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James Seman In Anthony Powell's Casanova's Chinese Restaurant, an important international event exists in the background: the Spanish Civil War. Erridge Tolland, the leftist Earl of Warminster, decides that he should go and aid the Spanish Republican government that was threatened by Franco's Nationalist coup d'etat. However, since Erridge is not a Spanish citizen, he had to join one of the International Brigades. These International Brigades were funded, supplied and partially trained by the Soviet Union. Naturally, most of the members of these foreigner-comprised brigades had political ideas far to the left of center. When Erridge returns from Spain near the end of the book, he shares very few of his experiences in Spain. However, there are some significant differences between the fictional version of the International Brigades as related by Erridge, and their real life versions, although there are some very important similarities. The similarities between the two versions of the International Brigades are significant because they establish the character of Republican supporters. The first and most significant similarity is that both versions of the International Brigades are filled with leftist political idealists: "… Trotskyite-Communist, an Anarcho-Syndicalist, and a properly paid-up Party Member…" (197). True to form, all of these putatively allied visions of communism and socialism spent much of their time debating which of these versions are better. Much of the International Brigades' energies were spent in conflict between the various leftist factions that all supported the Republican government. This, in turn, reduced the efficacy of an otherwise strong fighting force. Another important similarity between the real and the fictional versions of the International Brigades is that many of the participants were writers and poets, who were generally leftists in any case. Hemmingway was one of the most famous of the American participants, however, he served mainly as a war correspondent during this conflict, interviewing many of the people that were fighting. In the book, Norah bemoans the fact that: "His [Erridge's] time in Spain seems to have been a total flop. He didn't get up to the front and he never met Hemmingway" (198). The fact that Norah considers Erridge's failure to get up to the front on the same level with not meeting Hemmingway shows just how important Hemmingway's as well as other famous writers' participation was to the liberals of the world. The similarities between Powell's fictional International Brigade and the real world version are important, because they show the conflicts between the different brands of socialism, and the liberal feeling that existed among many at the time. Despite the similarities, there are also some glaring differences. The biggest is that all of the leftist characters in the book support the Republican government. This was not actually the case, as many of the leftist groups in existance at the time were actually strict pacifists. Norah Tolland, Erridge Tolland, St. John Clarke, and J. G. Quiggin each support the war and the Republicans. Erridge goes to participate in the war, so he obviously supports the government. Norah complains: "Erridge's time in Spain was a total flop" (198) because he never fought in the trenches on the front line. St. John also supports the Republicans, as a result of his lingering liberalism. Quiggin too supports the conflict, and even though he is disappointed in the extent of Erridge's participation in the war, he supports the war in principal: "Alfred [Erridge] is too simple a man to embroil himself in practical affairs like fighting and ideological war" (196). These four characters are the only four that have been encountered so far who are leftists, and every one of them supports the Republican cause and wishes to help the Republican government. It is unlikely that this would be the case in real life though, since many of the leftist groups were strictly pacifists and would not approve of a war of any sort. Another difference is that Erridge was able to participate in a non-combatant role, as shown by Norah's lament. Most of the people who worked behind the lines were actually female, because fighting was still considered "a man's job" at that time. There were also few non-combatant jobs in the International Brigades because they were, from the start, military formations created by the Soviet Union to aid the Republican government. The differences between the real International Brigades and the fictional version that Erridge joins are significant: a universal agreement among all leftists, and Erridge's non-combatant role in his brigade. The differences and similarities are both great enough to make the fictional and real International Brigades appear to be very closely related, but Powell changes some aspects of them so as to make the story flow better. These differences are primarily minor differences, like having all of the four leftist characters completely agree with the rightness of the Republican fight. The odds of having that happen in real life would have been pretty long, but it is necessary for the story for all of them to agree. By agreeing with the war, we see Quiggin's dislike of Erridge, and get a little hint that he is not just mad at Erridge for appearing to bail out of the war. The real reason is one that Quiggin would certainly not approve of: pure greed. Since Quiggin supports the war, Erridge's return gives Quiggin a sound ideological reason to be mad at him that also disguises his greed. This is by no means the only character that reacts this way, as all of the other ones believe that he betrayed the Republican cause. The changes that Powell made make it so that the reader ignores the historical inaccuracies for the sake of the narrative. Bibliography of Works Cited: 1. "Background to War" The Spanish Civil War. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WW2Spain.htm . 20 January 2008. 2. Gómez, Fernando Fernán. Las Bicicletas Son Para el Verano. p. 66-7. Espasa-Calpe. June 1999, Madrid. |
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Paul McCarthy Casanova's Chinese Restaurant opens with a scene of Nick standing in the bombed-out remnants of the Mortimer. As he stands there, a crippled woman comes down the road outside, singing, "Pale hands I loved beside the Shalimar, Where are you now? Who lies beneath your spell?" This couplet, which is the opening for "A Kashmiri Love Song," triggers Nick's memory of a night he spent with Moreland discussing "A Kashmiri Love Song." This memory then inspires Nick to recount all the events of CCR, in what amounts to a two hundred and fifty page long tangent. However, there is a significant enough connection between "A Kashmiri Love Song" and CCR to set off this tangent. In Nick's first flashback, Moreland is deeply affected by the song, and says as much. In fact, this song, and also Moreland's reaction to it, predicts the themes of CCR and sets into motion almost all the events in the book. "A Kashmiri Love Song" is, obviously enough, a song about love; in particular it is bout the narrator remembering how much he once loved the owner of the pale hands. However, the song seems to imply that the two are no longer together. The second stanza reads "Oh, pale dispensers of my Joys and Pains, Holding the doors of Heaven and of Hell, How the hot blood rushed wildly through the veins Beneath your touch, until you waved farewell." The narrator loved the pale hands person very deeply, to the point where she controlled the narrator's happiness, even his life. And then she waved farewell, and even through that loss and that pain the narrator remained transfixed, his love was so strong. The last two lines of the song say, "I would have rather felt you round my throat, Crushing out life, than waving me farewell!" In his desperation, the narrator would rather receive pain from his lover than receive nothing at all. The song spends a lot of time talking about love lost, especially in the first and third stanzas, where the narrator mourns his current situation. And even the second stanza, which contains the main description of how amazing their love was, ends with "until you waved farewell," signaling that it is very much over. The entire song, then, refers back to this great love that has consumed the narrator for years and will probably consume him forever. And because of that, it has a sense of bittersweet nostalgia, of remembering that which has been lost forever. That is the exact word Moreland used to describe the song: "What nostalgia," he said on page 3. It is that part of the song that struck him the most, how strong the narrator's yearning for a former love was, even though it had caused him significant pain. That idea had such a profound effect on Moreland that he became "unsettled" and "in the depths of a gloom." At the beginning of CCR, Moreland was young and unmarried. The only one of his former relationships we learned about was the waitress, and he did not love her with half the intensity the song's narrator showed for his mistress. One possibility is that Moreland was depressed by the song because he had never felt an emotion as strong as the one it described, and he wanted to. He had never been in love like the narrator, and that depressed him. It made him want to experience that feeling, no matter what the cost. After explaining the sadness the song had instilled in him, Moreland said, "Let's live for the moment." Moreland decided then and there to find the sort of love described in the song and pursue it, even if it meant the sort of the pain the song's narrator suffered from. That is what living for the moment meant, that he would search for love and hold onto it as hard as possible. And, actually, Moreland found that love shortly after hearing the song: he found Matilda and married her. CCR spends a great deal of time talking about marriages, and more generally about relationships of love. There are numerous examples of this, including Nick and Isobel, the Maclinticks, the Morelands, to name a few, and, in the background, there is the matter of the king abdicating his throne to pursue love. And then, one of the final revelations of the book is that Chips Lovell and Priscilla are to be married, in a continuation of this marriage cycle. "A Kashmiri Love Song" is used to explain why Moreland, and by extension all the other characters, decided to get married: because they wanted to find that deep love, even if it meant losing everything. CCR, then, follows up that idea and shows what happens after the leap is taken, after the characters decide to risk everything and get married. Some of them, like Nick, succeed; others, like Maclintick, suffer the same fate as the song's narrator; but they all took the same risk that is marriage. |
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Nick Anschuetz In Anthony Powell's fifth installment to the Dance to the Music of Time series, Casanova's Chinese Restaurant, an array of new characters are introduced, including Hugh Moreland, who becomes Nick's best friend. What sets this novel apart from the previous four is its opening scene. Unlike the first four books, which begin chronologically, Casanova's Chinese Restaurant opens in the "present day" of 1959 (or 1974, depending on your point of view) and then sends us back to a time when Nick was still infatuated with Jean Duport, a time before At Lady Molly's ends. Powell does this to show that Nick is looking at his past through older, wiser, and more mature eyes. Each of the previous four novels opens chronologically and anecdotally: A Question of Upbringing opens with the image of Widmerpool running stoically through the mist, A Buyer's Market opens with a description of Mr. Deacon's artwork and a dinner party, The Acceptance World opens with Nick going to visit Uncle Giles, and At Lady Molly's opens with a description of Aylmer Conyers, and old family friend. All of these are written within the framework of the novel chronologically and without any sense of despair or melancholy. From the first sentence, we know that Casanova's Chinese Restaurant is not going to be a happy, upbeat novel: "Crossing the road by the bombed-out public house on the corner and pondering the mystery which dominates vistas framed by a ruined door, I felt for some reason glad the place had not yet been rebuilt." (1) Powell goes on to describe the "vestigial remains of the Mortimer," (2) the pub in which Nick met Moreland, who is, in the "present day", dead. The destroyed pub where Nick and Moreland first met represents their shattered friendship; it stands almost as a monument to his memory, scored by the beautiful Kashmir love song sung by a crippled woman. We are told before we ever meet Moreland that he will die in the near future; this is something Powell has not done with any other characters. This foreshadowing of Moreland's fate only reinforces the importance Moreland will have on Nick's life. By making the opening of Casanova's Chinese Restaurant so drastically different from the previous novels, Powell instills an aura of different expectation for the reader. Previously, the most extreme moments in Nick's life consisted of someone dumping sugar on someone else's head, or Uncle Giles coming over to ramble about the Family Trust. Powell's image of a shelled-out pub in the first sentence of the novel illustrates how different Nick's life will be, and how important it was to set the first scene in the present in order to highlight the lasting effect on Nick's life of the events set in motion in the story. Not everything in the novel is depressing; in fact Moreland is quite the opposite, but Nick does face a number of imposing challenges, such as infidelity involving a number of parties, including Moreland, and several deaths, including Maclintick's suicide. Not only are the challenges more daunting, but Nick's ability to make sense of them is strikingly more mature. In response to Moreland's reaction to Maclintick's suicide, Nick says, "I think Moreland's realisation was in the fact of Maclintick's desperate condition; Maclintick's inability to regulate his own emotional life; Maclintick's lack of success as a musician.... By taking his own life, Maclintick had brought about a crisis in Moreland's life too." (221) Nick is psychoanalyzing his friends. Nick is able to psychoanalyze himself as well, and it is shown that he has had this ability for quite some time. Until Nick meets Isobel, he has an infatuation with Jean Duport and we all assume he wants to marry her. However, when Moreland asks him whom he would marry if he were legally allowed three wives, Nick, although "these were the days when [he] loved Jean Duport," (6) offers three random names. "To tell the truth, in spite of what I felt for Jean, marriage, although looming up on all sides, still seemed a desperate venture to be postponed almost indefinitely." (6) Nick is aware that his crush on Jean is nothing more than a crush, not a desire for marriage, but we only learn of this in Casanova's Chinese Restaurant. The darkness of the novel is no coincidence. Powell's approach to this novel is different because he knows what it is like to lose one's best friend. His best friend Constant Lambert, the obvious model for Moreland, died about eight years before Casanova's Chinese Restaurant was written. This novel is a tribute to Lambert, and Powell is able to set it apart from the others by making us feel his own loss through Nick. Casanova's Chinese Restaurant's opening scene is so different from the previous four that we cannot help but notice the change. It seems bittersweet to watch Nick gain a best friend, but to learn so quickly that friend will die before his time. Nick learns to look at everything around him with a ripened view of the world, and in return, Powell throws increasingly dark obstacles in his way. We can expect this novel to be the turning point in Nick's life; Nick has become a man. |
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Michael Donelan The conversation between Nick Jenkins and Moreland in the opening moments of Casanova's Chinese Restaurant brings to light an interesting expulsion of Nick's own opinion on the idea of marriage as well as its merits in general. After choosing his three wives, Jenkins reveals that "in spite of what I felt for Jean, marriage, although looming up on all sides, still seemed a desperate venture to be postponed almost indefinitely." (6 CCR) An off-hand comment is made shortly after regarding the thoughts of one of the popular play-writers of the time, Johan August Strindberg, about marriage. Jenkins recounts that "Strindberg considered even the worst marriage better than no marriage at all." (7 CCR) There is no further discussion of the subject between Moreland and Jenkins. Strindberg's statement offered by Nick is used as a springboard for the reader to further analyze the marriages that take place in Casanova's Chinese Restaurant. There are two new marriages that the reader encounters in this book. The first which we are brought into, albeit it very briefly, is that between Maclintick and Mrs. Maclintick. While we learn more about this relationship later, its introduction is noteworthy. With the party gathered around the bar and deciding to move off to dine together, Maclintick must inform his wife of the decision. Without any hesitation, Moreland offers that "`There will be a row about that.'" (27 CCR) Right away one of the first details we learn about Maclintick is of the presence of some tension in his relationship with his wife. This provides enough context to see there will be further problems between the two which we visit in subsequent chapters. After this brief introduction the reader is exposed to Maclintick and his wife in a more personal situation inside their home. Moreland is quick to give an analysis of Maclintick as a man on their way over. "`He is disappointed of course.' `About himself as a musician?' `That - and other things.'" (106 CCR) This other thing Moreland is referring to is undoubtedly his failing marriage with Audrey who is only "`Like a wife.'" (106 CCR) further stating that "`I think he hates them (women) really - only likes whores.'" (107 CCR) These statements lead one to conclude that Maclintick would agree with Mr. Strindberg's belief that a terrible marriage is better than none at all. Maclintick could easily be out perusing with these whores that he likes so much more than his wife, but something as slight as the idea of marriage appeals to him and keeps him interested. Perhaps it is because he is able to satisfy his "deeply romantic, hidden away sentiments" which is "his passionate, carefully concealed side." (107 CCR) Upon meeting the couple and observing their interaction it is nearly impossible to see how Maclintick could have any feelings of passion for the woman. Nick observes that "…certainly the Maclinticks, between them, were enough to make anyone ill at ease." (114 CCR) When everyone in the Maclintick house sits down for dinner the couple sets into a small row, one that makes Nick worry "I thought she might pick up one of the battered table knives and stick it into him." (121 CCR) The mere presence of this couple makes one feel uncomfortable. This is to saying nothing of the shouting match that will ensue at Mrs. Foxe's party for Moreland's new symphony later in the book. At the party Audrey embarks on a winding rant about her husband's untidiness and his lack of motivation to dress up and look respectable. Maclintick overhears all of this and casually lets it slide off his shoulders, but when Mrs. Maclintick reveals her husband's opinion on Moreland's piece, he can no longer take her slandering and explodes, leading Nick to think that he is going to strike her as Maclintick's rage rises past its boiling point. Maclintick goes on to call his wife a "bloody bitch" (151 CCR) and threatens to hurt her if she does not shut up. The verbal assault is complete when, talking about Moreland's wife, Matilda, he says "`I only wish I had a wife with half Matilda's sense.'" This would seem to be the last straw for Mrs. Maclintick, although she remains masterfully composed. She will go on to run off with Carolo, leaving Maclintick to remain alone and eventually commit suicide. After all the bickering she has put up with, her actions are in disagreement with Strindberg and she believes that the worst marriage is not better than no marriage at all. The second relationship we learn of is that between Moreland and the actress who he had been pursuing for some time, Matilda Wilson. When leaving Maclintick's house Moreland says "`Married life is unquestionably difficult'" (123 CCR) At that time we learn he and Matilda are expecting their first child, but things are not going well with the birth and "It is costing a fortune." (99 CCR) However, he thinks that once the baby is born things will return to relative normalcy. The debacle with his child's pending birth upsets Moreland to some degree and we later find out that their baby dies which puts him in a worse way making him more depressed about the marriage. This couple also experiences their own share of stress, although it is not quite as easily observed. Nick begins to speculate that there is an affair going on between Moreland and Priscilla Tolland when Priscilla asks if she may accompany Isobel and Nick to the opening of Moreland's new piece. We do not learn any more about this secret affair until the party after the work has been performed. It is at the party that Nick speaks with Matilda and she addresses the subject of a possible affair. Right at the beginning of this conversation she states "`She is very attractive. But I don't know her as well as Hugh does." (155 CCR) Nick "suddenly felt horribly uncomfortable" (155 CCR) as soon as this remark had come to pass. While Matilda does not make any direct reference to any knowledge of an affair she asks Nick "`Is it fun to be married to anyone?'" (157 CCR) Nick fears that "Generalisations about married life could easily turn to particularisation about Moreland and Priscilla." (157 CCR) Matilda either has actual knowledge of an affair between the two, or is just speculating, but by either hand, she is not perturbed by knowing this. Up until the end of Casanova's Chinese Restaurant we are unaware of their marriage being disturbed as a result of the possible affair. This leads the reader to think that both Moreland and Matilda believe that although their's is not the worst marriage, it has its flaws but is still better than no marriage at all. Marriage plays a prevalent role in Casanova's Chinese Restaurant. The introduction of Strindberg's philosophy regarding marriage at the beginning of the book gives the reader a stance to take regarding the two new marriages encountered. Based on the evidence from this book, when only one of the spouses is able to embrace Strindberg's ideals, the marriage will fail as is the case with Maclintick and Audrey. When both are willing to accept this way of life, some level of success will be achieved in the marriage, as is the case with Moreland and Matilda. There are many other marriages that can be analyzed using Strindberg's simple statement leaving the reader and perhaps the characters to consider their commitment before saying "I Do." |
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Erica Bakies Throughout Casanova's Chinese Restaurant, two socially-forbidden relationships develop, each of which has various affects on those individuals around them. The reader is given separate accounts of each affair through Nick. While they both develop in much the same way, Nick becomes very concerned with Hugh Moreland's affair while he continues to be a bystander in Audrey Maclintick's. Because of this, the reader is able to get an in-depth look at the effects of both affairs: one internal (within a relationship) and the other external (affecting those close to the people having the affair). Both are socially unacceptable, but one ends with disastrous consequences. The reader is able to watch the affairs developing from the beginning with relatively some degree of similarity, and continue on into two drastically different situations with varying levels of involvement. Audrey Maclintick is introduced in Casanova's Chinese Restaurant as a character who is not too fond of her marriage or her husband. They are fighting a lot, she isn't taking care of her husband, and she doesn't care about him the way she used to. Moreland is often fond of saying how he would go to visit the Maclinticks because it relieved some of the tension in the house. Even when Moreland and Nick arrive at the Maclintick home, Mrs. Maclintick is very removed and rude: "When she opened the door to us, her formidable discontent with life swept across the threshold in scorching, blasting waves," (pg. 108). Due to this unfortunate marriage predicament, Mrs. Maclintick is very open to any form of flirtation and attention from other men, which causes some foreshadowing to her affair. This side of her is evident at the Moreland's symphony party, as Charles Stringham takes it upon himself to talk to a woman he "found wholly unusual," (pg. 168). Immediately, Nick notices a change in Mrs. Maclintick's demeanor: "The effect on Mrs Maclintick of this unconventional approach was electric. She flushed with pleasure, contorting her body into an attitude of increased provocation," (pg. 167). In fact, Mrs. Maclintick, "was tamed, almost docile, under his treatment," (pg. 169). Actions like these suggest that Mrs. Maclintick is looking for something to alleviate the strains in her marriage. So, it isn't a surprise when Mrs. Maclintick's actually has an affair with Carolo. Nick is not even that shocked to find out that Mrs. Maclintick runs off with Carolo, especially after Matilda lets it slip that she was married to Carolo before Moreland. Before the affair, Carolo is living with the Maclinticks, and through the powers of Nick's observation, the reader sees Mrs. Maclintick dote on Carolo more so than her husband. Nick comments to the fact that she speaks to Carolo "with a greater warmth than she had shown until that moment," (pg. 118). Nick even catches a glance "that was almost affectionate," (pg. 118). This affair starts off enjoyable, and then turns serious when Mrs. Maclintick runs away with Carolo, leaving Maclintick behind to pick up the pieces. It is that next step in the relationship that she takes that has the most problems, and the most unforeseen consequences. While some think that the affair is beneficial to Maclintick, it ends up taking a greater emotional toll than anyone expected. According to Matilda, "But Carolo's chief interest is in making conquests. He doesn't much mind who it is. I shouldn't wonder if he doesn't run after Audrey Maclintick. Probably Maclintick would be glad of someone to keep her quiet and take her off his hands. What a bitch she is," (pg. 159). She foreshadowed what was to come, but unfortunately predicted the wrong outcome. The result of Mrs. Maclintick's action is Maclintick's suicide. Although he predicts he will commit suicide earlier in the chapter, Mrs. Maclintick's infidelity is what pushes him over the edge, as he begins to loose control after Moreland and Nick's visit. He says, "But anyways it takes a bit of time to realize that all the odds and ends milling about round one are the process of living. I used to feel with Audrey: `this can't be marriage" - and now it isn't," (pg. 212). The other infidelity in Casanova's Chinese Restaurant is between Moreland and Priscilla Tolland. The first suspected signs begin at Mrs. Foxe's party for Moreland, just like Mrs. Maclintick's affair. Priscilla and Moreland hit it off and then continued to meet each other. Like Carolo and Mrs. Maclintick's affair, the beginning of their interaction is flirty and fun. Nick speculates at the party: "If (Moreland) had fallen in love with Priscilla - the evidence for something of the sort having taken place had to be admitted - it was, I thought, just like him to prefer listening to this performance to keeping his girl to himself in some remote part of the room," (pg. 173). It seems that Moreland needed a distraction since he lost his child a few hours after birth. After speaking with Matilda, Nick realizes that Moreland's marriage, "had dislocated … more seriously than anyone had supposed from the outside," (pg. 160) because of the death. While Moreland occupied his time by going to parties and out to dinner with friends, his wife just wanted to stay home. As Nick begins to pick up clues to the affair, including the ticket that Moreland gave Priscilla to his symphony and Priscilla's touchy phone call with his wife, he begins to feel awful about thinking negatively about his friend: "I suddenly felt horribly uncomfortable, as if ice-cold water were dripping very gently, very slowly down my spine, but as if, at the same time, some special circumstance prevented admission of this unaccountable fact and also forbade any attempt on my own part to suspend the process; a sensation to be recognized, I knew well, as an extension of that earlier refusal to face facts about Moreland giving Priscilla the concert ticket," (pg. 155). On the contrary to the result of Mrs. Maclintick's infidelity, Moreland's affair ends by bringing him and his wife even closer. After realizing that he was bringing more hurt into the relationship rather than trying to alleviate some of the tension, he breaks it off with Priscilla. When Moreland finally admits his affair to Nick, Nick comments: "By taking his own life, Maclintick had brought about a crisis in Moreland's life too. He had ended the triangular relationship between Moreland, Priscilla, and Matilda," (pg. 221). Moreland starts to focus back on his wife, especially after seeing how Mrs. Maclintick's affair ends, and he emphasizes the fact that he and Priscilla never had sex. Matilda seems more than overjoyed to have her husband back to herself, and her marriage to be on the right course again after a very rocky patch. Both affairs start out as social anxieties to everyone but those involved. Love becomes a tangled web of lies and deceit, with speculations thrown in by people like Chips Lovell. Unfortunately for Maclintick, his wife's affair was something that he could not understand or cope with, and it lead to his suicide. On the contrary, Moreland's affair was a matter of distraction. His wife stood strong next to him, waiting for him to come back. When he finally realized the errors of his ways, he came back to her, and their marriage became stronger than before. These two radically different affairs in high class social situations take completely different turns, although they both started out as a supposedly innocent flirtation. |
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Nicole Lee When an article "appears in the evening paper stating that Maclintick's body had been found in a gas-filled room… there is no shock about it.(217)" Maclintick's suicide does not come as a surprise to other characters in A Dance To the Music of Time , as there are many indications earlier in the novel that suggest his unhappiness. It is, however, impossible to pinpoint exactly what caused him to take his own life. According to www.suicide.org, the most common cause of suicide is untreated depression. Many factors usually contribute to this depression, ranging from relationship problems, such as a divorce, separation, or breakup, to a serious loss, such as one of a job, house, money, or even loss of hope. Maclintick displays these symptoms in many different scenes throughout Casanova's Chinese Restaurant. Maclintick is first introduced in the novel as a music critic, "with a physical heaviness already threatening obesity in early middle age. (17)" From the beginning of the book, Powell lets us know that he is not the friendliest character. When out to dine with Barnby and friends, Nick describes how "Maclintick had hardly spoken since we left the Mortimer. Now he uttered these words in a tone of deep pessimism, as if, so far, he resented every moment of the evening.(30)" This description implies that Maclintick fails to even make an effort to have a good time at dinner. He is also described as having "unconcealed distaste (17)" of the conversation and never seems to have any positive input. Although it is clearly not reasonable to infer from these lines that Maclintick is a pessimist and will therefore commit suicide later on in the book, it contributes to his image of having an untreated depression. Along with the few indications of depression early in CCR, there are also many subtle signs that suggest Maclintick's suicide had been long planned. While Nick Jenkins, Barnby, Moreland, and Maclintick are out to eat, Moreland jokingly brings up a story about a man who killed himself, who "need not have made away with himself for six (more) months. Barnby and Nick laugh at this anecdote, while Maclintick did not smile. At the same time he seemed struck by the story.(32)" The fact that the mention of suicide affects him here may be foreshadowing of what is to come. The most obvious indication of Maclintick's plan for ending his own life appears when he mentions, " I give myself at least five more years at the present rate. That should allow me time to finish my book." Moreland somewhat ignores this comment and proceeds to explain how be believes that professional seducers don't have time to commit suicide. Nick and Barnby also disregard this comment and carry on with the conversation. In the middle of the book, Maclintick's friends start becoming a little less oblivious to the situation. Moreland convinces Nick to accompany him on visit to Maclintick`s , saying, "if nobody ever goes there, I am afraid Maclintick will jump into the river one of these days, or hang himself with his braces after a more than usually grueling domestic difference. (106)" When Nick resists, arguing that Maclintick is not very fond of him, Moreland assures him that, "Maclintick does not like anyone…He is a very melancholy man. (105)"During the visit at the Maclintick's house, Nick notes that "despondency, as usual seemed to have laid an icy grip on him (Maclintick)… he wore bedroom slippers and was pulling at a pipe. (110)" This despondency may be taken as one of the symptoms of depression. At this point in the book, however, his friends do not take it seriously enough, as Nick jokingly agrees to accompany Moreland, "since he presented it as a matter of life and death. (106)" He was not aware that it actually was. While Maclintick shows all these small signs of depression, his marriage does not help the situation. Moreland simply puts it as, "Maclintick does not get on too well with his wife, (105)" and that, "certainly the Maclinticks, between them, were enough to make anyone ill at ease." (114) When the couple invites Nick and Moreland for dinner, "All the time she treated Maclintick as if he were not present in the flesh." (117) They fight about many things, mainly politics, making their guests uncomfortable. Louis Dublin, a sociologist, states that suicide is much less common among married people, especially those with children, than it is among single or widowed individuals. He feels isolation from friends, family, and socially accepted morals must all contribute to suicidal behavior." [1] "Almost all other sociologists will agree that destruction of a dyad, or two-person group, is often a cause." [2]The Maclinticks' marriage is soon after destructed, as Nick finds "a note when he returned home saying she had gone for good. (with Carolo) (204)" When Jenkins and Moreland visit again, they find him to be in a troubling state. "The sitting-room was unspeakably filthy, dirty tea cups…an atmosphere of unmade beds and unwashed dishes was dominated by an abominable, indefinable smell.(206)" From this description it can be inferred that Maclintick does not deal well with the breakup, which is another one of the main factors causing his death. In the fourth chapter, Maclintick's friends finally realize something is wrong. Although they do not take his condition seriously at the beginning of the CCR, they get worried when things start looking rocky for him. Although neither Jenkins nor Moreland particularly want to pay him a visit, Jenkins persuades Moreland to come and drop in with him. He then explains on the phone, "I've been talking to Gossage about Maclintick. We are a bit worried. A visit might cheer him up. (203)" Moreland then informs Nick that Maclintick's wife has walked out on him and that "on top of that, he lost his job.(203)" It is only "true compassion for Maclintick's circumstances that brought Moreland to his house that night… It was an act of friendship.(206)" Throughout the visit, the three men talk about wide range of things, particularly jobs and musical journalism, "but sooner or later Maclintick abandoned the subject in hand, always returning to the matter of his wife.(208)" As they left, Nick sums up the situation in one sentence- "He is in rather a mess.(215)" Moreland replies, "Maclintick is in a bad way… It is no good pretending he isn't. I don't know where it will end…. (215)" Maclintick takes this matter into his own hands, ending his life by gassing himself just a few days after Nick and Moreland`s visit. It is proven to be very rare that someone dies of suicide because of one cause. [3] In CCR, Maclintick commits this act because of a plethora of causes all adding up . Many factors contributed to his depression, all leading to an unfortunate end result. [1] http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Self_Injury/bloodred/essays/suicide2.html [2] http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Self_Injury/bloodred/essays/suicide2.html [3] http://www.suicide.org/suicide-causes.html |
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Alyssa Warren As one of the few students entering the class in the winter term, I began reading Dance to the Music of Time with Casanova's Chinese Restaurant. Delving into this epic novel one-third of the way through confronted me with a seemingly disadvantageous viewpoint. With each new chapter, references to past events elude me and I am forced to depend on my classmates' interpretations of these scenes. While I do accept these pieces of information, I cannot help but wish that I could analyze these scenes independently. Beyond inhibiting my ability to analyze events and characters, this deficit of knowledge has caused much of Powell's humor to evade me. Overcoming my frustration, I realize that this seemingly negative experience has gifted me the innocence to read this book without prejudice. I cannot judge the characters based on past misdemeanors or previous accomplishments. This superficial reading grants me, and the few others who have begun the dance mid-way through, the ability of honest character judgment. While I still lack key components of the story, I realize that I can indeed depend on my classmates' insights and recollections as a foundation and use my innocence to enhance their own readings. Moreland's post-mortem introduction on the second page did not strike me as anything extraordinary. Unaware that Nick had never introduced a character in this way, I continued reading without an additional thought. During the class discussion following chapter one, an emphasis was placed on this statement: "As an accompaniment to Moreland's memory music was natural, even imperative…" (2,CCR). The class believed this post-mortem introduction to be significant and thus spent a large portion of the novel searching for a reason why Moreland's character justified such a grand entrance. Even after learning that this type of introduction had never happened before, I could not grasp the significance. I continued reading and learning about Moreland based solely on his actions and dialogue throughout the novel and without hype about him. As the story progresses, Moreland does become a prominent character as one of Jenkin's close friends. Simultaneously, however, he does not represent a great man or seem to possess a higher morality than the others as his affair with Priscilla Tolland demonstrates. Perhaps in later novels Moreland's role will develop and his importance will become clearer. Until this point, reading about him without an assumed importance allows the reader to interpret Moreland's actions without bias and observe the development of Jenkin's and his friendship. As the story continues, much of Powell's subtle humor sneaks past me, unnoticed and underappreciated. This dampens my overall reading experience and creates an exclusive feeling. As if I am on the outside of a group of old friends and acquaintances, I feel uninterested at times. Most notably, I recall reading quickly past the section of Mr. Deacon's remarks regarding Norman Chandler's sexual orientation. Mr. Deacon relays the information that "another theatrical friend of [his]-rather a naughty young man" will be arriving at the Mortimer shortly for a business deal (17, CCR). Later in this chapter references to Max Pilgrim and Norman Chandler's friendship do not outwardly suggest a romantic connection. Without the previous knowledge of Mr. Deacon and Max Pilgrim's homosexuality, I simply regarded these characters as names and, lacking background, I did not attempt to infer more about their characters. This particular incident did not hinder my understanding of the story; however, I did lose Powell's intended wit. Perhaps slightly less amused with the happenings of Casanova's Chinese Restaurant than my classmates and certainly less informed regarding the characters, I read on to meet Erridge. He faces brutal ridicule from the other characters and serves as the subject of many satirical remarks, which may affect the reader's perception of him. The class introduced him to the newcomers as the "screw-up" of the Tolland family, the son who journeys off to the Far East with Mona, and the son who struggles to manage his estate. Priscilla Tolland states simply, "Erry is mad, of course" (70, CCR). As always, I listened and accepted, though somewhat hesitantly, this information. Continuing the reading, I found myself drawn to Erridge's political passion, pacifistic sentiment, and bravery. "Devoting himself to his leftwing political interests," Erridge ventures to Spain to support his fellow liberal activists and soldiers in the Spanish Civil War (59, CCR). This deed represents not only Erridge's political conviction but also his courage in actually backing up his rhetoric with action. I further respect Erridge for his traveling, perhaps as means for expanding his global perspective, and having the strength to live a socially isolated life at Thrubsworth. Through my limited experience of this novel, I have learned that viewing my late start as a disadvantage further reduces the potential influence this novel can have on me. Open-mindedness will benefit my future readings. My innocence, slowly diminishing as I read, grants me the clarity of mind to make fair judgments and offer a fresh perspective to the class. Although I have learned to call Powell "pole" and not "pow-ell" and to read St. John Clarke as "singeonclark," I am still far from accustomed to the world of Nick Jenkins and am yet to feel as if his friends are my own acquaintances. As I continue reading and diving further into Powell's epic novel, my initial "disadvantage" continues to disappear, allowing the events and characters of the story to imprint a literary experience in my memory. |
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