Literary Readings: The Man Who Would Be King by Kipling, Falesa Beach by Stevenson - Book Report/Review Example

You’re Name Professor Course 03 July 2006 Literature Review of Four Literary Readings The Man who would be King by “Kipling” Within this short story lies the depiction of two seemingly charming and immensely likeable fellows who are ex-British soldiers. During the time period within the short story, the narrator characterizes them as rogues and in many ways they are for they show no fear or concern for what it takes to make their own mark on the world. For instance they are seemingly untroubled by any existential considerations and they are extremely lacking in morals, yet the story finds them to be two very courageous and endeavoring characters, and they do follow a set of social norms but they are more attuned to what principles they see best beset themselves. They have qualities that in today’s time many in society despise such as self centeredness’ and lack of concern for others. Yet, they are categorized as two young men who are very determined and set on making their own fortune in the world. Although they are determined they do not recognize any form of authority and if in fact they do touch people’s lives either in a positive way or a negative way they don’t care to much, or so it would appear. However they are not suppose to be seen as evil men and they do not provoke any real harm onto anyone, or it should be said that they don’t mean to place harm onto anyone. Nevertheless their actions lead them spiraling down a road that develops into violence and lost life, which the story kind of hints at all along. Any character that can be presumed so ignorant that they can not see what their own actions are creating can be sure to have some form of negativity happen to them in a short story or novel, such as this story illustrates. Peachy and Danny do seem to compliment each other in the story but Peachy is the one who is the most practical and carries personality traits such as intelligence, and cunning. Danny on the other hand is more spiritual and he provides the strength and thought for the two would be heroes. However, together they seemingly represent a whole unit and without one another’s support they would be apparently weak and unable to carry on in their endeavors. They carry such faith in themselves that they feel they have the capability of posing their own thought concept and will onto all those that they meet in the story. They do plan a great adventure but they still remain very “little men”, yet they are men who have the possibility of showering great ideas through their own self confidence and strong spirits onto others. Though it was stated that they do not respect any human authority they did have one strong belief system of which they respected and that was of “free masonry”. In the time period of the story, free masonry was considered an organization which was devoted to a brotherhood following God’s divine principles. Therefore both of these characters would have done anything to help another that was in a group such as “free masonry”. However, anyone else they would not and did not take time out for in a sincere way. Because of these strong beliefs that they had the story showed how they were in the throes of conflict with many man-made laws of which they held no sensitivity too and of which got them into trouble many times over. It was because of their self-confidence, daring, fate, and sheer luck that they gained their aim of attempting to become Kings by claiming divine authority. Although this interrupted the life of another culture, to the characters it was just a part of their scam to make them larger and more improved in their own lives. However, by coming into contact with a group of people who held very strong moral values and deeply-held religious convictions the story shows how this discovery by the two lead them into an area of moral nature whether they were willing to accept it or not. This is the point in the story where the actual scary truth of how the need to believe in something overshadows any other logical reasoning and can lead to disastrous results, like what happened to Peachy and Danny. For instance, people want to believe in the God that they worship and even Peachy and Danny can understand this to a degree for they have such a strong belief in free masonry of which they hold very sacrosanct. They soon realize that when people are let down by their “God” the consequences that follow can hold very adverse results for anyone involved in the outcome. Up until this point the tale was very lighthearted and at times even funny with the troubles that they found themselves in. However, when Danny seemingly became brainwashed to the idea that he was indeed a deity they fall out of their depth and hit reality hard. They soon realize that they have tampered with a culture that has affected the natural balance of the people’s whole colonial system and due to this the results that follow are not good. It is when Danny (Dravot) decides to try and find a bride that the real trouble in the story takes hold of the two. As was stated, it is Danny’s perception of himself as a god that leads to the two’s downfall, but particularly his own due to his personal motives conflicting with his kingly aspirations. His intention was to establish a personal dynasty, but in order to do that he needed "a Queen to breed a King's son for the King" (98). Danny of course plans to choose a woman from amongst his tribes; alas, his people are skeptical of this, for "How can daughters of men marry Gods or Devils?" (99). This is where Danny’s (Dravot’s) god appearance directly conflicts with his aspiration for a dynasty; and he soon realizes that he cannot find a wife who will want him as a god, yet he needs a woman to bear his children. The mistake he makes is when he ignores all warnings and proceeds to find and marry his queen. The main downfall of Danny (Dravot) occurs on his wedding day, as his bride bites him--" 'The slut's bitten me!' says he, clapping his hand to his neck, and sure enough, his hand was red with blood" (100). The sight of blood awakens the natives to Danny’s (Dravot's) mortality. From this point the natives shrieks of "Not a God, not a Devil, but only a man!" (100) proclaim in the valley. The natives turn on Danny (Dravot) outraged at having thought him a god.  This of course shows how, as was said, a people’s need to believe in something can block out all rationalization and the end result of the actions can be disastrous for those on the receiving end such as the story shows. Danny, (Dravot) does die a King’s death however because he faces his acceptance of what his actions have lead him too and chooses to die with a King’s dignity, asking “D'you suppose I can't die like a gentleman?" (102). Outcast from the kingdom he built, Dravot, (Danny) still commands the natives. Instead of being shoved into a ravine, Dravot, (Danny) walks out to the center of a bridge, "and in the middle of those dizzy dancing ropes, 'Cut, you beggars,' he shouts; and they cut, and old Dan fell" (102). Dravot, (Danny) accepts his death without fighting or crying; accepting his humanity, he dies a king.  In conclusion, Kipling makes an important point using Dravot's, (Danny’s) success and failure as a god and king. A king can never be a god, for to do so he would have to forfeit his humanity. A man can be a great king by actions, dignity, and leadership, but these qualities do not make him a god.  Falesa Beach by “Stevenson” This novel by Stevenson offers the same amount of mystery and intrigue as all the literary works he compiled before it did. It is illustrative of a literary work that is filled with ambiguousness and offers a contrasting concept of motifs which are relatively similar to the myriad of his other numerous works such as “The Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde” and “The Master of Ballantrae”. This novel was first published in 1893 and holds many personal reflections of the author himself. In fact there are areas within the novel that are derivative of Stevenson’s personal experiences on his estate in Vailima and also in contrast with his travels while in Samoa in the area of the South Seas as well. There is a heavy emphasis on European politics in the novel which is quite opposite the authors personal feelings because Stevenson was known to not have had a fondness for anything closely related to the realm of a political body. Although Stevenson seemingly criticizes the elitism found in the European continent during the time he compiled the novel he still does well to bring in adventure and intrigue into the short novels pages. The story opens with a clear foreshadowing of a concept of ambiguity: “I saw that island first when it was neither night nor morning.” The more noticeable contrasting elements that are depicted in the first chapter are in how the characters are shaped and those in and surrounding the case of the story. The case in itself is seemingly centered on Stevenson’s own lack of acknowledgement on imperialism as he dislikes this concept and does not agree with it at all. Instead of focusing on ideas such as these he hones in on the culture of the natives and uses the superstitions that they have as a intriguing plot of the novel, such as Uma’s fears of the forest and her idea that they are inhabitated by evil spirits. Many times the natives own actions are clearly shown to draw in sympathy from the audience and make them become more interested in the story line itself. This is stated because Stevenson clearly portrays the natives’ feelings in a sentimental type of fashion, again drawing the readers’ attention to how the natives interact with one another concerning their customs and beliefs and how they feel about foreigners, etc. It is the beliefs and superstitions of the natives that Stevenson uses to symbolize the power an individual can gain over a culture and gain many sources of profit through manipulating many peoples beliefs, such as is done in the story. In regards to how the characters are developed in the story, the character of Case is depicted as being two sided. On one side you have someone who is characterized as a gentleman and a friend but then on the other Stevenson shows him to be an individual who is cunning and uses trickery against the natives of Falesa. Stevenson also does the same type of illustrative writing technique in his discussion of the British Empire, showing it as a two sided identity. He at times illustrates the Empire as an identity that is “gentlemanly” in regards to a proper institution in society but also he hints about its intricate workings as well. There are times where it is obvious that the Empire is a body of political government which is indeed insidious and deceptive to the people of the country. With the theme of ambivalence, Stevenson brings in the cultural concept of race and how the British Empire feels about interacting with the natives on a somewhat equal type of premise. This goes back to the focus of an imperialist type mind set, with regard to Stevenson’s’ own personal idea on racial issues. In reality and in the novel Stevenson is dead set against racial discrimination and this comes out strongly in the novel as the main character is deeply opposed to the British Empire’s treatment of the natives on the island. Although it is shown that they might be of a lower race it still does not justify the inferiority that is directly placed on them in some ways. For readers, they can generalize with this area very well because all throughout history there has been heavy discrimination against other races, especially those who are not white. An instance where race is shown to have a very high amount of influence in the interactions with the natives is where Wiltshire has discovered he is indeed set apart from the community on the island but instead of consulting some of the natives about this he goes to case to question the disassociation that seems to be transpiring. This is done because the story illustrates that “it’s a bad idea to set natives up with any notion of consulting them” (47). The character of Cases true nature seeps forth in this area of the story as he deceptively covers up the truth and mistranslates what is actually being said to Wiltshire. This gives pause to considering the true nature of those who a person can trust because even though Wilshire had high familiarity with Chase he was not a true friend and the truth about what was actually said did not come up until Wiltshire did go and consult Uma about what the Chief had stated. To conclude, even though Wiltshire was aware of the racial conflicts and the differences between the authoritorism between British people and the natives, he still favored the authority of the “white man” despite the racial rife that existed and despite his views against racial discrimination and the wrongness that he felt it held. Still he himself was a racist to some degree as the following quote can show, “nobody thinks less of half castes than I do; but they’re mine, and about all I’ve got; I can’t reconcile my mind to their taking up with kanakas, and I’d like to know where I can find them whites” (98). It is this type of philosophy that indeed leaves readers pondering over the extent of Stevenson’s own thoughts on racial issues and imperialism within the reality of real life and of which is one of the reasons there is such interest and intrigue in the body of the short story. Leaving the reader to try and decipher the true meaning is what is so exciting for they can draw their own conclusion and come up with their own ideas. Heart of Darkness by “Conrad” Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness relates to the reader through several narrational voices, the story of the Englishman Marlow traveling physically up an unnamed river in the wilderness of the Belgium Congo, and psychologically as a journey into one’s self. It is apparent that Conrad uses the character “Marlow” as a narrator so he himself can enter the story and tell it through his own philosophical mind. Conrad used "double speak" throughout his book. Upon arriving at the first station, Marlow commented what he observed. "They were dying slowly - it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now, nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation lying confusedly in the greenish gloom" (Conrad 20). Marlow felt pity toward the natives, yet when he met the station's book keeper he changed his views of the natives. "Moreover I respected the fellow. Yes. I respected his collars, his vast cuffs, his brushed hair. His appearance was certainly great demoralization of the land he kept up his appearance" (Conrad 21). Marlow praised the book keeper as if he felt it's the natives' fault for living in such waste. The bureaucrat only cared about how he looked and felt. The bookkeeper did not care for the natives who were suffering less than fifty feet from him. He stated the natives weren't criminals but were being treated as if they were, but at the same time he respected the book keeper on his looks instead of despising him for his indifference. Conrad considered the Africans inferior and doomed people. Another similar incident of "double speak" appeared on the death of Marlow's helmsman. Marlow respected the helmsman, yet when the native's blood poured into Marlow's shoes, "To tell you the truth, I was morbidity anxious to change my shoes and socks" (Conrad 47). How can someone respect yet feel disgusted towards someone? This is a question that a reader (such as me) finds themselves asking all throughout the story due to how Conrad has placed many seemingly racist views into the story through his usage of the character of Marlow. There is another narrator that is used in this story as well though; and of which is relating the story to Marlow who then is relaying it to the readers. Conrad is showing the reader the theme of the shifting nature of reality by doing this. The other narrator is a frame narrator and is placed as an Englishman upon the ‘Nellie’ which is the yawl on the river “Thames.” Marlow’s negative views on colonialism and racism (although contradictory) were the new ideologies taken into consideration during the time the novella was set. These views were expected to be adopted by the contemporary reader as evidenced by the frame narrator changing his view of London as "the biggest and the greatest town on earth" to being a "monstrous town… marked ominously on the sky… a brooding gloom of sunshine…" It is important to realize, however, that both the frame narrator and Marlow were affected by their own background and white, European upbringing, as well as personal experiences. Hence negative views on women, and (unconsciously) African natives, with strong views on colonialism obviously gave rise to discrimination and an extent of racism arising in the novel. For instance, Marlow quickly expresses his view on colonialism that "The conquest of the world which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much." When Marlow arrives at the station he is shocked and disgusted by the sight of wasted human life and ruined supplies. The manager's senseless cruelty and foolishness overwhelm him with anger and disgust. Also through dramatic scenes such as the ‘Grove of Death’ Marlow convinces the frame narrator and also the reader the negatives of colonialism. It is only through the insight of Marlow however that this view is attainable. If, for instance, the station leader were relating the story to the reader a far different view on colonialism would be adopted. Marlow’s views on racism in the novella are two-faced. He consciously describes the Africans as "men one could work with" and is amazed that "in the name of all the gnawing devils of hunger they didn’t go for us". He then goes on to describe Africans through bestial terms such as "one of these creatures rose to his hands and knees and went off on his hands and knees" and gives them derogatory tags such as "nigger" and "other". He also continually highlights the ‘blackness’ of the Africans, through descriptions such as "A black figure stood up, strode on long black legs, waving long black arms...." and it’s associations with ‘evil’, ‘dark’ and ‘other’. Marlow’s racial ideologies are largely contradictory. Consciously Marlow tries to reflect upon the good in the natives, (a view derived from his "journey") but subconsciously he is still racist towards them (a view adopted directly from his white, European, male background). It is ironic because it is the colonialists’ racism and putting down of the natives he frequently expresses his concerns about and yet repeatedly throughout the novella Marlow states the exact same thing to them. The novella relates the story to the reader through the male authoritative figures of both Marlow and the frame narrator, both of which are white, European males. The representation of the women in the novella is only through these narrators, and hence the ideologies and portrayal of women is considerably sexist. It is firstly through the description of the two ‘knitting women’ that the reader is introduced to the role of women in society. They are described as "uncanny and fateful", "guarding the door of darkness". These women are disempowered by Marlow through his description of them in supernatural terms, thus denying them any real presence in society. Marlow proclaims "They - the women I mean - are out of it, should be out of it. We must help them stay in that beautiful world of their own lest ours gets worse". The women remain the narrated. This is further established when Marlow represents the women in purely figurative language, as is when he describes the intended (even named in her relation in terms to Kurtz as his fiancée) as a "soul as translucently pure as a cliff of crystal." Hence it can be concluded that the confident and mediating narrative account the reader receives from Marlow and the frame narrator Conrad is able to interrogate the theme of corruption and economic motivations behind colonial praxis. It is, however, unconsciously, also made clear that this text, its narrator and its author are products of their time and ideology, as it consistently represents the characters and situations in racist and patriarchal terms, so that the reader is also aware of the Eurocentric and ethnocentric themes running through the novella.  Read More