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Alex Svec The first chapter of Anthony Powell's The Kindly Ones is not the continuation of Nick's narrated adult life, rather a short novella describing his childhood and the people he grew up around. For the most part, Nick lived in an isolated environment. There were seldom other kids at Stonehurst, and guests were not too frequent. This meant that instead of making childhood friends, as most kids do, Nick spent his time acquainting himself with the house staff; three of its more exotic figures in particular. Within the first three pages of the chapter, we learn of Albert, Bracey and Billison, Stonehurst's cook, soldier-servant and one of the maids respectively. Not long after their introductions we are informed of their most unusual love triangle, or line perhaps. Billison fancies Albert, while at the same time, Bracey fancies Billison. Interestingly enough, if Billison for some reason decided to turn her attentions to Bracey, all three characters would find themselves much happier than in the current situation. The reason for which Billison fancies Albert still eludes me. He is one of the most disagreeable characters we meet. Lacking enterprise and indolent are two of many negative adjectives used to describe him. He is in fact, such a bizarre person, that not even Nick can place, or figure him out. "The question why he should prefer employment with a family who lived on so unpretentious a scale, when he might have found little or no difficulty in obtaining a situation as chef in much grander circumstances, with more money and greater prestige, is not easily resolved. He was not keen on Stonehurst as place of residence. He often said so." Albert, for the duration of his stay at Stonehurst, did not even live in the house, he made the stables his place of residence, alluding to his anti-social tendencies and his ability to create conflict with the other residents. Of course, being the easily frightened, anxious man he was, Albert usually was the person to end, as well as start the fight. "A nervous man, he disliked violence, blood, suffragettes, anything of that kind. He was always for keeping the peace in the kitchen, even when his own scathing comments had started the trouble." Albert and Billison's relationship was doomed from the start. Between, Albert's difficult personality and his "fear of being chronically persecuted by women," and Billison's distaste for men in general, possibly stemming from Albert's complete negation of her desire, there is little that those two could ever share together. Bracey is in many ways Albert's opposite, a soldier with an unparalleled work ethic, possessing feelings for Billison not harbored by Albert. It would seem that Bracey and Billison would make a fine match. Bracey, while also disliking violence to a certain extent, is not jumpy or easily spooked, is reasonably level-headed, with the exception of his "funny days" and does not create conflict nearly as much as Albert does. Being easily frightened herself, Billison needs a man who will stand up for her, not hide under the bed next to her. Of course, Bracey is not perfect, after all no one is. He is illiterate, and somewhat of an robot. His strict views on right and wrong and position in life, could easily be, and are sometimes points of contempt for Billison, as shown when she gives the boy a slice of cake. "Always inclined to hysteria, she was thoroughly upset by Bracey's strictures, no doubt all the more severe on account of his own warm feelings for her." Bracey's few negative attributes aside, Billison cannot return his feelings for one simple and seemingly petty reason. "Nice girls don't walk out with soldiers." Nick once asked Billison why she didn't just marry Bracey, seeing the obvious connection between the two. Billison's response is most likely the cause of Bracey's "funny days," some of them at least. The knowledge that Billison can't and won't love him because of his position in life must be devastating. It's not something he can simply go about and change. It's an integral part of him. His life as a soldier defines who he is, and because of what was then a common prejudice, "A parallel prejudice against military companionship was shared by Edith," Billison will never be with him. I feel it is too bad for all three characters that the situation played out as it did, none of them getting what they wanted, with the possible exception of Albert, for who knows what he wanted. Should the roles have been slightly reversed, I believe there could have been a happy ending for at least Billison and Bracey, if not Albert as well. |
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William Koven Anthony Powell's The Kindly Ones takes place just before both the world wars and, as we finally learn, Nick was raised in military family. Therefore several characters are or become military men. Nick as a kid states that he plans on career in the military. Powell, much like Nick, also grew up in a military family. During World War II Powell joined the Territorials, Britain's reserve force, as a second lieutenant. The wikipedia article on Powell, in reference to his military experience before becoming a Territorial officer, says, "Quite apart from the inadequacy of this preparation, a great deal had changed in weaponry, drill and procedure." Powell's depiction of military personnel likely reflects his experience serving during World War II. It seems that most of the officers in The Kindly Ones can also be described as having inadequate preparation for their positions. Powell gives a very bad impression of officers and military men. The reader is only given a small glimpse of enlisted men in The Kindly Ones, but in that small glimpse Powell gives the impression that they are not fit for any sort of combat. The most prominent enlisted man in the story is Bracey. Nick's father says of Bracey, "He has his faults, of course, but he does know the meaning of elbow-grease" (KO 14). Bracey has his "funny days", however, and in terms of his combat effectiveness, that fault must clearly outweigh this small praise. A "funny day" being a day where Bracey would "sit on a kitchen-chair, facing the wall, speaking to no one, motionless as a man fallen into a state of catalepsy" (KO 12). Although Bracey is a soldier-servant, his "funny days" are not restricted to his time at Stonehurst. Nick mentions that a "funny day in barracks," was less provoking than a "funny day" in Stonehurst. Although Nick's view that a "funny day" is not very disruptive to Bracey's comrades in barracks may be reasonable during peace time, Bracey's behavior does not lend itself to an affective soldier. Indeed Bracey is killed in action during World War I. Nick describes only one other encounter with enlisted men and they seem no more fit for combat than Bracey. While visiting the barracks to see a football game, Nick sees a soldier under arrest and questions Bracey. "Chopped off his trigger finger" (KO 25). Bracey explains. The soldier cut off his finger rather than be sent to India. Nick fails to describe much else about the soldiers or barracks during his trip with Bracey. This small, negative glimpse into the disreputable aspects of the military does not put Nick off but "on the contrary, they provided an additional touch of uneasy excitement" (TKO 26). However the overall picture Powell leaves with the reader is rather the opposite of the impression left on Nick; Powell gives the reader an impression of soldiering being unpleasant, and soldiers failing to carry out their duty. Powell's officer-characters in The Kindly Ones seem no more competent than the enlisted men and, because of their leadership positions, leave an even worse impression on the reader. Nick tells Widmerpool, "the object of joining the Reserve - being accepted for it - was to be dealt with immediately as a potential officer" (KO 220). Nick, however, has nothing that qualifies him to be immediately considered as an officer. Nick's father, General Conyers, Uncle Giles, and Widmerpool are all officers of varying ranks and yet, like Nick, none of them are ever described as having any qualifications that make them particularly suited to their positions. Nick, when he collects Uncle Giles belongings, finds Giles' commission letter and describes just how unfit Giles is to be an officer. In the commission the Queen addresses Giles as "Trusy and well-beloved" while Nick says "Trusty and well-beloved were not the terms in which is own kith and had thought of Giles" (KO 157). Nick also says, "No doubt the Queen had been badly advised," and later, "she had been pleased to appoint Uncle Giles to a higher rank, instead of quietly - and far more wisely - dispensing with his services at the very first available opportunity." Nick makes it very clear that he does not believe Uncle Giles was suited to being an officer. Indeed, given the behavior demonstrated by Giles throughout The Dance the reader is very much inclined to agree with Nick. Widmerpool, possibly the last person both the reader and Nick would ever have expected to become an officer, is also a captain in The Kindly Ones. When he first sees Widmerpool in uniform Nick comments, "The sight of him in uniform struck a chill through my bones… that was not because Widmerpool himself looked innately military. On the contrary" (KO 134). Nick is shocked by the realization that Widmerpool has truly become an officer. As usual, Widmerpool overstates his own importance when Nick visits him; typical of Widmerpool, he tells his secretary to describe him as "embodied". Somehow, despite the fact that Widmerpool does not posses any qualities that would make him a leader, he has managed to get a commission as a captain. Nick seems to think it shows how inevitable war is if, clearly out of desperation, Widmerpool was taken as an officer. Desperation or not, Powell gives a very bad impression indeed of the Territorials by making Widmerpool one of their officers, their leaders. The two characters who partially redeem the image of military personnel are Nick's father and General Conyers, yet even they seem a bit out of place as army officers. General Conyers is actually a Brigadier General, the lowest rank of General, and ended his career early. Such a decision shows, in a way, a lack of commitment. Nick also tells us that Conyers talks of how much fixing the current military needs, and yet he left a position that would have allowed him to take action on that front. While Nick does say Conyers is "universally recognized as a first rate soldier" Uncle Giles says instead the general "may be a good tactician… at least that is what he is always telling everyone" (KO 52). Uncle Giles' statement gives the sense that Conyers may claim ability, but that he never proved it in action. Nick's narration gives no reason to suspect his father as being incompetent, and yet he does say his father has the "military… handicap of chronic inability to be obsequious to his superiors in rank" (KO 36). That handicap is really a virtue in many ways, but Nick's statement implies that any higher ranking officer posses that unpleasant quality his father lacks. Nick also states, "my father had an absolute passion for power" (KO 38). A passion for power is not necessarily the most desirable trait in an army officer lest that passion lead to corruption or cruelty. Thus, while Nick's father seems to be a good man overall, even he gives the reader reason to wonder at the quality officers. The impression a reader gets from The Kindly Ones may be worse for an American since the modern American military has no tradition of gentlemen-officers. Almost all American military officers receive their commission only after graduating from very specific officer training programs. However, any reader must be left with a poor impression of Britain's army during the World Wars. After all, any army that would accept men such as Widmerpool and Uncle Giles as captains must have gone wrong at somewhere. Powell may be exaggerating the ineptitude of the soldiers in his story, or he may have really observed that "senior officers are a lot of ballerinas" (KO 38). Either way, the window Powell provides into the military in The Kindly Ones is uninspiring and rather embarrassing in many ways. |
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Nick Anschuetz Anthony Powell's The Kindly Ones takes place right before the start of World War II. Throughout the novel, characters ask each other whether or not they think there will be a war, and they all have different answers. Today, we understand Hitler's true intentions, and we can see that early intervention was probably the right response. At the time, however, this was not as clear. For many years prior to the start of World War II, Adolf Hitler had a fair amount of support from other European countries. The Treaty of Versailles, which officially ended World War I, outlined numerous territorial, military, and legal restrictions on Germany and her allies, and ordered them to accept full responsibility for the war and to pay reparations for damages, which came to approximately $13 billion. However, the land Germany lost in the Treaty included 10% of her industry and 15% of her agriculture, making the reparations extremely difficult to pay. This was recognized by many non-Germans, who therefore had sympathy for the new Nazi government, and felt the terms of the Treaty to be unfair. In the years following World War I, the main powers were terrified at the thought of another war in Europe. However, in the 1930's, the threat of war became frighteningly real. Nazi Germany was becoming restless. In March of 1935, Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles by introducing compulsory military conscription in Germany and a complete rebuild of the armed forces. While this normally would have been considered an act of war by the rest of Europe, the European nations took no action. Instead, they thought that if they gave Hitler a little of what he wanted, he would not try to get the rest by force. This policy was called German Appeasement. The biggest proponent of German Appeasement was British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. Just two months after Hitler began to rebuild the German Armed Forces, Hitler and Chamberlain signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, which allowed the German navy to expand in proportion to the British navy. This expansion was also a direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles. By allying with the Germans, Chamberlain thought he would end the imminent threat from Nazi Germany. However, in 1936, Hitler reoccupied and remilitarized the Rhineland. Hitler was very cautious about this, and ordered his generals to immediately pull out if there was any resistance from the French, who controlled the area at the time. However, there were no repercussions. In March of 1938, Hitler began the Anschluss, in which he supported the Austrian Nazi Party in overthrowing the Austrofascist government and therefore annexing the country. The world public saw this as a union of two governments rather than as an annexation by one, thus yet again letting Hitler off the hook. The real turning point in German Appeasement came in 1939. In March of that year, Hitler annexed Sudetenland, the buffer zone between Germany and Czechoslovakia. Hitler demanded the area because of supposed oppression towards the Germans living in there. While Czechoslovakia began mobilizing its troops, the Western Powers begged them to comply with Hitler, hoping to avoid a war. In September, Hitler, Chamberlain, the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, and the French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier, met in Munich to discuss the situation. Hitler not only demanded control of Sudetenland, but also immediate militarization of the area so Czechoslovakia could not react with force. Czechoslovakia was not present at these talks, and was told later that they could accept the terms of the Munich Agreement or face Germany alone. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, Czechoslovakia agreed to the terms. However, Hitler was not finished with Czechoslovakia. In March of 1939, Hitler invaded the rest of the country. This marked the end of German Appeasement in Western Europe. The powers agreed to attack Hitler at the next sign of aggression, which came in September of that year. Hitler invaded Poland and thus began World War II. German Appeasement never worked because Hitler simply would not be appeased. In A Dance to the Music of Time, there is a character who also will never be appeased, no matter how hard his family tries. This character is Uncle Giles. In nearly every book so far, we see Uncle Giles hounding the Jenkins family for money from the Family Trust. It is revealed to us in The Kindly Ones, when Uncle Giles comes to visit his family at Stonehurst to talk to Nick's father about the Family Trust, that he has been repeatedly asking for money ever since Nick was a little boy. We never find out for sure whether Uncle Giles actually ever receives any money, but we have to assume he at least occasionally does; otherwise, his constant requests for money would be pointless. His family pays Giles every time, hoping each time will be the last. However, it never is. This Uncle Giles Appeasement echoes the German Appeasement of the 1930's. Uncle Giles even mentions that he likes Adolf Hitler in The Kindly Ones: "I like the little man they've got in Germany now." (142) Both appeasements end at approximately the same time. Uncle Giles' death, which marks the end of the Uncle Giles Appeasement, occurs roughly at the same time as Germany's occupation of Czechoslovakia, which marks the end of the German Appeasement. As Uncle Giles dies, World War II begins. The Uncle Giles Appeasement is a direct parallel to the German Appeasement of the 1930's. Uncle Giles' comment about his approval of Hitler came at a time when it was unthinkable to say that, and it shows how Anthony Powell is trying to equate Giles to Hitler; not in ideals of course, but in how each takes advantage of his community. Uncle Giles' death creates a big change in Nick's life, as will the start of World War II. We shall see how Nick handles the pressures and charges of being in the service. Bibliography: "An Appeasement History". http://www.omnibusol.com/wcessay6.html "Appeasement of Hitler". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeasement_of_Hitler "Munich Agreement". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_agreement "Rhineland". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhineland "Sudetenland". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudetenland "Treaty of Versailles". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_versailles |
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Alyssa Warren Nick Jenkins continues to tell the story of his many acquaintances in The Kindly Ones as they encounter a world on the brink of a treacherous war. These world events, in particular the Munich Agreement, create the foundation for the plot of this installment of the Dance. In September of 1938, a conflict over the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia came to a head. Hitler threatened to invade this region, which was inhabited primarily by ethnic Germans, and then to invade the rest of Czechoslovakia. The Czechs resisted Hitler because this region formed an essential buffer zone between Germany and Czechoslovakia. Furthermore, the Czechs believed that their own army and their allies, the Soviet Union and France, would defend them. This situation worried Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister, because if France supported the Czechs, Britain would be obligated to do the same. Eager to peacefully settle this situation, Chamberlain and French Premier Edouard Daladier created the Anglo-French Proposals, which called for the "gradual annexation of Czechoslovakian territory into the German Reich." The Czechs accepted this proposal unhappily. Thinking that Chamberlain had brought peace to Europe, the majority of Britain hailed him as a hero. Unfortunately, a few days later Hitler announced his immediate invasion of the Sudetenland region. On September 28th, Hitler surprised the world by announcing that he was open to the idea of a peaceful resolution. In an effort to satisfy Hitler, Chamberlain organized a four-power conference with Italy, Germany, Britain, and France. Notably missing from the negotiation table were the Czechs and also the Soviets. At this conference, Hitler, Chamberlain, Daladier, and Mussolini signed the Munich Agreement, which allowed the gradual annexation of Czechoslovakia to the German Reich. The next day, Chamberlain asked Hitler to sign a peace treaty between the United Kingdom and Germany. Hitler happily obliged. Upon returning to Britain, Chamberlain was greeted with a hero's welcome by the majority of the population. Many supported Chamberlain's policy: that by appeasing Hitler "peace for [their] time" had been achieved. Despite the apparent, and now known as very temporary, success of the Munich Agreement, skeptics remained including the then unknown Winston Churchill. Winston Churchill addressed Parliament expressing his disgust with the Munich Agreement by saying, "We are in the presence of a disaster of the first magnitude...we have sustained a defeat without a war, the consequences of which will travel far with us along our road.... And do not suppose that this is the end. This is only the beginning of the reckoning." In The Kindly Ones, we encounter the characters "not long after `Munich,' when everyone's nerves [are] all in a thoroughly disordered state, some relieved, some more apprehensive than ever" (88). Roddy Cutts and Fettiplace-Jones, both members of Parliament, possess opposing views. Fettiplace-Jones is a "supporter of the Government's policy" (91). His opinion on the issue, however, does not seem to be too strong as he acknowledges that Britain "must continue to prepare for the worst" and is "too wary to cut himself off entirely from dissident members of the party" like Roddy Cutts (91). Roddy Cutts is "in some disgrace with [the Conservative Party's] leaders, having thrown his lot in with Churchill, Eden, and the group who had abstained from voting in the `Munich' division" (91). Cutts, a member of the Conservative Party, morally opposes this agreement and thus goes against his party. This move demonstrates the strength of Roddy Cutts' character and moral fiber and causes the reader to gain greater respect for Roddy Cutters, who was previously scene as a relatively weak character. In a short conversation between Moreland and Nick, we learn both of their views. Moreland asks Nick, "Do you think this sell-out is going to prevent a war? (98)" By calling it a "sell-out," Moreland clearly feels that Chamberlain's signing of the Munich Agreement was a betrayal to the Czechs. In the same conversation, Nick states, "The one thing everyone can agree on is that we aren't ready for it. There's no point in going to war if we aren't going to win it. Losing's not going to help anybody" (98). This is an interesting remark because in reality many European nations overestimated Hitler's military strength at the time. The strength of the British, French, Czech, and Soviet armies did indeed have ample resources to fight and probably win a war at this point in time. Sir Magnus Donners never expresses his own opinion on the conflict in Czechoslovakia; other characters' speculations make it clear that he is against the agreement. Roddy Cutts claims that "[Donners] is alleged to be absolutely out of sympathy with the Chamberlain policy" (114). Fettiplace-Jones says that Donners is "convinced that nothing could be done short of war" (92). Donners' actions during the dinner at Stourwater indicate that his primary concern is avoiding conflict between his guests. Jenkins notices that Donners is "probably far from anxious to embark, there and then, on the rights and wrongs of Munich" (114). He readily agrees to take photographs after dinner as he saw this as his "escape from dishing up `Munich' for the thousandth time" (122). At the end of dinner, Templer suggests that the guests pose as "Hitler and Chamberlain at Godesberg" (123). His proposal, "certainly banal enough, is at once dismissed, not only as introducing too sinister, too depressing a note, but also as a scene devoid of attractive and colorful characters of both sexes" (123). Perhaps this is how the world treated the agreement at the time-a depressing thing to think about for with it brought the very probable possibility of war. The idea of war was surely not attractive or colorful. A mere six months later, Hitler violated the Munich Agreement by invading Czechoslovakia and then Poland. Less than a year after its signing, Britain declared war on Germany. Sources: 1. Lilly, David. "British Reaction to the Munich Crisis." Loyola University in New Orleans. 1994. http://www.loyno.edu/history/journal/1993-4/Lilly.html. 2. Silva, B. "The Weimar Republic" Chico Unified School District. http://www.cusd.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva/projects/germany/3rdreich/Weimar%20Republic.ppt#285,30,Reaction to Munich 3. Simkin, John. "Munich Agreement." Spartacus Educational. 1997. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWmunich.htm 4. "Munich Agreement." Wikipedia. 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Agreement |
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Kym Louie Billson and Albert are both domestics at the house that Nick grew up in. As a child Nick was both more aware and less aware of the feelings and intents of those around him. Even as a child Nick is aware that there is something going on between Billson and Albert, even suggesting the two of them are right for one another. Though Albert and Billson act differently, they think very similarly. Billson came to Stonehurst from a good family, having worked at many nice houses in London. She is there because "a 'disappointment' made her 'nervy' (KO, 16)." She is frightened of being close to men; she would never mount a ladder with a man in the room, explaining the her modesty kept her from "exposing even a minute area of the female leg (KO, 17)." Despite her fear, while at Stonehurst, Billson was after Albert, showing her affection for him without getting too close. Bracey's pessimism pushes Billson closer to Albert; she looks to Albert for reassurance after she gives a child a stale piece of seed cake and Bracey tells her she shouldn't have. Billson's nearly obsessive fear of men manifests itself in the form of a tall white ghost that appears beside her bed. After hearing the news of Albert's marriage and departure, she again sees the ghost, which leads to her having a mental breakdown and leaving. Despite how quiet a person she is, she makes a show of this. Albert had started as a hall-boy for Nick's mother's family. After leaving her family, he drifted between homes, never entirely comfortable. Already disinterested in love, he "felt himself chronically persecuted by women, especially by the most determined of his tormentors, 'the girl from Bristol' (KO, 6)." Like Billson, he is preoccupied with a fear of the opposite gender. Unlike Billson, however, he fancies no one and doesn't hope for any relationship. Though Albert is not as 'nervy' and Billson, he is just as easily frightened: Billson's spotting a constable approaching the house gives them both a fright. Albert's reaction of having to leave to marry 'the girl from Bristol' is very different from Billson's. Though not happy about having to leave the family, he quietly accepts it and stays on friendly terms with Nick's mother after leaving. Though Albert and Billson act differently in many situations, they way that they think is very similar. They are both afraid of relations with the opposite gender and are both easily intimidated by situations. Billson's reactions to these things are frantic; Alfred's are generally a resignation to things that are beyond his control. |
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Erica Bakies Billson is a proper young woman working as a maid in the Jenkins home. So proper, in fact, that she is scared to even show a little ankle when stepping on a step ladder if a man is in the room. Because of her lifestyle, Billson often denounces and represses any normal feelings. It is expected, in psychology, that suppressed feelings resurface as mutated corruptions into the real world. This repression inevitably leads to her breakdown, where she appears naked in front of guests at the Jenkins home. While outside stresses such as ghost-sightings and Albert's impending marriage are important factors leading up to her episode, Billson lashes out towards the Jenkins because of societal pressures. Outside pressures, including Albert's impending marriage and ghosts over her bed, lead to Billson's breakdown and her biggest influence are the societal pressures, and that is exactly who she lashes out at. When Billson is first introduced as a character, she comes across as very decent and quiet. These characteristics are self-imposed as she never allows herself many pleasures. She takes societal norms to an extreme, making sure that nothing could possibly jeopardize her integrity. It is not without reason to assume that she could be suppressing her real feelings to feel more accepted by her community. She constantly has to put others before her in her job as a maid and not consider herself. Albert's marriage is something out of her control, as are the ghost sightings. Those people closest to her put the most pressure on her, something she cannot readily control and therefore avoid a breakdown. Right before Billson's breakdown, Albert tells Mrs. Jenkins that he will be leaving their family to get married to a "girl from Bristol." While Albert asks Mrs. Jenkins to keep the news hushed, he, himself, cannot. Billson quickly finds out. She has never done anything about her unrequited love for Albert because of her prudence. Nick classifies the situation as, "Billson's passion for him had never been accepted very seriously - as, indeed, few passions are by those not personally suffering from them," (KO Billson, before breaking down, sees a ghost standing over her bed at Stonehurst. Fragile as she is, seeing these ghosts especially in a phallic way, is another contributing factor to her mental collapse. Nick describes the ghosts themselves as, "a white shape of immense height standing beside (Billson's) bed," (KOKO Luckily for Billson, General Conyers knows exactly what to do in the situation. Nick describes the opportunity as, "a place for action, a display of will," (KO Nick would expect her lash out in a less obvious way stating, "However, even if the extent of Billson's distress at Albert's decision to marry had been adequately gauged - added, as it were morally speaking, to the probably effect of seeing a ghost that morning - no one could have foreseen so complete, so deplorable, a breakdown," (KOKOKO, 61). |
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John Bukawyn In A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell, an eccentric character runs in and out of the sixth installment, The Kindly Ones. During Nick's childhood the reader is introduced to Dr. Trelawny. The reader is then influenced by Nick's own uncomfortable feelings toward him, such as the fact that the "casual mention of his name in conversation would even cause me [Nick] an uneasy thrill" (29, KO). His troublesome feelings lead to the conclusion that Trelawny is in fact a "crackpot," (29, KO) essentially like his real-world model Aleister Crowley. Aleister Crowley was born in October of 1875 to a wealthy family, all of whom followed a very strict sect of Christianity, the Plymouth Brethren. It can be said that from his austere upbringing, his questioning of the religion arose and "provoked his skepticism."[1] In wasn't until his studies at Cambridge that he truly began researching mysticism and occultism. Shortly after Cambridge, he joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which was a mystic order that practiced in the late 19th and early 20th century. In a complicated series of events, however, The Golden Dawn was eventually split and Crowley was expelled from the Order. Rather than not pursuing his own mystic enlightenment, in 1904 he traveled to Mexico and then Egypt, where he eventually founded his own religious philosophy, known as Thelema.[2] From here on he practiced with his own following in Great Britain. At this point or soon after, at the tender age of seven or eight, Nick is introduced to Dr. Trelawny just as Powell must have been aware of Crowley. Crowley's extreme interest in the occult directly translates into Dr. Trelawny's character. In Nick's narration he describes that, "Dr Trelawny conducted a centre for his own peculiar religious, philosophical-some said magical-tenets, and cult of which he was high priest, if not actually messiah" (28, KO). In addition, Mr. Deacon speaks of Trelawny's practices: "too much abracadabra about Trelawny ... gradually involved himself with all sorts of mystical nonsense, transcendental magic, goodness knows what rubbish" (31, KO). Not only is Trelawny studying mysticism, but he is also doing so with his own private following in Britain. Nick sees Trelawny running throughout the grounds of Stonehurst. The reader is left to speculate as to why Trelawny is found doing this because Nick provides mesger insight, saying, "when out with his disciples, running through the heathe..." (29, KO). Possibly he is cleansing his spirit or this exercise is part of his advanced diet program. With further investigation into Aleister Crowley's life, however, Trelawny's behavior is justified. Crowley's obsession with mountaineering, which he used to deal with his chronic asthma, provides an explanation for Trelawny's group runs. In 1902, prior to returning to England, Crowley led expeditions to K2 and Kangchenjunga, the third largest mountain in the world.[3] It only makes sense that upon his return he would be doing some sort of physical activity, and this was most likely what Powell himself saw. Keeping fit and healthy, by exercising like this, Crowley lived to be 72. Old age did not take him, but rather an excessive use of drugs did. "Crowley was a habitual drug user and also maintained a meticulous record of his drug-induced experiences with laudanum, opium, cocaine, hashish, alcohol, ether, mescaline and heroin."[4] He died alone and addicted to heroin, which his doctor prescribed for his asthma and bronchitis, in 1947. Although we do not witness Trelawny's death in the novel, we do get a glimpse that he will suffer the same fate as Crowley. At the Belleview hotel, while Trelawny has locked himself in the bathroom and is having an asthma attack, he demands to the gentlemen attempting to rescue him that he must talk to Mrs. Erdleigh in order that he have his "pills." As soon as Mrs. Erdleigh arrives, Trelawny becomes very anxious for his medicine, saying while twitching dreadfully, "We think we should have our ... pills, ha-ha. We do not wish to cut short so pleasurable an evening" (197, KO). As Mrs. Erdleigh ushers the gentlemen out of the room, Nick catches a glimpse of, "a small instrument" (198, KO). Most likely this instrument is a syringe, used to inject heroin into Trelawny's body. Like Crowley, Trelawny is being treated for his asthma with heroin, which will eventually cause his now frail body to cease function. Powell modeled Dr. Trelawny after Aleister Crowley in both the mental and physical aspects of his life. Following in Crowley's footsteps, Trewlawny delves in the occult, exercises thoroughly, and is reliant on drugs. Although Trelawny does not appear in later novels, he remains a vital character in the next books, as Mr. Gould tells us. His prophetic visions and "crackpot" views on life add another dimension to the novels, which Powell must certainly use later to help explain certain events. Notes: [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley: "Aleister Crowley." [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley: "Aleister Crowley." [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley: "Aleister Crowley." [4] http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/aleister_crowley.html: Dease, "Aleister Crowley: The Great Beast." |
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Kobe Yamate Women's Junior College, Japan Once again many thanks to you and your students for the essays on 'The Kindly Ones', which I've read as always with great interest. No time to go into any great detail but I was especially interested in these ones because 'The Kindly Ones' is rather a favourite of mine and I think the first chapter is a little self-contained gem. So I was pleased to see Billson and Bracey given some attention by Alex Svec and others. Another of my favourite characters (I don't really know why) is Uncle Giles and so I very much enjoyed Corey Simpson's farewell to him and the intimate tone of her essay. Yes, Giles is infuriating at times, but his death does come as an unpleasant shock as we have grown so used to his grumbling ways. Nick Anschuetz's essay links very cleverly the appeasement of Germany and Uncle Giles' own appeasement and I especially liked the way he did this, as he made me think of it in a rather startling new way. Alyssa too describes the Munich agreement very well, and so I have been able to brush up on my history a bit as well. Oh, and I mustn't forget to say thank you to that wise young woman Nicole Lee who has quoted an article of mine as a source for her paper on the parallels between Jenkins and Powell. Thanks for reading it, Nicole! And thanks to everyone for these excellent essays as you have now reached half way in the series. I hope you are all well. Snowflakes have begun to fall outside my window here in Mie, Japan as I write this, reminding me of the start of the Dance. |