Novel(s)
3. “Central to the purpose of a novel is the presentation of a major theme.”
To what extent do you agree with this view?
Respond to this question with close reference to one or more novels you have studied.
Ronald Hugh Morrieson is a creative writer whose literary work has been considered by many to be one of New Zealand’s finest work of art. He has published 3 novels and these have been made into films. Growing up in the small town of Hawera, not far from New Plymouth in the shadow of Mount Taranki, Morrieson grew up in a relatively small quiet town. His first novel The Scarecrow a tragicomic story of a sex killer in a small town not unlike Morrieson’s own. It is obvious in this novel that Hawera was used as the setting and he has turned it into Klynham a sleepy town in order to aid in his presentation of the themes of Good versus Evil and the façade that the townsfolk presents.
Klynham like all other New Zealand town in the 1930’s had a very limited amount of professional individuals and thus it’s lack of advancement and education. Education was limited to those who could afford it and tertiary education was considered a great feat of strength. Anyone who wanted a better future had left. Being rural, Klynham was not a choice of permanent habitat for the high class and elite hence those who lived there had a limited capacity for intelligence and were sometimes considered incompetent. Folks were mostly comprised of farmers and bar owners. Morrieson’s presentation of incompetence helps readers to understand that the inhabitants were easily susceptible to lore and superstitions, which is central to the understanding of the theme of Good versus Evil.
Back in the 1930’s during the depression age, the most common form of entertainment was movies, circus shows and performances. Advancement in technology was limited and the people were generally easily amazed and also terrified by such acts. Crowds largely favored magicians and optical illusions had viewers goggling, amazed and left with questions answered. Children especially were shocked and had imaginations that would run wild, especially when the magician saws through his assistant, without a drop of blood or the slightest scratch. Morrieson’s inspiration for Salter the Sensational, the bad guy of the novel, comes from his past experience with a Magician in Hawera, while growing up. Salter the Sensational, a magician from the big City left a deep impression on Neddy, the hero of the novel, and Pru. Mysterious performances and tricks by Salter in the home of the Pointdexters, had left Neddy with a deep fear of the unknown and an impression that magic is evil. Morrieson’s presentation of the unknown leaves readers with the impression that the unknown is evil. Much to the vital part of the human’s basic instinct is to fear the unknown.
The Klynham that is presented to us in the novel is one that presents to us the negative side of a small town. Contrary to the beliefs of most people, that New Zealand is safe and evil is unknown. Morrieson presents to us that even in a small rural town such as Klynham, evil is at work and bad things do happen shows us that evil is ubiquitous. Evil does not contain itself and evil is capable of spreading, it is a never ending force that will never cease to exist, very much like the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang for good to exist, there must be evil to balance. Morrieson’s Hawera and Klynham share many similarities, his awareness of the inhabitants and their “skeletons in the closet” were depicted in The Scarecrow. Hawera’s so-called-respectable inhabitants were really actually alcoholics, sexual deviants, adulterers, lazy and a pharmacist that was constantly drunk. These people were referenced in the novel. The alcoholics were the Pointdexter men, Salter the Sensational, the sexual deviant also murderer, Uncle Athol the lazy good for nothing useless bum and the local undertaker is the drunken pharmacist.
The theme of Evil largely presented in the novel by Morrieson is largely based on the evil deeds that have been committed by Hubert Salter, also known as Salter the Sensational. He represents the epitome of all that is evil, he is an evil monster that is incapable of showing any mercy. He is a murderer and psychopath, an unstoppable force that cannot be controlled. Ruthless and cunning, he preys on young women in particular and develops a disgusting fetish for necrophilia. Apart from being a murder he is also a “sex-oh” a perverse individual who has urges that needs to be satisfied. He is an unwanted threat from the outside , a trespasser from the big city. Upon his arrival in Klynham, the gap between fact and fantasy lessens. Reality becomes like a dramatic episode from “the flicks” for Neddy – “This is the real thing. This has got the ‘Fire God’s Treasure’ stuffed along the line.’ Daphne Moran was a theatre usherette and it is her murder that brings Salter to Klynham. It is almost as if Salter is a villain from the big screen and that having slaughtered the usherette, he can enter the ‘real’ world of Klynham.
The local hooligans of the town of Klynham and Neddy’s arch nemesis are ‘The Lynch Gang’ comprised of it’s leader Victor Lynch and his loyal followers they are a group of bullies who are notoriously known for wrecking havoc amongst the townsfolk, stealing and participating in illicit activities. They want to be seen as tough mean guys and in a sense evil and menacing. However they are a contrast of Salter as they are merely boys playing at being men. They indulge in homosexual activities in a bid to discover their sexual desires and practice such acts on ‘Peachy, one of their members. Neddy having his fowls stolen initially suspected the Lynches of being capable of such an act and in a bid to take revenge stole the lynches fowls, only to find out that Uncle Athol was responsible. The Lynches discovered Neddy and gave him a good spanking but realized that they would be better off having a girl in the gang, decided to let Neddy join the gang together with his sister, Prudence. Neddy saw through their intentions. The Lynch Gang wanted Prudence so they could rape her. Apart from Prudence their other target also includes Angela Potroz. Although they never managed to rape anyone, their actions do ,however, drive Angela from the grip of perceived evil into the arms of genuine evil, Salter and eventually death.
There is however some goodness to the novel and apart from just the darkness and evil that is constantly haunting Klynham. Goodness, Hard work and Kindness exists, Morrieson shows this in his characters, such as Les’s dad who owns the local convenience store. After learning of Neddy’s intention to surprise his sister Prudence with a makeover for her room, gives away a beautiful wallpaper of Pink Roses, showing the cohesiveness and closeness that a small town like Klynham shares, which is rarely seen nowadays. Len Ramsbottom after being struck by the charm of Prudence offers her type writing lessons, thus allowing her to develop her skills and making her a more independent individual. Prudence of course is thrilled and delighted at the offer. Although the underlying intention of such an offer was possibly to court Prudence, nevertheless he was noble. Neddy and Les would spend their free time thinking of ways to make money and indulge in their personal delights such as having a “milkshake at the Confectionary store”. “We went collecting cones from pine plantations weekend after weekend, tore our pants on barbed wire fences, fell in creeks and fell out of trees and braved all manner of hazards, including being bitted by dogs, when we hawked the pine cones from door to door”. Such was the innovative and enterprising ideas of the main character. Morrieson’s presentation of the willingness and goodness of Klynham’s citizens to work with one another despite the turn of evil events shows us that there is still hope of overcoming the ongoing battle of good against evil.
Neddy’s Mother, Ma meets Salter only once . She is one of the representations of the opposing Good presented by Morrieson. She opposes Salter’s Evil and is seen as a virtue of all that is pure and good. On the occasion that she encounters Salter, she is momentarily deceived by his act and charm. Salter’s magical and spectacular performance leaves her with a presentable impression. However this was only for a brief moment till she instinctively recognizes a threat to her family and her fierce protective motherly instincts are aroused. Prudence and Neddy are suspended between the Scarecrow on one hand and on the other, their mother. She stands for all the positive things that his existence threatens; Love, Laughter, Innocence, Life itself. Ma’s lowest moment comes in the part where Neddy finds her in Pru’s room. Inspired by this, Neddy rallies the family to paint and renovate the entire house. This is Morrieson’s representation of the survival of the household over the forces that threaten it. The house is almost burnt down, but saved in the nick of time. Pru is almost murdered, but saved in the nick of time. The Scarecrow almost triumphs over Ma, but saved in the nick of time. In the End the Forces of Good has triumphed over evil, although innocence has been lost along the way. Angela represents innocence and she loses her life to evil. Morrieson’s presentation of Evil’s fall is evident and his purpose in showing this highlights that ultimately good is prevalent and evil will never win.
Despite’s Salter being the epitome of evil itself and not showing any signs of being capable of mercy in the text. He is nevertheless a human being at his very core. Though he does not show it, there is a slight hint of guilt and he shows it unintentionally. We see this when he sleeps “in the grip of a nightmare” on the train. Portraying Salter as still holding onto the last remaining shreds of humanity is important as this allows Morrieson to show that Salter is a man who has become a monster only because he has given himself over to his evil appetites. He is an alcoholic and a ‘sex-oh’ who gains pleasure from rape and murder after the first killing he undertook – that of his assistant, Zita. He is a man who has been utterly possessed by evil and in return, may possess others in part or in whole. The relation to the theme, shows that evil has the potential of taking over good but only if one allows it to, with self control and perseverance, Good will definitely triumph over Evil.
Written by: Mohamed Sahdique Caubang
Date: March 19 2011
