John Cheever’s characters
are active. Evarts Malloy has seized the opportunity of having his play
published with both hands, rushing off to New York with wild abandonment.
Similarly, Neddy Merrill begun his quest across the pools in his neighbourhood in
earnest. He sticks with it, through the struggles and even when he starts to
realise that the eventual outcome may not be the desirable one.
There is a naive optimism shown in many of Cheever’s
characters. The degree of hope that clings to that founding idea in America
that hard work can conquer anything. Whether that work involves persuading one’s
brother to lighten up or yearning to be the perfect family, America is a nation
that is continually striving and Cheever’s characters reflect this.
British characters, on the other hand, are passive,
seeking the familiar norm wherever possible. The Darling family return to their
home comforts, despite their fantastical adventures in Neverland. Bilbo Baggins
is reluctant to leave at all. The Pevensie children go back through the wardrobe. They
all have an air of cautiousness around them so common in British culture. The
protagonists are rarely go-getters, more likely to be hesitant underdogs who
carry on throughout the conflict by sheer will of clinging on.
And food. That’s what makes British stories. Feasts in
the Great Hall, tea with Mr Tumnus or hot breakfast at 221B Baker Street before
a day of investigatory work. And lashing and lashings of ginger beer.
I enjoyed the final paragraph about the food, because its so true! The British do love their feasts and afternoon tea.
ReplyDeleteBut you've made some interesting points here that do ring true in most instances, Cheever always paints an American Dream picture, always striving for something whilst British characters are always far more reserved. Really enjoyed this post!
A very accurate comparison of active American characters and passive British characters - The Hobbit came to mind for me, too. It's interesting that we can both think of examples of fantasy characters like Bilbo Baggins and Mr Tumnus yet still see the Britishness of them; this shows how much of a national identity these stories have regardless of where they are set!
ReplyDeleteThe author Michael Moorcock once wrote an essay essentially laying waste to Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia for their idealised portrait of Middle England - Bilbo, Frodo and the Pevensie siblings are well-to-do suburbanites tasked with saving the world from Chaos; the lush green meadows and forests are sacrosanct while technology is dark and thorny and pure evil; the desire to tie up the narrative into a Happy Ending™ regardless of whether it's deserved or not (Tolkien was basically writing in the same vein as the great epics to create a new mythology for a new Britain - the Odyssey, Ragnarok, Beowulf, etc. - but those all ended in the hero meeting his end with dignity whereas Lord of the Rings has everything nicely resolved; ditto with Narnia).
ReplyDeleteTolkien and Lewis' works are very English in their sensibilities, but to Moorcock, they're chocolate-box paintings of pre-war England: overly romanticised.
I liked the way you captured both cultures and ideologies. Your post almost read like a comparison between the American Dream and the British Empire. You really show well how Americans like to seize and annex whereas Brits tend to conquer and return home. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteCheever writes with a massive knowledge of life and cities, and is a great speaker on american life, as you have captured,
ReplyDelete