|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
|
Constructions of characters at odds with societyHenry Higgins in Pygmalion and the unnamed male narrator in Wide Sargasso Sea are both characters at odds with their respective societies. Jean Rhys' character is a man who finds himself in a society not his own, while Bernard Shaw's character is a man who holds his own society in contempt. Rhys' character is a stranger in an alien society that he is acutely aware is not England. In the first few pages of his appearance in the book, he makes frequent comparisons. The natives speak "not English, but the debased French patois", the house was "an imitation of an English summer house", and of his wife he thinks "of pure English descent she may be, but ... not English". He thinks of the letter he must write to his father, which can be seen as an attempt to maintain a connection with his homeland, or as a cry for help. The author highlights his discomfort by contrasting it with Antoinette's familiarity. She greets the natives warmly by name, while he is stared at or laughed at. She recounts tales and memories of the places that he sees only as exotic and strange. The hostility of the natives (be it real or perceived) is a constant theme. Throughout the book he is being given sidelong glances, and people are concealing (or not concealing) laughter. There is none of the deference and respect he would expect in England. The author makes much use of the 'unreliable narrator' technique, exploiting the fact that a first person point of view will be distorted and clouded by the narrator's prejudices and self-delusions. Flaws in the narrator's character are never explicitly stated; rather the reader is allowed to deduce it from supposedly unwitting testimony. This creates a mood of greater depth and subtlety We see this technique used to portray the narrator's antagonism towards the society growing into paranoia and madness. Sidelong glances and laughter become so pervasive, he perceives them when they are not there. Feelings of persecution and delusions of conspiracy emerge: "I was so sure I was being watched", "They knew, they all knew", "No-one would tell me the truth". Even the landscape becomes a threat "It is hostile", "I want what it hides". As his discomfort grows, so does his dependence on alcohol. Again, he does not admit it to himself (no alcoholic does), but we see the change from Christophine's "Try my Bull's Blood", to his "Have you got much more of this famous rum?". A retreat into alcoholism is often a symbol for retreating from reality. Compare with the discussion between him and Antoinette when he describes it all as "unreal and like a dream", and later when he talks of "the faint consoling hope that I might wake up". Christophine is used as a symbol of all that is exotic and mysterious, and his relationship with her mirrors his relationship with society. He denies he is afraid of her "Are you afraid of her ... If she were taller ... I might be afraid of her" but when he first meets her he cannot hold her gaze ("We stared at each other for quite a minute. I looked away first and she smiled"). For a person who believes in the superiority both of men and of whites, this psychological victory by a black woman is significant. He tries in his mind to justify his weakness "I have had fever. I am not myself yet". She even gets woven into his paranoid delusions "[mealtimes were] much later than in England. Christophine's whims and fancies I was sure". When he becomes suspicious that some sort of spell has been put on him, he tries to battle native obeah with English law. He first consults Mr Fraser, an English authoritative figure, and then threatens her with the local white police inspector. Eventually he displaces his fears onto Antoinette, the only aspect of this world that he has power over. Trapped in a society he cannot change, he tries instead to change her. He starts simply, when he undoes her "carefully plaited hair", then more drastically by calling her Bertha: a more English name than 'Antoinette'. His sleeping with Amélie is in no way an acceptance of the natives, but just another attempt to hurt his wife. In the end, his contempt grows to encompass the English society that put him here, the society he once longed for. "I know you planned this because you wanted to be rid of me". When he turns on the society he longed for, Rhys' construction (or destruction) of his character is complete. Bernard Shaw's Higgins has always held English society in contempt. While it is not clear whether his social ineptitude or his obsession with phonetics came first, it is clear that they are closely linked. Higgins believes that England's class-based society is built solely upon accents, and he can exactly imitate any accent of any class. He can make a person of one class be accepted as a person of another. In short, he believes that he can manipulate the very basis of society. The contempt that this brings out in him is apparent from the start. He is brusque and harsh, with no concern for pleasantries or etiquette (act 1: "who's hurting you, you silly girl", "Oh shut up, shut up"), often becoming aggressive and rude, especially with Eliza (act 1: "you squashed cabbage leaf ... you incarnate insult to the English language"). For an audience still very 'proper' in its attitudes, Shaw quickly establishes Higgins as a character out of place. His actions - described through stage directions - add to the construction. In particular, his frequent fidgeting shows his discomfort with the world (act 3: "[walking about, jingling his money and his keys in his trouser pockets]"). It is not only Higgins who we must observe: much is revealed about him in the speech of others. Higgins' mother is used to represent the respectable face of society (compare with Rhys' use of Christophine). Higgins' relationship with her is as strained as it is with society. When he turns up at her 'at-home' day, she is horrified by his presence (act 3: "You offend all my friends: they stop coming whenever they meet you", "Really ... you mustn't stay"). It is she who must tell him that society is built on more than accents. This is a fact he has obviously not grasped, as evidenced by Eliza's failure at her first real social interaction with the Eynsford-Hills. His housekeeper, Mrs Pearce, represents another aspect of society that Higgins is at odds with. She disapproves of his associations with undesirables (act 2: "but really you see such queer people"), she disapproves of his lack of decorum, she disapproves of his vulgar language (act 2: "You swear a great deal too much"). Shaw knew how contemporary audiences would respond to this suggestion (compare Eliza's use of "Not bloody likely" that caused such an outrage), and used it to add to Higgins' uncouth image. Alfred Doolittle does not represent society in the same way, but does illustrate society dramatically not conforming to Higgins' views. He is catapulted into the upper classes with no change in accent whatsoever. Higgins' attitude to marriage is also at odds with contemporary attitudes. He claims that men and women will always naturally drift apart (act 2: "One wants to go North and the other South; and … both have to go East"), and that he wants a woman as much like his mother as possible. However, his relationship with his mother is awkward, so this seems unlikely. More likely is he is concealing the fact that he is incapable of maintaining a relationship. He even tries to use Pickering to back up his ideas (act 4: "all men are not confirmed old bachelors like me and the Colonel"), even though the Colonel has expressed no such opinions. Higgins claims to be aware of his shortcomings, yet also seems to think there is no need for him to change (act 3: "I know I have no small talk: but people don't mind"). Yet it is clear that his understanding of society is a great deal more limited than he will accept. Again his character is revealed as much by what he denies as what he admits. Eliza can be seen as symbolic of Higgins attempting to manipulate society (compare with Rhys' character trying to change Antoinette). However, although he succeeds in placing her amongst the higher classes, she immediately shuns him as her new society shuns him. Instead she gives credit for her success to Colonel Pickering, a more typical representative of society. Additionally, Shaw maintains in his epilogue that she eventually marries Freddy Eynsford-Hill, a stereotype of all that Higgins condemns. Shaw and Rhys both portray characters who hate their society, but there are similarities and differences. One is a stranger in an alien society, while one is a native. One believes he has the power to change society, thus breeding contempt; while the other believes he is powerless, which breeds fear. Both claim to accept their shortcomings, but neither really face up to the true extent. Both writers use a people to represent society. Above all, they both have their characters deny more than they admit, and thus reveal more than they conceal. Bibliography
|
|
Except where stated, this site and its contents are copyright ©2012 Alec Harkness and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 License.