Christopher and his Kind... Wider Reading 19: Goodbye to Berlin

Although The Diary of Anne Frank is considered by many to be the foremost manuscript on the subject of the holocaust, there are other texts which link in both form and content. The diaries of Christopher Isherwood which include Sally Bowles and A Berlin Diary, collectively titled as Goodbye to Berlin, also provide a first-hand account of Jewish mistreatment at the hands of the Nazi party, but this time through the eyes of an Englishman visiting the Weimar Republic’s capital during Hitler’s rise to power. Though the novelist himself experiences an identity struggle of a different kind, namely that of a Briton and homosexual in an increasingly anti-English/gay country, both Frank and Isherwood express their desire for the improvement of matters in their personal, and now famous diaries.

Isherwood is also well-known for rubbing shoulders with the famous English-American poet W.H. Auden, with whom he collaborated on three plays and became his literary mentor. It was Auden who compelled the writer to travel to Berlin in the first place, on the promise of a thriving, illicit sexual underworld populated by “boys.” It was here that Isherwood met his “first great love,” a young German boy named Heinz Neddermeyer. The pair left Berlin in 1933, he and Heinz moved around Europe, living in Copenhagen, Sintra and elsewhere. Heinz was arrested as a draft-evader in 1937 following a brief return to Germany after he was ejected from Luxembourg as an "undesirable alien". He was sentenced to six months in prison, a year of state labour and two years of compulsory military service.

Isherwood’s sexual orientation was of course shunned by his upper middle class upbringing. It was partly this reason that he travelled to the city which would provide so much of his artistic inspiration: being unable to express himself at home, he journeyed to Berlin due to its reputation for sexual freedom. The capital, at this time, was rapidly developing its own sense of identity. The fierce power and organisation of the Nazi party was empowering to the German people after the disaster of the Great War, and people voted for Hitler in their thousands. The increasing threat of war radiating from Britain gave many citizens a sense of antagonism towards anybody who was English, which forced Isherwood to leave to ensure his own safety and that of Heinz.

The stark clarity with which the writer records his experiences recalls the exact quality of a photograph, rather than a writer. Isherwood himself, in fact, recognised this, and begins his collection with the statement that:

“I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking.”

Yours, Christopher

The Spirit of a Nation in Five People, Two Days, and One House. Wider Reading (Drama) 18: Dancing at Lughnasa

It is 1936 and harvest time in County Donegal. In a house just outside the village of Ballybeg live the five Mundy sisters, barely making ends meet, their ages ranging from twenty-six up to forty. The two male members of the household are Brother Jack, a missionary priest, repatriated from Africa by his superiors after twenty-five years, and the seven-year-old child of the youngest sister. In depicting two days in the life of this ménage, Brian Friel evokes not simply the interior landscape of a group of human beings trapped in their domestic situation, but the wider landscape, interior and exterior, Christian and pagan, of which they are nonetheless a part.

National identity is a topic frequently favoured by Irish playwrights and their work, and Dancing at Lughnasa (pronounced loo-nasa) is no exception. Ireland has always been one of the less affluent nations of Western Europe, but in 1936, trapped within the height of the world-wide Great Depression, that chronic economic hardship is aggravated. The village of Ballybeg is the playwright’s own fictional creation, and is the location of many of his plays. Donegal, on the other hand, is a real place, one of the counties making up the Republic of Ireland. Friel has deep personal connections with his place; as a child he spent an extensive amount of time there, summering with his mother's sisters, and he has since settled in Donegal himself.

In addition this personal significance, Donegal also occupies a distinctive place in the Irish national consciousness. The county is shrouded in romantic mystique, and has always lagged behind the rest of Ireland in terms of economic and social development. However, because of this economic backwardness, many of the customs, beliefs, and cultural practices of traditional Irish life have been preserved in Donegal. And it is in Donegal where the ancient festival of La Lughnasa is perhaps most vividly celebrated. The title of the play refers to the celebratory dancing associated with this pagan festival. The setting is thus a kind of mythical location, a small sanctuary of authentic Irish life that modernity has yet to reach. Or is it? As the narrator, states in the opening monologue, his memories of Ballybeg in the summer of ‘36 are full of "a sense of . . . things changing too quickly before my eyes." He recalls a "widening breach between what seemed to be and what was, of things . . . becoming what they ought not to be." It is the experience of change played out against the deeply traditional Donegal setting that provides much of the play's discord and pity.

Dancing at Lughnasa - Identity Quotations

When the Body is the Last Resource for Protest... Wider Reading (Poetry) 17: The Rhythm of Time

Bobby Sands was an Irish volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and member of the British Parliament. He was twenty seven years old when he died on the sixty sixth day of hunger-strike in the H-Block prison hospital, Long Kesh, on the 5th May 1981.

The young IRA Volunteer had spent the last nine years of his fleeting life in jail as a result of his Irish republican activities, but became, by the time of his death, world-famous and a household name for his election to the British parliament and withstanding of political pressure from all sides to abandon his fast of over two months. His aim was to counter a criminalisation policy by the British government. His sacrifice (as did that of those who followed him) overturned British propaganda within Ireland and had a profound effect in advancing the cause of Irish freedom.

In ‘The Rhythm of Time’ Sands stresses that the spirit of freedom and reflex to fight against injustice has been inherent to man from our very beginning, and here he draws upon their surfacing against the evils throughout history. The persecuted early Christians, American Indians, peasants, slaves, and Irish republican freedom fighters share the stage of history against tyranny. The fractured stanzas may reflect how broken he has realised society is, and the relentless, driving rhythm and rhymes doubtless show the monotony of his incarceration.

The driving force against oppression, as Sands concludes, is the moral superiority of the oppressed. In tracing this spirit across the ages Sands demonstrates an exceptional grasp of history and memory recall, especially considering that he had been denied books, newspapers, radio or TV, and mental stimulation for the last four years of his life. Wat the Tyler, for example, was an English peasant who, in 1381, challenged and led an uprising against the English monarchy. His poetry also gave hope to many of his fellow inmates, as this was their only entertainment, and, in doing so, Sands let them know that their cause was right, and they would someday triumph.

The Rhythm of Time - Identity Quotations

Whodunnit? Wider Reading 16: The Lovely Bones

"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6th, 1973. My murderer was a man from our neighbourhood. My mother liked his border flowers, and my father talked to him once about fertilizer.” This is Susie Salmon, who watches from heaven as her family and loved ones try to come to terms with her death, unsolved ever since she was raped and dismembered by a neighbour in the cornfield opposite her house, who left no evidence behind, save an elbow and copious amounts of blood. The writer Alice Sebold is herself a rape survivor; however another girl also fell victim to an attack in the same tunnel, but was not so fortunate as to survive. Many critics speculate that the novel was Sebold’s attempt to voice that girl’s story, not least since her own was told in her first unpublished memoir, "Lucky."

Many instances of a struggle for identity occur within this novel, the most prevalent of which is the individual (and rather selfish) struggle experienced by Susie’s mother, Abigail Salmon. Every character within the novel is forced to use a different way of recovering from Susie’s death. Susie, as our narrator, observes them as they struggle through the painful experience of losing a daughter/sister, and the profound affect it has had on each person. Her sister Lindsey wants to live away from Susie’s shadow. Her young brother Buckley wants to be let in on the secret of her death, and, when he is, allows himself to miss her and to honour her. Her father Jack wants to avenge his daughter’s death by finding her killer. Abigail, on the other hand, does not want to face Susie’s death and instead hides from her family, withdrawing into herself and eventually running away. It seems that Abigail never wanted to have a family in the first place, and she is punished for it by losing Susie physically, and Lindsey and Buckley psychologically, through her neglect.

The religious element of this novel is entirely questionable, as some readers may argue that the heaven Susie is transported to after her death is of a Christian nature, while others argue that, as neither God nor Jesus is involved, it cannot be. Susie’s soul accidentally “touches” classmate Ruth Connors as it leaves earth, and for the f=rest of her life Ruth finds herself constantly exploring the idea of spirits and death.

Some characters in the novel also experience a struggle for sexual identity. Ruth Connors is more intensely affected by the dead than others, especially Susie, and finds herself struggling to make friends and relate to other people. She is also a lesbian, but in the 1970s this would have been considered unacceptable, and is unable to act on it or even tell anyone. Susie herself manages, by some complicated soul-exchanging mechanism, to make love to her almost-boyfriend Ray Singh through Ruth’s body, and Ray finds himself torn between his friendship with Ruth and his lingering love for Susie. Both Ray and Susie find solace in The Act; afterwards, Ray feels able to cherish his memory of Susie whilst moving on, while Susie moves on entirely, to a larger Heaven.

A small element of a national identity struggle can be found in "The Lovely Bones" as well. During the initial search for Susie’s murderer, Ray Singh is an immediate suspect due to his unusual Indian heritage. Despite the police eventually realising that he is innocent, the immediate accusal has a great effect on Ray and his family.

The Lovely Bones - Identity Quotations

Destroying Evil or Mindless Slaughter? Wider Reading (Drama) 15: The Crucible

Arthur Miller’s classic parable of mass hysteria draws a chilling parallel between the Salem witch-hunt of 1692 and the McCarthyism which gripped America in the 1950s – two of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history. The story of how the small community of Salem is stirred into madness by superstition, paranoia and malice, culminating in a violent climax, is a savage attack on the evils of persecution and the terrifying power of false accusations.

The religious (and racial) identity of each character is at stake as the events of the play unfold, and their ultimate demise or salvage depends almost entirely on their reputation. Tituba, as a black slave, has the lowest social standing of all the characters and is quick to be accused. However, she acquires immense power over her superiors as she accuses others of witchcraft. Contrastingly, characters with impeccable reputations such as Elizabeth Proctor or Rebecca Nurse find their names dragged through the mud in their situations.

The age-old question of guilty or not guilty is explored with tact and accuracy within this play. The extreme strictness prevalent within Salem causes guilt to be bottled up within the citizens, acting as a catalyst to the mass rush for confession and punishment. The playwright himself ascertains that the Salem witch-hunt was an opportunity for the stifled members of the community to both declare their own sins and publicly identify those of others. This is what motivates not only the witch hunts themselves, but also the actions of most of the focal characters. Abigail is constantly reprimanded by her reputation-destroying fun in the woods, while penitence over his infidelity plagues her secret lover Proctor. Meanwhile, Reverend Hale must attempt to undermine the court that he helped create as atonement for his own sins, but is now spinning out of control. This is the ultimate and tragic irony of the Salem witch-hunts: not only that the sins of the trials themselves uncontrollably overtook the sins of the original crime, but that there was rarely an original crime to begin with.

The Crucible - Identity Quotations

Got an Identity Crisis? Wider Reading (Poetry) 14: Knowing Me

In his poem, Benjamin Zephaniah constantly emphasises how proud he is to simply be who he is, whether it be British, black, dyslexic, or a poet. He does not "feel lost," neither is he against relations with other ethnicities, as "diversity is [his] pornography" and he does not need to have an "identity crisis to feel oppressed". Unlike other poems on slavery, oppression and imprisonment, Zephaniah takes a more modern approach and combines the society which he lives in to his own personal views on identity matters. He does not allow what happened to his ancestors to affect his identity and feels accepted in the world he lives in now.

The constant repetition of “I don’t have an identity crisis” is used almost as a refrain, and relentlessly reinforces its message. The language used is a mixture of Standard English and Afro-Caribbean English, complete with words such as “dis” and “kool.” Zephaniah lampoons the type of language used by those such as the “Workshop Facilitator” in favour of humorous word-play. From his language at least, it seems that the writer is clear about his identity and, contrary to expectations, transcends what he, as a black Englishman, is expected to feel.

The poem may be light in tone, but underlying it is exasperation, particularly in the final stanza, when the poet proclaims that he is “sick of people asking me if I feel British or West Indian,” as if every capitalized identity has become merely a stereotype.

Knowing Me - Identity Quotations

Paradise Lost? Wider Reading 13: East of Eden

Over forty years after his death, Nobel Prize-winner John Steinbeck still remains one of the greatest American writers of all time. His extraordinary talent is showcased here, in an epic tale spanning decades between the American Civil War and the end of World War One. Steinbeck himself considered it to be his "magnum opus," and later stated that "I think everything else I have written has been, in a sense, practice for this." The novel follows the interwoven lives of two families living in the Salinas Valley, California, the Trasks and the Hamiltons. Steinbeck ties many themes within the novel together with direct references and parallels to the poisonous relationship of Cain and Abel and the fall of Adam and Eve, within the Book of Genesis.

The primary theme explored within the novel is the ageless struggle between good and evil. Samuel Hamilton is considered to be the embodiment of goodness, while Cathy Ames, his polar opposite, represents pure evil. Both of these characters have an equal effect on the protagonist Adam Trask, who struggles between love for Cathy as his wife, and his admiration and respect for his mentor, Samuel.

While the theme of "love for the land" may be more prominent within Gone with the Wind, Steinbeck's vividly-described California hills also play a part in the novel, revealing the nature of the two families which reside there. The Trasks are wealthy and live on the most fertile soil, but neglect to cultivate it after their lives have been poisoned by Cathy. In contrast, the Hamiltons settle on a barren patch, but raise nine successful children. Land also continues the theme of good versus evil. The Eden-like Salinas valley is sandwiched between the "good" Gabilan Mountains, which lie to the east and are drenched in sunlight, and the "bad" Santa Lucias Mountains, which are foreboding and shadowed.

The concept of "original sin" is also present within this novel. The "sin" is performed by Cyrus Trask, Adam's father, who lied during the American civil War to attain a high status in office, thus leaving his sons an ill-gotten fortune. Both Adam and his brother Charles seem doomed to a life of misery in penance for this sin, which trickles down through the generations. Cal also makes a small fortune from less-fortunate farmers during the Great War. However, his brother's death enables Cal to choose good over evil, so to speak, and undo the family curse and live a morally upright life.

East of Eden - Identity Quotations

One Man Against the World? Wider Reading (Drama) 12: Death of a Salesman

In the spring of 1948 Arthur Miller retreated to a log cabin in Connecticut with the first two lines of a new play already fixed in his mind. He emerged six weeks later with the final script of Death of a Salesman - a painful examination of American life and consumerism. In creating Willy Loman, his destructively insecure anti-hero, Miller himself defined his aim as being "to set forth what happens when a man does not have a grip on the forces of life."

As a playwright, Miller portrays many common themes in his plays. The themes of ordinary people experiencing extraordinary tragedy, the vast, unattainable American Dream and the tragedy of simply being human, in particular are explored within Death of a Salesman, causing it to be frequently dubbed "the first Great American Tragedy."

The structure of this play also plays a large part in showing Willy's struggle for identity and ultimate deterioration. Miller does this through the use of both past and present and careful weaving of the text, thus showing, rather than telling, the audience about Willy's downward spiral into madness. The question of what is illusion and what is reality is also frequently raised. The episodic structure, as well as the themes and focus on a single character, draw many comparisons to Tennessee Williams' play "A Streetcar Named Desire."

Death of a Salesman - Identity Quotations