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8/6/2019 How far was and is the "Condition of England" a dystopian society? Discuss in reference to "Howard's End" and "S
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How far was and is the Condition of England a dystopian society?
Discuss in relation to Howards End and Saturday.
Unreal city,
Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,
A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many,
I had not thought death had undone so many.
- T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land
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December 2009
Dystopia', defined in the dictionary says: a society in which everything is bad1. Dystopia in such
novels as A Clockwork Orange, manifests as a broken society, riddled with ultra-violence and
killing2
for pleasure, beyond the reach of prayer3, and a totalitarian government that allows no
choice and has the good imposed. Eliots poem shows a barren depiction of brown land4
to
represent a dead society. However, whilst these texts are widely accepted as dystopic visions, I aim,
here, to discover how close to them we have come in the past and present. Dissecting the societies
depicted in Saturday and Howards End into their irreducible components of social measure
happiness, equality, morality, conflict, purpose will illuminate the overall condition of England then
and now and offer a glimpse of the future. The face of Britain can be seen to change a great deal
over the course of a century, from a commonwealth, a class-driven, rich-white-male-dominant
society, to a scientific climax of brazen, outspoken characters in an American-allied country at war
and under threat from terrorism, yet neither novel really makes a case for having become a better,
stronger country of unity. What might be called utopia is only seen fleetingly, so the question
seems to be whether England is spiralling towards, already in, or clambering out from: dystopia.
Both Forster and McEwans English citizens seldom seem to experience moments of true happiness.
The constant presence of the sea5
, waves6
and the tide7
in Howards Endcan be seen as an
intertextual reference to Dover Beach. In Arnolds picture, the pebbles which the waves draw back,
1COE Dictionary
2A.Burgess,A Clockwork Orange, p92
3Burgess, p76
4T.S.Eliot, The Waste Land, Selected Poems, p48
5E.M.Forster, Howards End, p275
6Forster, p169
7Forster, p241
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and fling/...bring the eternal note of sadness in8. Where the sea is the human misery, the pebbles
are humanity. This links in with an idea of futility in the novels, and portrays an eternal force
restlessly washing society in misery, a key component in dystopia.
Happiness is seen by Perowne in the protest-rally, which, as a display of discontent, is the place
we least expect it. Perowne questions this happiness
9
; but let us explore that itis genuine. The
fundamental human exchange10
, is a moment [of]purity and innocencestripped down to the
essentials of being, bringing people together. Perowne never sustains this connection for very
long, more often feeling that people are close by, unaware of hi[s]isolation. Similarly, something
had come between11
Margaret and Helen, isolating them from each other in unhappy[ness]12
. In
addition the moon, the tides invisible power, draws the book to its climatic centre, illuminating the
night before Basts death. Moonlight streams down the long meadow13
, sparks Henrys long-
overdue epiphany that things are connected with something far greater14, and is a clenched
fistgoing to touch15
Leonard. This essential lunar thread connecting each life to another clarifies
lifes daily gray16
and, as we will see, brings unity to the Schlegel-Wilcox future. Thus the
demonstrators happiness is a product of being together out on the streets17, connecting with
themselves[and] other[s]. They interrupt the attack-waves of traffic18
, highlighting the isolation
of drivers insulated19
behind windows and doors, stuck in six lanes east and west20
of sadness:
dystopia, not merely present, is prolific.
So if dystopia comes from isolation, in connected moments it must dissolve into utopia. The
art21
, literature, and music which spill over the pages, thrust reader and character into this
connectedness, joining musician and listener, artist and viewer, writer and reader in their own
world. Arnolds poem by offering this connection with Daisy, foils Baxters plan. And amidst twelve-
8
M.Arnold, Dover Beach, qtd in McEwan, p2819
I.McEwan, Saturday, p6910
McEwan, p85-611
Forster here and following, p28812
p291-213
p30314
p31715
p31316
p150-117
McEwan, p6918
McEwan, p12219
Winston and Marshall, The Shadows of History: The Condition of EnglandinNice Work, p1120
McEwan, p16821
McEwan, p142
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bar blues22, Schubert23 and Beethoven24, the passion oflife becomes more vivid. Perowne
discovers a coherent world25
, where all conflicts resolve. However even in this utopian
community, no one can ever agree and it is only briefly realised. Again, we hear music (a
wistful Aria26
) when Perowne operates, knowing precisely what hes doing, and here we concede
that such human endeavours gleam as utopia. However, the operating theatre is once more an
isolated bubble, for without even exiting the hospital we can see an example of resignation27
to
dystopia: the hospital toilet, evidently once hopeful that people could simply raise the seat, now
merely offers a number to call when somebody does not. There is rubbish that has been lying there
for months, warnings of thievery, and a timid question rather than a direct instruction to discard
towels. In effect, these signs are asking doctors, possibly amongst the most intelligent stratum of
society, to maintain a minute segment of utopia, but in the impersonal, disconnected form of
graffiti, the answer received is a simple resounding: no. It seems that utopia is not only
unsustainable, but the little pockets in which it is contained are constantly besieged by dystopia.
Replacing happiness is the constant fear28
, parallel to Iraq where terrorhold[s] the nation
together. Much of this is inflicted by the constant invasion29 of news reports floating in the
background: when playing squash Perowne suffers an infection from the public domain, then
driving he is confronted with every device[showing] the Prime Minister30
, and later the lavish
cooking descriptions are interspersed with contrasting sections about the military31
in Iraq. A
reliance upon such daily newslowers his spirits causing anxieties over false scenarios. At the
nursing home the screen above32
Lily details the march and the blackened fuselage,
mentioning a terrorist attack and radical Muslims, pulling Perowne into a deception of
speculation33. This England, with bouncers34 on hospital doors, is one of ever-present pre-
emptive fear. General fear, misery, and isolation in public: clear intimations of dystopia so far.
22McEwan, p170-2
23McEwan, p77
24Forster, p45
25McEwan here and following , p172
26p248-50
27p247
28p64
29p108
30p140
31p178-80
32p166-7
33McEwan, p180
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A constant dystopian theme is the clash between opposing forces instead of harmony. One of the
biggest sources of this clash is what Jeremy Paxman calls small-mindedness, hypocrisy, and
prejudice35
. Ever-present and widely acceptable in Howards End, inequalities separate all manner of
social sectors. An early example of this is the clash between classes when Mrs Bast visits Wickham
Place. Helens extreme excitement36
is like a child at the zoo, admiring the rare species but openly
conscious of her own superiority. Helen shows no regard for the incompetent...admirable
creature[s] grief over her missing husband and having to confront his possible mistress. Henry
expresses societys view of the poor more explicitly, saying they must be kept at a distance37
. This
attitude reflects that the rich have educational, material supremacy, but that the poor are
fundamentally inferior.
Winder discusses racial inequality. Foreign38 soldiers fighting for England in WWI proved
allegiance yet still discrimination was sharp and tactless because of years of longing for home. In
Howards End, although before the war, this same reasoning applies to Pauls disparaging use of
piccaninnies39 deriving from his years stationed in Africa. Although peripheral, often indefinite, it is
dropped like a long accepted fact that the Anglo-Indian ladies were always last40
, their status less
important than the indigenous Wilcoxes or even the German Schlegels. Seemingly race is important,
so perhaps also the underlying resentment: Margaret was as bad as her sister41
due to German
heritage.
Women are consistently undermined by the male masterly ways42
. Those like Dolly do not fight
this, merely waiting to be told43
what to do and think. We see Margaret, who describes it as no
small business to remain herself44, joining Dolly. Although initially fighting the will of men, she
declares she wont45
leave Aunt Juley; jumps from a moving vehicle as a woman in revolt46
;
34McEwan, p244
35J.Paxman, The English, p3
36Forster, p120
37Forster, p150
38R.Winder, Bloody Foreigners, p279-80
39Forster here and following, p331
40p210
41p316
42p185
43p319
44p220
45p191
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informs Henry not to be so chivalrous47; but she eventually submits: she does leave Swanage
saying I do want to see the Charleses48
; she returns from revolt in agreement that she was
naughty49
; and only half expresses her view against chivalry commenting that she knew why... but
said she did not50
. Henry steals little pieces of her, by the end she protest[s] no more...Henry right
or wrong...she must trust him absolutely
51
. Even Helen briefly liked giving in to Mr Wilcox
52
and
writes with excitement: when I said I believed in equality he... gave me such a setting down as I had
never had53
. Openly, the rich belittle the poor and men dominate women, but most disturbingly,
most indicative of dystopia in England, is that it is acceptable to society. It goes further: equality
seems socially unacceptable.
In Saturday, equality appears much less of a problem than in Howards End. Despite the views of
racialists54
like Enoch Powell,55
, men and women of various races56
appear seamlessly integrated
into British society. The Iraqi professor57 is pro-Britain, and Perowne does not differentiate him
and anyone else in his life. Similarly, the dark-skinned58
newsreaders colour is slipped into her
description along with attractive and surprise[d], without diminishing her status. Demonstrating
the strength and freedom of women, male-dominant relationships are inverted as Perowne is said to
belong to59
Daisy, and later she is unwilling to submit to his relativist60
argument. Even the less
fortunate and diseased appear equal as Perowne treats Baxter as a universal patient: [in theatre
the] individualdisappears61
.
However this version of equality is not universal, shown by Paxmans description of malicious
hate-mail he received, saying dont move nigger62
. In this light, closer scrutiny ofSaturday, traces
46p212
47p219
48 p19449
p21350
p21951
p27952
p3753
p2154
I.Aitken, Mr Heath dismisses Mr Powell for 'racialist' speech, The Guardian55
E.Powell; Rivers of Blood speech56
McEwan here and following, p27257
p6258
p6959
p18360
p19261
McEwan p24862
Paxman p19
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inequality sharply into focus. Daisy submits to Grammaticus: allowing him the last word63;
Perowne also inwardly disapproves of her promiscuity: [her pregnancy is] an insult64
, despite her
being in love and ignoring his own sons treatment of his last girlfriend65
and girls before that.
When the aeroplane pilots are arrested, the only question is: are the Russian pilots really radical
Muslims
66
?N
ot: are they terrorists? When it transpires that they are Christians
67
they seem
absolved of any possible terrorism, revealing Islamic discrimination. Additionally, one would expect
equality, if possible, to reside with doctors, because of a mutual respect for the pressure and skill of
their roles. However these colleagues embrace... prejudices... that neurosurgeons arefools68
. If
even the most educated, skilled humans, cannot find equality, how should it be found elsewhere?
Paxman observes that geography matters: it makes people who they are69
, implying the human
condition is to distinguish oneself and naturally use this advantageously, for example Baxter
intimidates using superior strength whilst Perowne uses superior knowledge to gain freedom.
Complete equality seems impossible. Present at both ends of a century, dystopia is alive in England
for those discriminated against.
Money and capitalism are another source of dystopia in England. InHowards End, it is not birthright
which distinguishes class, but hierarchy is defined instead by wealth, higher and lower becoming
leisure and working. Margaret, of the leisure class, with an effortless 600 a year, has no problem
marrying a working-class husband because he too is rich, and thus his class is unimportant. Forster
comments that we are not concerned with the very poor70
, but makes no mention of the
significance of class in this. Moreover the novel admires the workers, saying: if Wilcoxes hadnt
worked and died in Englandthere would be no[thing]to carry us literary peoplejust savagery71.
63McEwan here and following, p201
64p240
65p31
66p167
67p179
68p86
69Paxman p3
70Forster here and following, p58
71p177
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However despite cohabitation, conflicting ideals lead to a Schlegel-Wilcox battle. From their first
encounter we see Aunt Juley made furious, saying Mr Wilcox... Id box your ears72
; coupled with
the incompatibility of Helen and Paul, the reader is immediately alerted to the clash. Conflict
continues with the constant discord between the romantic literary and the practical business,
between things as they are and as they ought to be
73
.
Henry is rather judgemental against the poor. Class is definitely malleable in his hands, for even
though he, like Leonard, is working class, his dogged pursuit of money allows him all the same
luxuries as the Schlegels and more, for it is they who find themselves without a house and turn to
him for help. The business man thrives at the cost of self-denial74
: he does not have the inherited
freedoms of the Schlegels, nor literary and cultural experience - said to develop the soul75
, and
although he claims to have scruples76
, it is difficult to find a situation where he uses them. He
creates a dystopian world of self-isolation (they knew their own business and he knew his77),
unconnected, as discussed earlier, by avoid[ing] the personal note in life[as] Wilcoxes did78
. He
treats interactions as if they were a business proposition79
, his face unmoved behind his
fortress80.
The Schlegels explore the juxtaposition of rich against poor in their discussion group. However, in
a closed group populated only by the rich, the hypothetical situation of poverty is a mere fantasy,
which does not and will never exist for them. In trying to give the poor a little of the world81
, they
forget...that whats a joke up here is down there reality82
, a distinction made clear by the two
contrasting adventure[s]83
of Leonard. When he is employed, he travels into the North Downs84
to see...outside, in essence, to find a little of the world. Yet his later journey to Howards End is
because of something inside him now85: he is his own reality which he first sought externally, and
72p35
73p229
74p132
75p134
76p278
77Forster here and following p165
78p101
79pp.298-300
80p300
81p134
82p72/3
83p315
84p126-7
85p310
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it is provided by his squalor and tragedy86. Dystopia seems highly evident in a world where the
least fortunate have to deal with the harshest realities, where the rich... squeeze the poor87
and
the whole world [is] pulling88
at already troubled men like Baxter and Leonard, whilst without any
effort and despite bungling withmoney89
, those of leisure such as Helen [become] rather
richer.
Leonard is the representation of the poor90
, moving from a position where he would have died
sooner than confess any inferiority to the rich, to one where he is entering the abyss91
in which
people counted no more, and there is nothing [hes] good enough to do. It is demonstrated that
theres never any great risk as long as you have money92
because it pads the edges of things. For
Leonard, teetering on the extreme verge93
of poverty, there is no stability, and it is the single
interference of the rich which sets him wobbling and swaying until he finally falls and becomes an
indigent wastrel...exploit[ing]94 money from his family. For him, poverty is dystopia, and that the
rich drive through it in plush cars, flaunting their wealth, oblivious to the reality of his situation and
the ever-difficult task of paying bills and buying food, makes his life of little things95
, such as the
lost umbrella and penny96 tram-fares, seem isolated and helpless, only adding to his turmoil.
At the end of the novel, Margaret has learned a little of the poor and the fatality of their position,
and decides to give away...money97
, halving her yearly income. This change in attitude from doing
good to one98
is indicative of a world change. The discussion of Henrys will insinuates the death of
the business mind, and presents the question posed by Winston and Marshall: who will inherit
England99
? The inclusion of the illegitimate child of Leonard and Helen in the inheritance symbolises
that legitimacy and class will no longer play any significant part in Englands future. Furthermore, in
their analysis Winston and Marshall use Kazins astute observation that Pauls use of the word
86p315
87McEwan,, p92
88Forster here and following, p226
89p252
90p58
91p225
92p72
93p58
94p309
95p236
96p59
97p331
98p134
99Winston and Marshall, p15-6
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piccaninnies100 broadens class ignominy101 into an issue of race. Considering also the
observation that the future England, neither black nor white, will be gray, Forster is making an
extremely modern and intuitive observation: the illegitimate child, playing during this time outside in
the hayfield - whilst the Wilcox family assemble indoors - is more than just a symbol of hope for an
equal future; he is also a symbol a stronger, more powerful future of unity, for his mixed genotype
eradicates the inherent Wilcox weakness which haunts and hinders the family: hay fever102
(retort
of nature). In these hands of the future, Howards End passes to the embodied coexistence of nature
and humanity, rich and poor, men and women; perhaps to flourish in Utopia. However, the business
world, in which the Wilcoxes were the wheels of the machine103
, is stretched in Saturdayinto the
thunderous idling machinery...104
: the entire city is now made up of Wilcoxes, each a part of the
machine, and the cohesive future for which Forster hoped, did not materialise : the rich richer; the
poor poorer dystopian decline.
Absent in Howards End, a reflection of the modern world in Saturday is the exploration of the
ultimate conflict: war. It starts with a re-enactment of the September attacks105 as Perowne
watches the burning plane feeling once again helplessly culpable106
. Further references to the
coming war107
are ubiquitous, even mentioned in the operating theatre. Perowne also recollects
the proliferation of wars and violence percolating human history, listing from the Suez crisis108
to
the IRA. Although the Iraq war is only present by its looming proximity, from a distance we see the
national discontent it causes: the rally features frequently in the news slices and presents an
obstruction109
to Perowne's day. Paxman describes the English as having a remarkable
indifference110, but in Saturday, the two million111 dissenters112 who rallied against the Iraq war
were pushed so far beyond their intrinsic resignation, compelled, they acted against an unheeding
100Forster, p331
101Qtd. in Winston and Marshall, p16
102Forster, p19
103Forster, p220
104McEwan here and following, p168
105p31
106p22
107p248
108p31-2
109p140
110Paxman p132
111BBC news, Million' march against Iraq war, said that organisers put the figure close to two million
112McEwan here and following, p243
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government. However the main representation of war is enfolded into the Perownes personal life,
manifesting as an energetic argument113
with Daisy the appeaser114
. Their heated debate
(hesa hawk) and strong opinions (radical Islam hates your freedom115
) mimic the battle front
in Iraq, as well as the unrest and discontent among the English people. So too does the squash
match, a personal battle arising not only with the American Strauss, and in trying to make an
assertion of his privacy116
, he further enters into the British publics combat117
against the
American war policy. The combatant attitude, serious discontent, and looming war present a
country torn in two by turmoil, a persuasive dynamic for the presence of dystopia.
The representations of youth in Saturday, offer a glimpse into Englands future. Baxter is one such
glimpse, showing a violent disposition118
and instability. These attributes, as discussed by
Scarman, are not confined to Baxter but a growing culture of violence in England, culminating now in
happy-slaps and knife-crimes. This is seen also in Howards Endwith Charles assault on Bast. In
Saturday it is Baxters genotype, defunct due to an error of repetition119
, which causes his
violence (hes waving a knife120), as not only does it impair him, but allows him freedom from long-
term consequence, and disregard for life. He shares these qualities with Alex inA Clockwork Orange;
each breaks into the home of a writer and violently inflicts fear. This correlation is McEwan voicing
that England occupies the same obscene dystopia as Alex: the future is now. Everyday rituals the
repeated structure of twelve-bar blues121
coming backback to the lifting refrain, and later the
pre-surgical routine calm[ing] him122
are indicative of Baxters flawed DNA-repetition inherent in
society, the human mistakes of 1910 continuing in 2003. We are all doomed to dystopia by an
incurable disease irrevocably lodged in our human essence.
Whilst Baxter is one possible future, Saturday presents us with Daisy, who engages in world
affairs with an avid affinity and drive to be the best in her field. Having been to university, she has
113p92
114p193
115p191
116p108
117p112
118Qtd. in Hall, From Scarman to Stephen Lawrence, [via JSTOR]
119McEwan here and following, p93-4
120p226
121p170-1
122p247
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furthered herself, secured a future, is good at standing her ground123, dominated by no one, not
even Baxter breaks her confidence124
and as the two youths battle for the control of Englands
future she outwits the rogue by manipulating his emotions. Grammaticus too tries to lock horns with
Daisy, but she has taken the skills he taught her and honed them; she is no longer a student and her
knowledge has out-grown one more tutor
125
in breadth and accuracy. As the future overtakes the
past we begin to see the crossover of roles. This idea continues with Theo, although he is not as
advanced as Daisy for he is younger. An officialof the electronic age126
, however, he is a talented
musician, playing with exuberance and expertise127
to create [un]usual, unworldly melodies
and rhythms. These glimpses of virtuosic youth contrast the bleak generation which Baxter offers. So
we can see that perhaps Englands future may not only hold dystopia but hope too.
On the other hand, Theo speaks to his father soothingly... and at the end, Perowne is saved by
his son leaping up the stairs128. Although momentary in these instances, through the reversal and
interchangeability of their roles, we see what could be considered the dissecting and reassembling
of a broken society into an unnatural inversion of life. The biggest example of this is a completed
transition between roles: Henry and Lily Perowne. Lily cannot comprehend the present - like her
photographs which only contain the past - and thus the purpose of conversation is not to bring her
news129
, but to offer comfort. Like a baby hearing its mothers voice in the womb, she warms to
the emotional tone of a friendly conversation. The most basal relationship of mother and child is
broken. As we have seen, not only is parent now child, but teacher student, friend opponent, and
public personal. Perhaps this topsy-turvy world of reversed roles is symbolic of a dystopian society.
Religion should provide a moral compass for the individual, but in the novels, as in Arnolds poem,
the sea of faith[is] retreating130
from England. Howards End demonstrates this by the
unspiritual131
Schlegels, repeated use of the word gods132
instead of the Christian singular god,
123p199
124p221
125p201
126p31
127McEwan (here and following), p170
128p227
129p163
130Arnold, Dover Beach
131Forster (here and following), p133
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as well as the belief that achievements not actions will win us immortality and musings on the
sexes code of morality instead of a religious one.
Mr Wilcox is an irreligious figure, for unlike the saints133
he does not love the Infinite and
has neglected his soul in favour of the material (collect[ing] houses134
). He deceives Margaret by
going without her
135
to see Helen, and what he says is not [always] the truth. Scruples
136
seem
to evade his grasp as he remorselessly137
tricked his dying wife into a nursing-home with ethics
from the wolf-pack. It seems that without religion, he has lost his morals.
The decline is further noted when Leonard enters St Pauls partly to avoid the rainpartly to see
a picture138
, not because of any Christian motivation. That the light [is] bad and what educated
him in former years is now ill-placed, imitates the displacement of God in England. Although the
church brings him together with Margaret and the lust for redemption begins here, the suggestion
of Gods involvement is tenuous in context with the novel, and perhaps should be viewed as mere
inspiration of the church.
Conversely, Grammaticus, pondering the BT tower and deducing that anyone from the
eighteenth century would think of it as a religious building139, is completely uninspired. This
epitomises the contemporary state of the sincerely godless140
England, for where this tower would
have been built to reach closer to and commune with God, now its purpose is to communicate with
each othervia the telephone. Are we of the technology-age now the almighty creators?
Saturdaycertainly seems like an argument towards this, for it shows us the power of human
beings. Perowne contemplates how matter becomes conscious, something which might be
considered the ultimate gift from God, but the only kind of faith he has is that the secret will be
revealed by humanity instead. Perowne rests his fingers on Baxters brain with the dream of the
healing touch141
. However it is not a dream; the doctor, god-like, saves lives for a living, and
acknowledges how easy to damage they are. God was the giver and taker of life, and his son the
132p238
133p187-8
134p173
135p280
136p278
137p277
138p310
139McEwan, p197
140McEwan, p32
141McEwan,p254-5
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saviour and healer, but now the creator is childish...142 and Christ an orphan and mankind
occupies those positions.
Religion in Howards Endis collapsing, but the church is still a distant feature in the background.
When we trace this through the course of a century, we are brought to a resounding corollary:
Baxter. In Saturday, he is free enough to kill
143
, showing morality as absent. Where the idea of
God, once inspired remorse144
, now a religious vacuum and genetics cause evil. Religion has
completely relinquished its position to the worship of science and practice immorality, and without
it, characters like Baxter lead England into dystopia.
In the place of religion, it seems that both novels present us with an underlying notion of fate. In
Howards End, Dolly says: ...curious that Mrs Wilcox should have left Margaret Howards End...145
.
What seems curious to Dolly can be seen as fate.
In Saturday, it is said that as soon as it happens, [everything] will seem to fit146
, implicitly
impressing fate upon readers. We see also several mentions of Schrdinger's cat147
, to illustrate
potentials exist[ing] side by side. Perowne perceives, whatever the score, it is already chalked
up148
: the destiny of the cat is predetermined, before the box is even made. When Baxter and
Perowne are in confrontation he is cast in a role149
, drawing parallel with the cat, and
inescapability. This idea of fate draws out the feeling of futility from the novel, for it appears that
whatever we do, there can be no escape from the future. In this crevice, dystopia can be seen
lurking, for we are all Schrdinger's cat, Shakespeare's players trapped in boxes which we label
life: little windows of time which allow us our scripted access to the world.
Henry Wilcoxs belief that personal actions count for nothing, and there will always be rich and
poor150
also suggests a serious futility to life. According to this philosophy, whether the Schlegel
sisters had interfered or not, Basts fate was determined. The name of Leonard's employer,
142McEwan,p122
143McEwan, p226
144Forster, p311
145Forster, p331
146McEwan, p87
147McEwan, p18
148McEwan, p19
149McEwan, p86
150Forster, p249
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Porphyrion151, brings with it distinct connotations of this. The closest word to it is porphyria,
defined as:
A rare hereditary disorder of haemoglobin metabolism
causing mental disturbance, extreme sensitivity to light,
and excretion of dark pigments in the urine.
152
Towards the end of Leonard's life there were a series of unexplainable events: brown rain
descended into vision; his sudden desire to confess; his ...not see[ing the parlourmaids] face; his
disintegrating dialogues with himself; he hallucinated a blue snake, obsessed over sun and
moonlight, and feels a knife...[in] his heart153
. Anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, brown-urine and
chest pains are all symptoms of porphyria. It seems that Basts fate can be accounted for at the
level of a complex molecule154; whether Henry had given him a job, or the Schlegels had never met
him, his genetic code had already condemned him.
We have to die155
, Helen says, and she is right. Whilst the life of Bast is futile, far worse is
Baxter's, for he is aware of his fixed and easily foretold156 future, and has to continue living with
the knowledge that he is heading towards a meaningless end. With this future, death would be
bliss, and it seems futile of Perowne to save him. But when we dissect the truth behind Baxters
bleak outlook, it is not that different from our own. The single certainty on Earth is that everyone
has to die, and anyone could contract a fatal disease like Ruth Wilcox, or be hit by a bookcase or
slowly descend into old-age and dementia. So for Henry, saving Baxter's life is as futile as saving
anyone.
One of the clearest examples of futility is Perowne observing the road-sweeper, pink-faced157
through his efforts against a rising tide of rubbish, spreading thickly..., a daily blizzard of litter158
.
Later, when the demonstration is over, Gower Street is even deeper with mounds of food...and
151Forster, p139
152COE Dictionary
153Forster, p311-5
154McEwan, p91
155Forster, p236
156McEwan, p93-4
157McEwan, p73
158McEwan, p74
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discarded placards159. After a whole day behind the broom, they may have only just begun.
However another facet of futility arises from this scene, as by the next day the statesclean up
having erased all evidence that the rally took place. The futility of life, of going against the system, of
trying to avoid fate; these breed discontent, and hopelessness, all contributing to the dystopia of
England and a resignation to it.
In conclusion it seems whichever stone we upend, there is at least a morsel of discontent, inequality,
or conflict, which culminates in much bigger events, such as the war and rally, the plane crash and
invasive media, all propagating fear and unhappiness leading us into an unseen future. All of the
wider issues facing England are reflected in Perowne's life with arguments and games. In both
novels, futility festers when all are diagnosed with death and fate steals freewill. Wealth, as seen in
Howards End, favours the fortunate, whilst the poor get decidedly less fortunate. Religion falls into
disrepute in Howards Endand non-existence in Saturday, society domineered instead by science,
technology and culture. But whilst these expand and thrive, sotoo do violence and immorality, and
control hands to knife-wielding children. Saturday demolishes Forster's positive outlook for the
future, showing the transpired reality, and entangling Englands future with Baxters; he interrupts
Perownes leisure, invades his family-home, and calls him away to work he is the inescapable truth,
buffeting against every door of Perowne's life, infecting the very country with the incurable disease
buried deep in his essence.
Howards End is a warning to England, advice of how things were, and how to fix them. But
Saturday, most pertinent to our times, is what they are. It is difficult to solidify an answer to the
question of whether we are in dystopia, for it is a relative term: whilst Baxter and Bast, and their
representations of Englands future, are clearly dystopic, Perowne and Wilcoxs predicaments leave
more to interpretation. It depends also on the person, for example Alex in A Clockwork Orange
misses dystopia when he can be part of it no more, implying that for him, dystopia is utopia. The
question perhaps should be: can we ever not be in dystopia? For at any given point, someone's
experiencing nothing good is in their life. Is dystopia, when not confined to England a human
159McEwan, p243
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condition? Perhaps dystopia was too strong a word for the world of 1910, or even 2003, but it is
certain that England was, and is still, declining towards it. Returning to our original comparison, we
can see that England is not quite the dystopia of Alexs malenky160
world, but given how much
closer it is in Saturday than in Howards End, if we continue the decline, another century could
obliterate the memory that there even was an England where dystopia was an avoidable potential. If
we are able to pull back from the brink, remains to be seen, and relies on whether this next
generation with more willing hearts and brighter intellects than have gone before, can learn from
the mistakes of history.
Word count: 5463
160Burgess, p24
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ARNOLD, Matthew. Dover Beach. (reprinted at the end ofSaturday)
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