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danfadildigitalmusicandsoun-blog · 7 years

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Discuss the Function of the Narrators in Jane Eyre and The Remains of the Day

The perennial Jane Eyre, and Booker Prize winner, The Remains of the Day are two highly acclaimed novels in English literature. Their importance is shown by their place in the canonical literature of modern English education. In both of these stories there are many similar elements that the main characters go through which are familiar to most adult readers, such as love, loss and trials of the main character. One form of trial that characters in both books often face is duty, and this can be seen in some very poignant moments. Jane Eyre is often seen as a semi-autobiography of Charlotte Brontë’s life, and the element of duty may well be based on her experience as a teacher (Cody, 1987). A similar, if weaker, connection can be found between Kazuo Ishiguro’s work prior to writing (ranging from community work to shooting grouse for the Queen Mother) (Bown, 2011), and The Remains of the Day’s main character, Stevens. This essay details examples of how the main character shows duty; one from Jane Eyre, followed by one from The Remains of the Day. After these, the two examples will be compared in order to discuss the function of the narrators, who are the main characters in both books.

One of the strongest, yet easily missed examples of duty in Jane Eyre is halfway through chapter seventeen, when Rochester orders Jane to join in the parties held for the visiting aristocrats, including the person Jane sees as the barrier between herself and Rochester; Blanche Ingram. The initial order itself is not delivered directly by Rochester, but delivered through Mrs Fairfax, who is told the order after she ‘happened to remark to Mr Rochester how much Adèle wished to be introduced to the ladies’ (Brontë, 1999, p.148). Initially Jane thinks the purpose of this is to have someone there with Adèle, and remarks that she does not need, nor want to attend. Expecting this, Rochester explicitly tells Mrs Fairfax that Jane should be there. At this point, Jane still sees it as part of her job of looking after Adèle, so she never questions why she should be there, despite the awkwardness of the situation, and the utter disdain Blanche shows towards her. Her desire not to be around the alien group of people whom she knows will treat her differently causes her to choose to sit away from them, however, her duty to Adéle motivates her to be there. Jane’s illustrates here that duty must be carried out in order to maintain self-respect, or dignity, despite the rigid and belittling social order in which she exists. The effect of Jane Eyre being a kind of autobiography gives the impression that Brontë placed greater esteem in self-respect than on taking notice of social structure and conventions.

This example continues through the rest of chapter seventeen, highlighting other aspects of duty. The Ingrams, including Blanche, spoke viciously of their experience of governesses with Rochester and the party; no doubt with the hope of inflicting harm on Jane’s reputation. Jane, as the narrator of the book, and also as Brontë’s semi-autobiographical self, never mentions a word in response to this. This is probably because overall the Ingrams’ role is quite small, and so their views do not warrant Jane’s retrospective attention. However, the alternative argument is that their views do not warrant her attention because her duty does not allow her to be concerned with what they think, and her sole concern is to deliver a professional service to Rochester. This argument might also suggest that as well as social structure, Brontë placed less value in what upper classes might think than the rest of society.

The chapter ends with Jane sneaking away while the party has their attention occupied, only to have Rochester follow her out, and ask her to re-enter. The ensuing conversation sees Rochester trying to ascertain why Jane has left without addressing him, how she has been, and why she seems depressed. Though Jane is, to the reader, clearly upset about Rochester and his apparent love interest, when she is asked why she did not speak to him, she narrates 'I thought I might have retorted the question on him who put it: but I would not take that freedom’ (Brontë, 1999, p158). In this, Jane shows that her duty has overridden her passionate disposition with a professional manner suited to the environment in which she works. Jane’s adaptable nature is important throughout the story, and is quite probably Brontë’s own commentary of how people had to be adaptable if they were to survive in the harsh society of early nineteenth century England. Incidentally, during this section of the novel, Jane does not give much indication of her own feelings. It is only from Rochester’s remark that she seems depressed, and then that she is crying that the reader knows what her feelings are.

Whether Jane Eyre is to be seen as a semi-autobiography of Charlotte Brontë, or not; the attitudes to society held by the first person narrator and protagonist, who addresses the reader in second person, thereby gaining their attention; are a direct representation of the author’s own. If this is considered, then it can be seen that Brontë herself regards duty highly. However, it also shows her other attitudes regarding social structure and conventions, particularly that wealthy families can show very little respect to everybody outside their own class.

This next example of duty is found in The Remains of the Day, and makes a good parallel for the example found Jane Eyre. However, before comparing the two, it is best to detail and analyse this particular section. It begins with Stevens’ employer Lord Darlington calling him into the drawing room after midnight. When Stevens arrives he finds that he is subjected to a variety of detailed questions relating to international politics. Stevens quickly sees his duty in the situation and shows this in his narration, which is reflective, by saying to the reader 'I was naturally a little surprised by this, but then quickly saw the situation for what it was; that is to say, it was clearly expected that I be baffled by the question’ (Ishiguro, 2005, p205). He then proceeds to answer that he is 'unable to be of assistance in this matter’ (Ishiguro, 2005, p205-206) to all three questions asked of him. The effect of this was to prove that, as a man outside politics, Stevens is an example of why the general populace should not have a say on what the leaders of the country do. However, the effect it has on Stevens is the only one which gives the reader reason for concern, not least because the story outside of him is based on historic events which still allowed democracy to continue, but really because Stevens is the one who addresses the reader, and takes them through the events of his life. The fact here is that those without duty would have an opinion on any matter on which they had knowledge, and as Stevens lived and worked for many of the world’s politicians at the time, he would undoubtedly have had knowledge, and therefore an opinion on the matter. The way the conversation goes is embarrassing for him, but all that Stevens sees is what he must do to fulfil his duty. As far as Stevens is concerned, forfeiting his own reputation and self-respect, was the very same action that gave him a sense of dignity. The opposite view of this is held by Jane in Jane Eyre, who would state that self-respect and dignity were the same thing.

The author, Ishiguro, seems to make a point that people have a duty to live their own lives, away from servitude, throughout this book. Stevens is the archetype of a professionally dutiful person, but far more than that, Stevens takes his duty to the extreme that he acts blindly, and pretends ignorance to all outside of it. The only time Stevens seems to give a view follows this event, when Lord Darlington comes to apologise to him the next morning and explain the previous night’s occurrence. Lord Darlington goes on to talk about the current state of affairs and asks for Stevens’ view, to which he replies 'The nation does seem to be in a regrettable condition, sir.’ (Ishiguro, 2005, p208). It is not clear whether this is Steven’s genuine view or not, but it is Lord Darlington’s view, and de+spite seeming like an opinion, is actually just Stevens acting out his duty once again. What Ishiguro illuminates here, intentionally or not, is that a line should be drawn between duty and opinion, otherwise there is a danger of following people blindly, who may be powerful and influential, but are no more correct than those following. Stevens’ function as the narrator is that he draws the reader into his perspective, which is the embodiment of duty, and it shows the reader, first hand, the previously mentioned dangers of going through life that way.

The similarities between the two examples shown here, are obvious to the reader. They both see the narrator thrown into socially awkward situations; both see the same character being belittled by a, supposedly, superior class of people; and in both the narrator simply remains subject to the embarrassment for the sake of fulfilling duty. However the two characters’ views on their respective incidents could not be portrayed much more differently, with Stevens taking it as an opportunity to prove his professionalism, almost to the point that he relishes the discomfort as a sign that he gives his all to his work. Meanwhile, Jane remains uncharacteristically silent about her feelings throughout her time at the party, and it is only from Rochester’s commentary that the reader sees she is upset. The function of the narrators in both these books seems to be to reflect of the author’s own views. This is much clearer in Brontë’s Jane Eyre, which is often seen as a semi-autobiography of the author, and is largely based on her own life. This is also there in Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day somewhat, in that the author has experience working in a variety of jobs across different social classes before finding his preferred vocation as an author. The authors’ experiences show in the form of messages in their respective books. Jane Eyre shows that duty to an oppressive social system, is a part of life to which people must adapt if they are to survive in life, while The Remains of the Day uses Stevens as an example of what happens when professional duty is taken to the extreme, life is missed, and really people have a duty to live their own lives. The importance of both of these books in society is that they display these messages so well.

Word count: 1,804

References:

Bown, J. (2011) Kazuo Ishiguro, Available at URL: http://literature.britishcouncil.org/kazuo-ishiguro [accessed 13/5/14]

Brontë, C. (1999) Jane Eyre, Ware, Wordsworth Editions

Cody, D. (1987) Charlotte Brontë: A Brief Biography, Available at URL: http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/bronte/cbronte/brontbio.html [accessed 13/5/14]

Ishiguro, K. (2005) The Remains of the Day, London, Faber and Faber Limited

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danfadildigitalmusicandsoun-blog · 7 years

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How does Owen Create a Particular View of The Death of Soldiers in the Great War?

Wilfred Owen is the second most researched poet in English schools after Shakespeare, (shropshirelive.com, 2013) and a prime example of why poetry of the Great War is a valuable tool for understanding the worldview of soldiers. This essay highlights Owen’s poem, ‘anthem for Doomed Youth’, a poem which gives a view of the morality of soldiers during the Great War. Owen uses a variety of poetic devices to display, mood attitudes, contrast, and a message. This poem is made up of fourteen lines and is therefore a sonnet. However, after eight lines the rhyme scheme changes from Shakespeare (rhyming on every other line), to Petrarchan (A-B-B-A-C-C rhyme scheme). Along with this change of rhyme scheme, comes a change of mood and imagery, and this essay analyses the octet, before giving analysis of the sestet and finally assessing the overall components of the poem and what they could mean as a message to those in control of the war.

The first eight lines of ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ create an atmosphere of noise and inhumane conditions. The narrative voice is tense, bitter and pessimistic throughout, with an attitude that the soldiers have been forgotten. Throughout the poem it can also be seen that Owen disconnects himself, addressing the soldiers as ‘them’, as though he were merely an observer of the Great War. This is noteworthy in itself, as it could mean that he is using his writing of the poem as a means of temporary escape, or that he does not want to be the poem’s subject, thereby avoiding admitting his own pessimism is the situation. Another very likely explanation is that the poem itself is written to pay respects to those who have died and those yet to do so. ~A technique which is employed throughout the octet is personification of the weapons, such as ‘choirs of wailing shells;’ (Poetry Foundation 2014). This could be a statement of how much worth was given to the weapons and not to the soldiers; particularly when it follows his use of reverse anthropomorphism to describe the dying soldiers as cattle in the first line, while elsewhere in the octet keeping the soldier’s voices quiet. All of this gives a clear indication that Owen feels that the soldiers were not respected as people by those conducting the war. All the personification used here when describing the weapons, also gives a description of the noise that was produced during the Great War. As well as emphasising the inhumane conditions in which the soldiers fought, this almost makes it seen that the soldiers were not there as living beings. Lines three and four illustrate this with ‘Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle/Can patter out their hasty orisons.’ (Poetry Foundation, 2014). In this, Owen points out that the soldiers are not able to pray and this could be a moment where Owen questions his faith. The issue of religion also arises in the funeral references throughout the poem, particularly to answer the question presented in the first line ‘What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?’ (Poetry Foundation, 2014). Of these references, one which illustrates the idea that Owen has lost his faith is the line ‘No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells; Nor any voice of mourning’ (Poetry Foundation, 2014). In this Owen is talking about the likelihood that soldier’s bodies may never be found and that they may not receive a funeral at home. It can also be read here that he sees the act of a funeral, after the soldiers were abandoned to their fate while alive, would be a mockery itself. Using the term ‘Anthem’ in the title, ironically gives connotations of songs of religious praise, to soldiers who have nothing to praise for. This further illustrates that Owen has lost his faith. Finally, the last line of the octet has another mention on the theme of funerals, which is the bugles used in military funerals, but this line preludes the turn, or shift in a poem’s tone, which comes in with the sestet in a Petrarchan sonnet (Miller, 2012). With the imagery of ‘bugles calling for them from sad shires’ (Poetry Foundation, 2014) the mood of inhumanity and noise is quietened in time to have a glance at the melancholy of the soldiers.

After the chaos described in the octet, the sestet is comparatively serene. The question posed in the ninth line ‘What candles may be held to speed them all?’ (Poetry Foundation, 2014) may seem to be similar to the one asked at the beginning of the poem; which is ‘who will mourn for these dying soldiers?’ One crucial difference in the sestet is that the soldiers, while still being addressed as ‘them’, now have emotive value. They are no longer having their emotions quietened by the noise of weapons that are worth more than them. One part of the answer reads ‘Not in the hands of boys but in their eyes/Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.’ (Poetry Foundation, 2014). In this Owen shows emotional ingenuity, stating that the tear of a soldier contains the sadness felt when saying goodbye to everyone they know. What ensues after may be seen as a list of what the very same soldier imagines. ‘The pallor of girls’ brows’ (Poetry Foundation, 2014) at each of their funerals is a haunting description of the faces of girls in the soldiers’ lives, pale from stress and fear, but also this is a representation of the soldiers’ fears. In other words, because the soldiers feel that they are going to die, they feel that everything and everyone they knew is now effectively dead to them. ‘Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds’ (Poetry Foundation, 2014) gives a calmer, serene tone to the poem, with the flowers as a metaphor for tender thoughts; and finally ‘each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds’ (Poetry Foundation, 2014) could be the representation of the end of another day for both the soldiers and their families. Owen illustrates here that the war is ongoing and does not seem to have an end. It could be that this final line has another meaning, which is the closing of a soldier’s eyes, or closing of the metaphorical blinds on their lives. These last sestet lines contain the impact of the sadness, with Owen giving a detailed account of how a typical soldier might have felt, with a soldier’s tear being a metonym, or a representation for all the thoughts of doom and despair. The soldiers may have no voice here still, but Owen recognises their thoughts, their sorrow and their solitude, in their tears alone.

As well as the lexical and syntactical nature of ‘Anthem for Doomed youth’, there are some noteworthy structural techniques employed by Owen. One of these is the length and structure of the poem itself. As it is composed of fourteen lines, made up of a distinct chaotic octet and comparatively serene sestet; this poem could be seen as a Petrarchan sonnet (McLaughlin, 1999). However, the rhyme scheme for the octet is Shakespearean, which Petrarch supposedly never used (Miller, 2012). While this may be seen as reverence paid to two poets who influenced him, it could be seen as a remark to the educated people in power of how things, such as the war, are not meant to be. Traditionally in Petrarchan sonnets, the octet would be made up of a question, or a theme of doubt, which is answered in the sestet, following a turn in the ninth line (McLaughlin, 1999). In this poem though, there are questions present in the first line and the ninth line and while the second question could be seen as following on from the first, the mood contrast ids so great that the answer of the second almost seems to be set somewhere else. This along with a change of lexis, also instils a sense of catharsis in the reader. Perhaps, this was Owen’s intention; to make those who might read the poem think about what the soldiers were going through and how it did not affect them in the same way.

Wilfred Owen is the second most researched poet in English schools, not only for showing an intelligent blend of poetry styles and techniques, but also because he gives such a strong impression of the lives and deaths of soldiers during the Great War. ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ is a prime example of this, attempting to make the reader feel the chaos and sadness that was in the mind of a typical soldier in the trenches, as well as catharsis, that the reader does not have to experience that. There are funeral references throughout that have bitter tones and in this it could be said that Owen sees no place for religion in the trenches and potentially that Owen himself has lost his faith. In the poem, Own uses techniques and structure that would stand out to those in charge, but also uses the Petrarchan sonnet structure for a premeditated turn that helps to give contrast between the lives of soldiers in the battlefield and their lives back home. This Owen uses really to drive the point that the war is inhumane. But as well as all these literary techniques, intelligent uses of structure, potential jabs at those in charge, remarks about religious ‘mockeries’, and a general distaste for the war, what Owen does here is represent the sorrow and pain of the soldiers in a way that does not belittle them, or give a view of them as weak. Instead, he gives those silent and nameless soldiers worth and reminds the reader that those soldiers who live and die in the trenches are not just tools of war, but living human beings.

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Bibliography

Shropshirelive.com (2013) Oswestry Litfest 2014 dates & celebratory patron revealed http://www.shropshirelive.com/2013/11/08/oswestry-litfest-2014-dates-celebratory-patron-revealed/ [accessed 13/2/14]

McLaughlin, D. (1999) Sonnet http://www.uni.edu/~gotera/CraftOfPoetry/sonnet.html [accessed 13/2/14]

Miller, N. (2012) Basic Sonnet forms http://www.sonnets.org/basicforms.htm[accessed 13/2/14]

Poetry Foundation (2014) Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176831 [accessed 13/2/14]

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