i s t , he f e e l s i t i s a s t o r y out of which
t h e reader " s h o u l d be l e d f a c t u a l l y "
of
The climax
reached and, as George says, " I c o u l d end here because
s t o r y i s t o l d " (347) .
is
that i t
child
of Jerome and
the sun, the moon and nature, and f o s t e r - c h i l d of
the average man i n whom the elements
a r e now w e l l - m i x e d .
S a l l y ' s blonde head i s "as f r e s h as the dawn . . . as golden as
the sun on a s i n g l e c l o u d i n the s k y " (318).
room f o r the m y s t e r i o u s
S a l l y has "much
t h i n g " (331), the same s p i r i t of l i f e
found i n C a t h e r i n e , and she i s both cool-headed and e n t h u s i a s t i c ,
- 102.
young and wise.
of a boy"
(331)
-
N e i t h e r she nor A l a n Royce, the "great
she
plans to marry, i s plagued by the a n x i e t y
or weltschtnenz which burdened t h e i r
parents' generation.
r e p r e s e n t the f u t u r e ; together they w i l l b u i l d
a revitalized
world.
bear
a new
They
Canada and
Chapter F i v e :
The E t e r n a l
Quest
Hugh MacLennan i s a humanist, a r e l i g i o u s humanist,
makes i t h i s task to r e d e f i n e and r e a s s e r t
who
those h u m a n i s t i c
v a l u e s which have descended from the c l a s s i c s .
He i s i n a main
stream o f modern l i t e r a r y endeavour, a t t e m p t i n g both to d i s c o v e r
and to s t a b i l i z e a system o f v a l u e s i n an age i n which
systems are f a i l i n g .
One
traditional
o f h i s reasons f o r c o n s c i o u s l y u s i n g
myths as p a t t e r n s f o r h i s work i s that they a r e c r o s s - c u l t u r a l
u n i v e r s a l s , g i v i n g a s t a b l e base of t r a d i t i o n and c o n v e n t i o n
from which to view modern man's predicament.
The
predicament
MacLennan sees i s one which has been o f c e n t r a l importance i n
literature
f o r the past c e n t u r y — t h e s e a r c h of the s e n s i t i v e
individual for a real identity.
Modern man
l o s t h i s sense o f
i d e n t i t y when he l o s t any t a n g i b l e e x t e r n a l or i n t e r n a l a b s o l u t e s
a g a i n s t which he c o u l d measure h i m s e l f , a l o s s t h a t
strong c o n f l i c t i n g
On one
created
desires.
level,
between an outworn,
the predicament can be seen i n the c o n f l i c t
dogmatic r e l i g i o n
C h r i s t i a n i t y ) and a new,
vaguer
( p u r i t a n , Old
Testament
(because as y e t u n d e f i n e d ) but
p o s i t i v e and humane p h i l o s o p h y , a c o n f l i c t amply demonstrated i n
Each Man's Son.
B r o a d l y s p e a k i n g , i t i s the same c o n f l i c t o f
"Hebraism" and " H e l l e n i s m " determined by Matthew A r n o l d i n
C u l t u r e and Anarchy.
And MacLennan's thought bears
to t h a t o f o t h e r V i c t o r i a n t h i n k e r s .
resemblance
For i n s t a n c e , the
o p p o s i t i o n he d e s c r i b e s i s f i n a l l y b e s t c o n s i d e r e d as an o p p o s i t i o n
between f l u x and s t a s i s , motion and r e s t , c a l l i n g
to mind the
- 104.
work of Walter
change and
Motion
-
P a t e r , i n which "Motion
i s i d e n t i f i e d with
those i d e o l o g i e s which have made change t h e i r
stock.
i s thus H e r a c l i t e a n i s m , E p i c u r e a n i s m , H e l l e n i s m , " ^
r e s t i s i d e n t i f i e d with C h r i s t i a n i t y .
MacLennan's, one
In P a t e r ' s s t o r i e s , as i n
i s c o n s t a n t l y " c o n f r o n t e d w i t h the odyssey
the immutable young o u t c a s t . . . the e x i l e s e a r c h i n g
time and
A list
space
examples are P a t e r ' s
Hardy's Jude, Conrad's Jim, Joyce's
Dedalus,
and
D a n i e l A i n s l i e , Jerome M a r t e l l and George Stewart.
c h a r a c t e r s are engaged i n quests of some k i n d , and
and
Marius,
and
A l l these
i t is significant
The Watch t h a t Ends
d i f f e r e n t kinds o f wanderer.
An e x p l a n a t i o n of t h i s i s found i n MacLennan's use of myth.
MacLennan i s a w r i t e r who
novels being r e a l i s t i c
and events
d e a l s w i t h modern h i s t o r y , h i s
i n t h a t they a r e b u i l t around a c t u a l
i n r e c e n t Canadian h i s t o r y
Novel
scenes
(the H a l i f a x e x p l o s i o n , the
Cape B r e t o n c o a l mines, the Great D e p r e s s i o n ) .
makes c l e a r , the l i t e r a r y
As Northrop
Frye
artist
U. C. Knoepflmacher, R e l i g i o u s Humanism and the V i c t o r i a n
( P r i n c e t o n : P r i n c e t o n U. P r e s s , 1965), p. 162.
2
Ibid.,
p.
170.
2
certainly
MacLennan's N e i l Macrae and Angus Murray, A r c h i e MacNeil
there are r e c u r r e n t l y two
present."
twentieth century
f i c t i o n would be v e r y l o n g ; obvious
t h a t i n Barometer R i s i n g , Each Man's Son,
of
through
f o r the i n h e r i t a n c e denied him by h i s own
of such c h a r a c t e r s i n n i n e t e e n t h and
the Night
and
- 105.
f i n d s i n c r e a s i n g l y t h a t he can d e a l w i t h h i s t o r y o n l y to the
e x t e n t t h a t h i s t o r y s u p p l i e s him w i t h , or a f f o r d s a p r e t e x t
f o r , the comic, t r a g i c , romantic or i r o n i c myths t h a t he
actually uses.
3
MacLennan, i n t h i s sense,
mythic
patterns.
rewrites h i s t o r y i n accord with h i s
He g i v e s h i s t o r y s i g n i f i c a n t meaning, l i k e
the m e t a h i s t o r i a n s , w r i t i n g
romantic h i s t o r i c a l myths based on a quest o r p i l g r i m a g e to a
C i t y of God or a c l a s s l e s s s o c i e t y . . . comic h i s t o r i c a l myths
of progress through e v o l u t i o n o r r e v o l u t i o n . . . t r a g i c myths
of d e c l i n e and f a l l , l i k e the works o f Gibbon and Spengler
. . . i r o n i c myths o f r e c u r r e n c e or c a s u a l c a t a s t r o p h e .4MacLennan i n c l u d e s a l l these h i s t o r i c a l myths i n h i s n o v e l s ,
s t r e s s i n g d i f f e r e n t myths from n o v e l to n o v e l i n a c l e a r l y
developing pattern.
The main bodies
are concerned
with
the comic v i s i o n
o f the three n o v e l s under c o n s i d e r a t i o n
the c o n f l i c t o f two main f o r c e s o r world
( i d e n t i f i e d with
( i d e n t i f i e d with s t a s i s ) .
d i v i d e d i n t o romantic
f l u x ) and the t r a g i c
visions;
vision
Each o f these v i s i o n s can be f u r t h e r
and i r o n i c s t r u c t u r e s , each o f which i s
r e p r e s e n t e d by a c h a r a c t e r .
The i n d i v i d u a l n o v e l s are s t r u c t e r e d
on t h i s g e n e r a l p a t t e r n , each one b e i n g a d i f f e r e n t c o n f i g u r a t i o n
of the p a t t e r n :
I.
Comic v i s i o n
A.
3
Romantic
F a b l e s , p. 5 3 .
^Ibid,
p
. 54.
- 106. -
1.
The c h a r a c t e r s a r e i d e n t i f i e d w i t h f l u x .
2.
Their world i s p o s i t i v e , a c t i v e ,
evolving.
3.
There i s a sense o f d e s t i n y moving toward an end.
B.
II.
p r o g r e s s i v e and
Ironic
1.
The c h a r a c t e r s are s t i l l
2.
T h e i r w o r l d i s p o s i t i v e but c o n t e m p l a t i v e , r e p e t i t i o u s
and r e v o l v i n g .
3.
There i s a sense of d e s t i n y moving i n e t e r n a l
Tragic
A.
i d e n t i f i e d with f l u x .
Vision
Romantic
1.
The c h a r a c t e r s a r e i d e n t i f i e d w i t h s t a s i s .
2.
T h e i r w o r l d i s p o s i t i v e but s t a t i c and
3.
There i s a sense o f d e s t i n y moving i n e t e r n a l
B.
imprisoning.
cycles.
Ironic
1.
The c h a r a c t e r s are i d e n t i f i e d w i t h
stasis.
2.
T h e i r w o r l d i s n e g a t i v e , s t a t i c and
3.
There i s a sense o f d e s t i n y moving toward an end.
The c o n f l i c t o f f l u x and s t a s i s , o f comic and t r a g i c
unchanged
cycles.
imprisoning.
remains
throughout the three n o v e l s , and the r e s o l u t i o n s a r e
c o n s t a n t l y comic.
But the s t r e s s e s on the romantic and
p l o t s change from Barometer
ironic
R i s i n g through to The Watch that Ends
the N i g h t , the emphasis moving from romantic to i r o n i c .
In Barometer
the comic v i s i o n .
R i s i n g , N e i l Macrae i s the romantic hero of
H i s w o r l d i s based i n modern western man's sense
-
of
and
of
107.
-
participation in history; i t is basically
future-oriented
thus i m p l i c i t l y m e s s i a n i c , the h e r o i c N e i l b e i n g
a messiah,
something
prepared to l e a d h i s people to a promised
Angus Murray i s the i r o n i c hero o f the comic v i s i o n .
is
of a more c l a s s i c a l nature
land.
H i s world
(based on h i s r e a d i n g o f the
c l a s s i c s ) i n which h i s t o r y i s s u b o r d i n a t e d to a m e t a h i s t o r y o f
g r e a t r e p e t i t i o u s c y c l e s o f d e s t r u c t i o n and c r e a t i o n ; i t i s
b a s i c a l l y p r e s e n t - o r i e n t e d and not m e s s i a n i c , the
Angus w i l l i n g
of
to l i v e out h i s l i f e
i n peace.
satisfied
In the t r a g i c
vision
the n o v e l , A l e c MacKenzie r e p r e s e n t s the p o s i t i v e w o r l d , the
romantic,
' A r c a d i a n ' w o r l d , crushed by the wheel o f d e s t i n y .
C o l o n e l Wain r e p r e s e n t s the n e g a t i v e w o r l d i r o n i c a l l y d e s t r o y e d .
In
Each Man's Son,
romantic and i r o n i c
the s t r e s s MacLennan p l a c e s on the
p l o t s has s h i f t e d .
Mrs. MacCuish r e p r e s e n t s
the n e g a t i v e w o r l d which i s i r o n i c a l l y i n the process of b e i n g
destroyed.
v i s i o n who
of
A r c h i e MacNeil i s the romantic hero o f the
must s u f f e r the same f a t e .
The c h i e f r e p r e s e n t a t i v e
the i r o n i c w o r l d and comic v i s i o n i s Dr. MacKenzie.
eye o f t h i s wise o l d man,
romantic hero
a definite,
D a n i e l A i n s l i e begins as an
" h e r o i c " end) and ends as a b a l a n c e d hero
a messiah
Under the
unbalanced
( i n d i c a t e d by h i s concern w i t h i n d i v i d u a l e f f o r t
by h i s acceptance o f a l i f e w i t h o u t hope).
of
tragic
(indicated
I f t h e r e i s any
hint
i n the n o v e l , i t i s a t l a s t d i r e c t e d toward A l a n
M a c N e i l , but the h i n t i s muted by the l i g h t o f A i n s l i e ' s
"conversion".
to
Although i n Barometer R i s i n g the romantic
plot
- 108. -
outweighed
the i r o n i c ,
i n Each Man*s Son the s t r e s s i s b e g i n n i n g
to r e v e r s e .
By the time MacLennan comes to w r i t e The Watch that Ends
the N i g h t (or p o s s i b l y d u r i n g the w r i t i n g ) , h i s a t t i t u d e s have
changed
to the degree that the f i n a l s t r e s s i s almost c o m p l e t e l y
on the i r o n i c h e r o .
Both Jerome and George b e g i n as romantic
heroes o f the comic v i s i o n .
figure,
Jerome, b e i n g the s t r o n g e s t romance
f o l l o w s the path of the t r a g i c romance i n t o death, but
i s m i r a c u l o u s l y r e s u r r e c t e d , and r e t u r n s as a hero o f the
world.
George a l s o f o l l o w s the romantic p l o t l i n e but becomes
an i r o n i c hero a t the end o f the n o v e l .
is
ironic
f o l l o w e d to i t s c o n c l u s i o n
Blackwell.
The t r a g i c
The tragic-romance p l o t
(death) i n the c h a r a c t e r of Norah
i r o n i c world i s seen i n the process of
decay i n George Stewart's Aunt Agnes and the g h o s t l y S i r Rupert
Irons.
There i s a h i n t of progress i n S a l l y and A l a n Royce (as
i n the A l a n of Each Man's Son), but the o v e r - r i d i n g i m p r e s s i o n i s
not romantic but i r o n i c , not m e s s i a n i c but
In Barometer
cyclic.
R i s i n g , a cosmic b a t t l e i s i n p r o g r e s s , i n which
l i g h t and dark, f l u x and s t a s i s , good and e v i l , contend f o r v i c t o r y ,
and e v o l u t i o n a r y or l i n e a r r a t h e r than r e v o l u t i o n a r y or c y c l i c
movement i s s t r e s s e d .
but the c y c l i c
With Each Man's Son the b a t t l e c o n t i n u e s ,
p h i l o s o p h y has become more dominant.
In The Watch
t h a t Ends the N i g h t , the b a t t l e ends, and the p r e v i o u s l y contending
powers are r e s o l v e d i p a paradox.
MacLennan has
the t r a d i t i o n a l J u d a e o - C h r i s t i a n way
turned away from
o f l o o k i n g a t time and the
-
cosmos, a l i n e a r ,
109.
f u t u r e - o r i e n t e d way,
and has embraced a
t r u l y c l a s s i c a l o u t l o o k v e r y s i m i l a r to t h a t o f H e r a c l i t u s , a
philosophy of process.
u n i v e r s e to be f i r e ,
H e r a c l i t u s took the b a s i c element o f the
f o r i t i s the element which i s always
changing and y e t somehow always the same.
As f i r e
i s the
o f l i g h t , MacLennan's s t r e s s on l i g h t and r a d i a n c e a t the
o f The Watch t h a t Ends the Night s t r i k e s a f a m i l i a r note.
source
end
Also,
H e r a c l i t u s a c c e p t e d s t r i f e as b a s i c to the u n i v e r s a l o r d e r ; t h a t
i s , he c o n s i d e r e d n e c e s s a r y the e t e r n a l u n d e r l y i n g t e n s i o n of
opposites.
The
p a r a l l e l w i t h MacLennan i s o b v i o u s .
Finally,
H e r a c l i t u s i d e n t i f i e d God w i t h the u n i v e r s a l process i t s e l f ,
is directly
p a r a l l e l w i t h MacLennan's b e l i e f t h a t man
which
should
r e v e r e the u n i v e r s a l mystery
o f the e t e r n a l c y c l e .
Setting
himself s o l i d l y i n c l a s s i c a l
p h i l o s o p h y , MacLennan r e s o l v e s the
c o n f l i c t between good and e v i l by a c c e p t i n g them both w i t h i n a
l a r g e r scheme.
The c h a r a c t e r s i n The Watch t h a t Ends the N i g h t
longer prophesy
an h i s t o r i c a l e v o l u t i o n to some vague form o f
Utopian s t a t e .
The dream o f a past golden age, one
o f youth,
innocence and s i m p l i c i t y - - A l e c MacKenzie's r u r a l w o r l d ,
A i n s l i e ' s youth
and
Dr.
i n the Margaree v a l l e y , George Stewart's " A r c a d i a " - -
the dream o f a f u t u r e golden age,
innocence and
no
one
o f renewed youth,
s i m p l i c i t y --the f u t u r e o f N e i l Macrae, Penny
and Jean, A l a n MacNeil's
f u t u r e , the romantic
George
Stewart's
dream o f peace i n i s o l a t i o n - - are f i n a l l y c a s t a s i d e i n The Watch
i
t h a t Ends the N i g h t , and are r e p l a c e d w i t h a p h i l o s o p h y - c u m - r e l i g i o n
- 110.
of the here-and-now.
The
-
quest f o r a p e r s o n a l i n t e r n a l
identity,
o v e r t l y e x t e r n a l i z e d i n Barometer R i s i n g to r e p r e s e n t the n a t i o n ,
drawn inward
is
i n Each Man's Son but s t i l l h a v i n g n a t i o n a l
overtones,
f i n a l l y concluded i n The Watch t h a t Ends the Night where i t
becomes almost e n t i r e l y i n t e r n a l .
And,
p a r a d o x i c a l l y , where
MacLennan's p o r t r a y a l o f the quest i s most i n t e r n a l ,
analogy
the
to be drawn between i n d i v i d u a l c h a r a c t e r s and
(and the world) i s most e f f e c t i v e .
MacLennan has
the u n i v e r s a l i s b e s t e x e m p l i f i e d i n the
the n a t i o n
learned that
individual.
MacLennan takes the quest myth s e r i o u s l y , which i s not
s u r p r i s i n g , c o n s i d e r i n g the depth and e x t e n t o f h i s own
quest f o r s e l f - d i s c o v e r y and
self-realization.
p e r s o n a l l y the myth i s used,
the more i n t e n s e i s i t s e f f e c t
profound
i t s implications.
the more
and
Where the use o f Homer's Odyssey as
a s t r u c t u r a l framework i s s p e l l e d out, and
the i n d i v i d u a l hero and
And
personal
the p a r a l l e l between
the n a t i o n i s made almost
too o b v i o u s ,
as i n Barometer R i s i n g , much of the e f f e c t i v e n e s s i s l o s t .
the mythic and
social
As
p a r a l l e l s are blended more s u b t l y i n t o
the
background --more i n Each Man's Son and almost c o m p l e t e l y i n The
Watch t h a t Ends the N i g h t - - the i m p l i c i t analogy
In Barometer R i s i n g , the Homeric p a r a l l e l
to c o n t r i b u t e r e l a t i v e l y
little
i s more powerful.
finally
to the thematic whole.
appears
An
analogy can be seen to e x i s t between the c l a s s i c a l myth and
historical
s i t u a t i o n , and
d i s c o v e r i n g i t and
the
the author must be g i v e n c r e d i t f o r
f o r modernizing
the Homeric s t o r y .
But
the
)
- 111. -
a r c h e t y p a l quest myth (myth o f the human c y c l e ) , o f which the
Odyssey i s one r e p r e s e n t a t i v e , by b e i n g used so o v e r t l y ,
appears
somewhat c o n t r i v e d , and the c h a r a c t e r s , p l a y i n g out what
are too o b v i o u s l y " r o l e s " to be i n d i v i d u a l
l i v e s , are rather
f l a t and uhengaging; r a t h e r than people, they seem more
pawns i n the hands o f t h e i r o m n i s c i e n t c r e a t o r . ^
like
More e f f e c t i v e
are the two o t h e r k i n d s o f myth t h a t MacLennan uses:
myths
finally
nature
(myths o f the n a t u r a l c y c l e ) - - i n t h i s n o v e l , the s o l a r and
v e g e t a t i o n c y c l e s - - and the J u d a e o - C h r i s t i a n myths o f Genesis and
Resurrection
conveyed
(the d i v i n e or transcendent c y c l e ) .
chiefly
through
the imagery,
p o e t i c a l l y more e f f e c t i v e .
These myths a r e
and b e i n g l e s s o v e r t a r e
The author's use o f the Odyssey i n
t h i s novel i s s i m i l a r i n e f f e c t
to the d i d a c t i c passages
which
o c c a s i o n a l l y o c c u r ; the r e a d e r becomes aware o f the n a r r a t o r
i n t r u d i n g i n t o the a r t i s t i c w o r l d o f the n o v e l and the a r t i s t i c
u n i t y o f t h a t world i s d i s t u r b e d .
In Each Man's Son, the e x p l i c i t mythic
parallels
and C e l t i c ) a r e made l e s s o b v i o u s , w i t h the r e s u l t
become more e f f e c t i v e .
This world m a i n t a i n s
the n a r r a t o r v e r y r a r e l y i n t r u d i n g .
l o a d , n a t u r e myths ( s o l a r ,
that
(Homeric
they
its artistic
The imagery
bears
l u n a r and o c e a n i c ) combining
unity,
the h e a v i e s t
w i t h a myth
of the death o f the gods t o c r e a t e an i n t e n s e , s e l f - s u p p o r t i n g mood
-"This weakness o f Barometer R i s i n g becomes c l e a r i f the
n o v e l i s compared w i t h James Joyce's U l y s s e s . Joyce a l s o uses
the s t r u c t u r e o f the Odyssey, but h i s c h a r a c t e r s a r e c l e a r l y
i n d i v i d u a l s i n t h e i r own r i g h t .
and
to develop the theme to i t s n a t u r a l c o n c l u s i o n .
The Watch that Ends the Night concludes
personal
quest.
Here the mythic p a r a l l e l s are
most e f f e c t i v e .
The author has
Homer to the quest
the human quest
the
archetype
turned
itself.
author's
least overt
and
from an open reworking o f
The
three b a s i c myths of
or c y c l e , the n a t u r a l c y c l e and
c y c l e are s u b t l y interwoven to the extent
the
transcendent
that they become
almost i n d i s t i n g u i s h a b l e and h a r d l y n o t i c e a b l e as myths.
One
senses i n the c u l t u r e - h e r o Jerome M a r t e l l the f r u s t r a t i o n of
s e a r c h , and
i n the
less heroic
(and
thus more r e p r e s e n t a t i v e )
George Stewart the d e s p a i r of f i n d i n g any
truth.
And
one
finds l i t t l e
difficulty
r e s o l u t i o n as b e l i e v a b l e and v a l u a b l e .
blends
the c l a s s i c a l and
the two.
and
f i n a l and
satisfying
i n accepting
the
final
In the n o v e l , MacLennan
the C h r i s t i a n to a r r i v e a t a s y n t h e s i s
Odysseus the human wanderer and
Jesus the messiah and
the
of
r e s u r r e c t e d sun-hero,
r e s u r r e c t e d man-god are s y n t h e s i z e d i n
Jerome M a r t e l l to become n e i t h e r w a r r i o r nor messiah but a wise
old
man.
By making the n a r r a t o r a c h a r a c t e r
author avoids
the
problem o f u p s e t t i n g the a r t i s t i c
i n t r u s i o n s of an o m n i s c i e n t
appears too d i d a c t i c and
teacher
n a r r a t o r , and,
u n i t y with
not understand, he h i m s e l f h a v i n g
who
the
i s a f r a i d h i s audience w i l l
difficulties.
In t h i s
way
speak to a wide audience, i n c l u d i n g those who
never have c o n s i d e r e d
the
i f George sometimes
even p a t r o n i z i n g , i t i s the f a u l t of
(the j o u r n a l i s t ) i n him,
MacLennan can
i n the s t o r y , the
such r e l i g i o u s - p h i l o s o p h i c a l
might
problems b e f o r e .
- 113. -
He can and does f u l f i l l h i s purpose o f i l l u m i n a t i n g , d e f i n i n g and
i n t e r p r e t i n g h i s age, and o f c r e a t i n g , f o r today's r a p i d l y changing
and thus unsure s o c i e t y , an independent system o f o r d e r o f h i s
own.
Hugh MacLennan i s a c l a s s i c a l
s c h o l a r , a j o u r n a l i s t and a
teacher o f E n g l i s h who w r i t e s n o v e l s .
L i k e another
intellectual
n o v e l i s t , Aldous Huxley, he has one f o o t i n the w o r l d o f a r t and
the
in
o t h e r i n the w o r l d o f t e a c h i n g .
Both w r i t e r s take time out
t h e i r n o v e l s to make d i d a c t i c a s i d e s i n which they r e l a t e the
g r e a t wide w o r l d o f h i s t o r y , p o l i t i c s ,
s c i e n c e , p h i l o s o p h y and
religion
to the s t o r i e s
they a r e t e l l i n g .
This i s a time-
honoured
p r a c t i c e i n the n o v e l , descending from w r i t e r s
like
Henry F i e l d i n g and George E l i o t , and which, a l t h o u g h perhaps
out
to
of fashion a t present, i s s t i l l v i a b l e .
Both w r i t e r s
seek
e x p l a i n the age to i t s e l f and to p r o v i d e a system o f v a l u e s ,
u s i n g e v e r y method a t t h e i r command.
Both men come to r e s t i n a
humanism c l o s e t o t h a t o f the c l a s s i c a l
resolution
Greeks:
Huxley's
( i n I s l a n d ) i s o v e r t l y r e l i g i o u s and s t r e s s e s the
o r i e n t a l p o i n t o f view; MacLennan's r e s o l u t i o n
( i n The Watch t h a t
Ends the N i g h t ) i s a l s o r e l i g i o u s but s t r e s s e s the o c c i d e n t a l
of
view.
Both r e s o l u t i o n s a r e e s s e n t i a l l y the same.
MacLennan's f i n a l v i s i o n o f the end o f s o c i a l e f f o r t
of
point
no end, a s o c i e t y unconnected w i t h s p e c i f i c
political
i s that
ideology
Joseph Campbell i n d i c a t e s , throughout The Masks o f God,
- 114.
-
--Marxism, f o r example, i s thrown a s i d e —
f o r such i d e o l o g i e s
are e v o l u t i o n a r y or m e s s i a n i c - a p o c a l y p t i c ,
p e r s p e c t i v e and
transcends
participation.
h i s t o r y , and
e n v i s i o n s i s one
i n which the i n d i v i d u a l and
in
Everyman,
and a l l humanity, are u n i t e d i n the knowledge
t h a t they cannot d e f e a t
as a p a r t of l i f e .
despair.
historical
MacLennan o f f e r s a view which
the i d e a l s o c i e t y he
which i d e o l o g i e s are n o t h i n g ,
the s o l i t a r y man
b e i n g based on
s u f f e r i n g and
This philosophy
death but must a c c e p t
i s not a p h i l o s o p h y
of
them
existential
I t i s beyond such d e s p a i r , which MacLennan sees as
d e s p a i r of the
" l o s t generation",
p a r t i c u l a r l y exemplified i n
l i t e r a t u r e by
the Hemingway hero (e.g., Jake Barnes, Robert
N i c k Adams).
MacLennan attempts to d i s p e l l
the myth of
i n d i c a t i n g i t s inadequacy i n such f i g u r e s as the
f i g h t e r A r c h i e MacNeil,
o n l y to death, and
whose g a l l a n t and
C i v i l War
despair,
courageous f i g h t
leads
does not
but r e t u r n s from h i s
involvement there w i t h a profound and a f f i r m a t i v e
o f humanism.
Jordan,
unsuccessful
the committed Jerome M a r t e l l , who
d i e " h e r o i c a l l y " i n the Spanish
the
philosophy
In The Watch t h a t Ends the N i g h t , MacLennan
attempts to e x p l a i n and
go beyond what S a l l y c a l l s
"those
a p p a l l i n g a d o l e s c e n t he-men l i k e Hemingway" (22), f o r such he-men
are men
without
women, o v e r l y masculine "heroes" who
balance
i n a world where the o n l y a l t e r n a t i v e i s d e s p a i r .
t h a t i n c l a s s i c a l Greek humanism the o r i e n t a l and
p o i n t s of view were u n i t e d .
lack
the o c c i d e n t a l
-
115.
I n s t e a d , he p o i n t s to the mythic c o n j u n c t i o n of sun and moon,
masculine
and
feminine,
s t r e s s i n g the example the moon
A i n s l i e , C a t h e r i n e ) g i v e s to men.
" o p t i m i s t i c view of l i f e
cyclically,
by a new
notes
Such l u n a r myths a f f o r d
i n general:
e v e r y t h i n g takes
place
MacLennan i s p a r t of a great modern movement
the p h i l o s o p h y of the e t e r n a l r e t u r n .
t h a t , " i t i s o n l y i n the c y c l i c a l
Mircea E l i a d e
t h e o r i e s of modern
t h a t the meaning of the a r c h a i c myth of e t e r n a l r e p t i t i o n
its
full
implications."
8
turned toward c y c l i c c o n c e p t i o n s
and
Toynbee.
e t e r n a l r e p e t i t i o n as the core concept
r e l a t i v e l y simple
d e p i c t s the c o n f l i c t
Ibid.,
p.
Writers
i n their philosophies.
i n Each Man s Son
1
The
"a
("a
transition
i n The Watch t h a t Ends the Night, which
"between the s p i r i t of Everyman and Everyman's
^Mircea E l i a d e , The Myth of the E t e r n a l Re t u r n (New
B o l l i n g e r , 1954), p. 102.
8
Science,
the myth of
i n Barometer R i s i n g (what he c a l l s
t a l e " ) , he continues
p i e c e " ) , and concludes
9
Theory.
B. Yeats, James Joyce, and Aldous Huxley use
quest MacLennan begins
realizes
of the u n i v e r s e i n , f o r
example, such t h i n g s as the E x p a n s i o n - C o n t r a c t i o n
l i k e W.
times
This p o i n t of view appears i n p h i l o s o p h e r s
l i k e N i e t z s c h e and h i s t o r i a n s l i k e Spengler
too, has
an
death i s i n e v i t a b l y f o l l o w e d by r e s u r r e c t i o n , c a t a c l y s m
Creation."^
revivifying
(Margaret
York:
146.
^ s i g n i f i c a n t l y , Toynbee uses an image v e r y l i k e one of
MacLennan's i n The Watch: "The c o l l e c t i v e unconscious underl i e s a c o n s c i o u s n e s s t h a t r i d e s on i t l i k e a c o c k l e s h e l l
f l o a t i n g p r e c a r i o u s l y on a bottomless and s h o r e l e s s ocean."
C i v i l i z a t i o n on T r i a l (New York: Oxford U. P r e s s , 1948), p. 255.
human c o n d i t i o n , " 1 0
to
a c o n f l i c t which i s never-ending.
d i s c o v e r peace d i s c o v e r s peace i n the f a c t
The
quest
t h a t the quest
is
never ended.
MacLennan o f f e r s
to
the n a t i o n and
t h i s philosophy
to the w o r l d :
to h i s i n d i v i d u a l
that l i f e
itself
i s a quest,
the i n d i v i d u a l , f o r the r a c e , f o r the s p i r i t
of l i f e
he
portrayed
p r o v i d e s as an example h i s p e r s o n a l
c o n t i n u i n g quest
quest
of h i s f i c t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r s .
reader
itself,
for
and
i n the
As a Canadian, he
asks,
Is i t p o s s i b l e f o r so few people to meet the c h a l l e n g e of t h i s
v a s t n e s s and mystery, of t h i s v a r i e t y o f the l a n d where we l i v e
.
Is i t u n r e a l to b e l i e v e that people can love an e t e r n a l q u e s t i o n
mark? Or does the q u e s t i o n mark, perhaps, answer t h a t l a t t e r
query? For s u r e l y i t i s t r u e that so long as the f a t e of a
person or a n a t i o n i s s t i l l i n doubt, t h a t person or n a t i o n i s
a l i v e and r e a l . H
He
says t h i s of the n a t i o n .
1960)
pp.
He means i t f o r the w o r l d .
"The S t o r y o f a N o v e l , "
36-39.
Canadian L i t e r a t u r e , 3
T h e R i v e r s of Canada (New
1962), p. 170.
x i
York:
Charles
(Winter
S c r i b n e r ' s Sons
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R i s i n g to The Watch t h a t Ends the N i g h t , c o n s i d e r i n g them
as an e x p r e s s i o n of n a t i o n a l i s m .
Contains the most
complete b i b l i o g r a p h y of MacLennan's work and work on
MacLennan to be found anywhere.
.
"Too Long to the C o u r t l y Muses." Canadian L i t e r a t u r e ,
10 (Autumn 1961), pp. 19-31.
A c r i t i c a l a r t i c l e which r e l a t e s MacLennan to the
c l a s s i c a l t r a d i t i o n , u s i n g a Jungian p o i n t o f view.
Hicks, G r a n v i l l e .
" N o v e l i s t s i n the F i f t i e s . "
Saturday Review
of L i t e r a t u r e , 42 (Oct. 24, 1959), pp. 18-20.
P l a c e s MacLennan i n the main stream of contemporary n o v e l
writing.
Lucas, A l e c .
" I n t r o d u c t i o n . " Each Man's Son.
Toronto:
M c C l e l l a n d and Stewart, 1965.
A p e r c e p t i v e look a t the n o v e l , f o c u s i n g on MacLennan's
approach to C a l v i n i s m .
McPherson, Hugo. " F i c t i o n (1940-60)." L i t e r a r y H i s t o r y of
Canada, ed., C a r l F. K l i n c k . Toronto:
U. of Toronto
P r e s s , 1965, pp. 694-722.
P l a c e s MacLennan i n the g e n e r a l stream of Canadian n o v e l
writing.
Necessarily rather s u p e r f i c i a l .
Sometimes q u i t e
m i s l e a d i n g ; e.g., " . . .
someone remarks t h a t she
[ C a t h e r i n e , i n The. Watch t h a t Ends the NightT) i s a symbol
of 'our s i c k c i v i l i z a t i o n ' . "
.
" I n t r o d u c t i o n . " Barometer R i s i n g .
Toronto:
M c C l e l l a n d & Stewart, 1958.
An e x c e l l e n t i n t r o d u c t i o n to the n o v e l .
T e l l s the average
reader enough to keep h i s i n t e r e s t without b e i n g h e a v i l y
academic.
- 120.
.
"The Novels of Hugh MacLennan." Queen's Q u a r t e r l y ,
LX (Summer 1953), pp. 189-98.
The themes and forms of MacLennan's f i r s t f o u r n o v e l s a r e
examined i n r e l a t i o n to each o t h e r .
New, W i l l i a m H.
"The A p p r e n t i c e s h i p of D i s c o v e r y . "
Canadian
L i t e r a t u r e , 29 (Summer 1966), pp. 18-33.
A comparison o f Mordecai R i c h l e r ' s The A p p r e n t i c e s h i p o f
Duddy K r a v i t z and MacLennan's The Watch t h a t Ends the N i g h t ,
s t r e s s i n g the thematic s i m i l a r i t i e s .
Pacey, Desmond. C r e a t i v e W r i t i n g i n Canada, r e v . and e n l .
Toronto: Ryerson, 1961.
Short and to the p o i n t . Sets MacLennan's work i n
p e r s p e c t i v e , a l o n g s i d e o t h e r Canadian n o v e l i s t s ' , e.g.,
Morley C a l l a g h a n and Mordecai R i c h l e r .
.
"The Novel i n Canada." Queen's Q u a r t e r l y , L I I
(Autumn 1945), pp. 322-32.
An e a r l y look a t MacLennan's w r i t i n g which has now been
g e n e r a l l y superseded.
Phelps, A. L. Canadian W r i t e r s .
Toronto:
McClelland &
Stewart, 1951, pp. 77-84.
Rather too simple i n approach and treatment to be o f much
v a l u e to the l i t e r a r y c r i t i c .
S u t h e r l a n d , Ronald.
"Twin S o l i t u d e s . " Canadian L i t e r a t u r e ,
31 (Winter 1967), pp. 5-24.
A comparison o f E n g l i s h and French Canadian n o v e l s w i t h
some i n t e r e s t i n g comments on Hugh MacLennan.
Tallman, Warren. "Wolf i n the Snow: P a r t One, Four Windows
on to Landscapes." Canadian L i t e r a t u r e , 5 (Summer 1960),
pp. 7-20.
A b r i e f look a t the dramatic c o n f l i c t s a t work i n Each
Man's Son, comparing the n o v e l w i t h f o u r o t h e r modern
Canadian n o v e l s .
.
"Wolf i n the Snow: Part Two, The House Repossessed."
Canadian L i t e r a t u r e , 6 (Autumn 1960), pp. 41-48.
The c o n c l u s i o n to the two part essay.
Heaviest stress
i s put on R i c h l e r ' s The A p p r e n t i c e s h i p of Duddy K r a v i t z .
Thomas, C l a r a . Canadian N o v e l i s t s . Toronto:
Longmans, Green,
1946, pp. 87-88.
The l i t t l e i n f o r m a t i o n g i v e n about MacLennan i s m o s t l y
biographical.
- 121.
Watters, R. E.
"Hugh MacLennan and the N a t i o n a l C h a r a c t e r . "
As A Man Thinks . . . , ed., E. M o r r i s o n and W. Robbins.
Toronto: Gage, 1953, pp. 228-43.
W i l s o n , Edmund. "0 Canada."
The New Yorker (Nov. 14, 1964).
Republished i n book form w i t h i t s companion p i e c e s ,
New York: F a r r a r , Straus and G i r o u x , 1965.
An i n t e r e s t i n g and o f t e n v a l u a b l e e x a m i n a t i o n o f
MacLennan's n o v e l s .
Woodcock, George.
"Hugh MacLennan." N o r t h e r n Review, 3
(Apr.-May 1950), pp. 2-10.
One o f the f i r s t r e a l l y p e r c e p t i v e looks a t MacLennan's
work, p l a c i n g him i n Canadian and w o r l d l i t e r a t u r e .
.
"A N a t i o n ' s Odyssey.
Canadian L i t e r a t u r e , 10
(Autumn 1961), pp. 7-18.
R e l a t e s MacLennan's work to c l a s s i c a l l i t e r a t u r e .
11
Contains the g e r m i n a l i d e a s which gave r i s e to t h i s
thesis.
Reviews
Barometer
Andrews, G. C.
Rising
Canadian Forum, 21 (Dec. 1941), p. 282.
Saturday Review o f L i t e r a t u r e ,
Southron, J . S.
New
24 (Oct. 25, 1941), p. 21.
York Times
(Oct. 5, 1941), p. 32.
Each Man's Son
Allen,
Thomas.
Ballantyne,
New
York Times
Murray.
Smith, H a r r i s o n .
(Apr. 15, 1951), p. 5.
Commonweal, 54 (Apr. 20, 1951), p. 46.
Saturday Review o f L i t e r a t u r e , 34
(Jan. 9,
P. 11.
The Watch that Ends the Night
Fowke, E d i t h .
Canadian Forum, 39
(Jan. 1959), p. 66.
Hicks, G r a n v i l l e .
Saturday Review o f L i t e r a t u r e ,
(Feb. 28, 1959), p. 15.
O'Hearn, W a l t e r .
New
York Times
42
(Feb. 15, 1959), p. 4.
1951)
- 122.
Woodcock, George.
"Odysseus Ever R e t u r n i n g . "
2 ( S p r i n g 1959), pp. 77-79.
Tamarack
Review,