Come in and grab a stump. Not my head though, despite its shape. The fire has a nice low simmer, I've got some perogies made, and of course some left over soup. Don't worry I'll be making some more in a bit, probably duck. Mmmmm. So enjoy the food and lend an eye and ear. I wrote one of my finals in a complete fever. The question was 'How is the family portrayed in Canadian literature, use three examples' etc etc. There was some more about comparisons to other nations and such but the question set me off and I had a completely brilliant moment of clear writing. I asked for a copy of it cuz I really liked it. Here it is.
Canada is one big dysfunctional family. We are the product of three significant cultures: English, French, and First Nations. We have a Queen who is the head of our country but is really no more significant than the picture we see on various coins and bills. We have a deluded and patchwork national identity that conveniently ignores its own mandates of multiculturalism by attempting to disallow anything but the most homogenized representations of the 'other.' Is it then any wonder that the three major novels studied focus on the concepts of family and its influence on the outcome of the individual. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz shows us the assimilation and subjugation of the Jewish culture by highlighting how it has altered one family through three generations. The Diviners gives us one woman's memories and events as she puzzles out the significance and breadth of her own family and how this has changed her. And while Findley's novel shares almost nothing in common with the marker posts of most Canadian literature (ie. the land, lack of identity, inferiority complex when compared with our contemporaries) it is still, at it's heart, the tale of one severely dysfunctional family that rips itself apart under the strain of trying to be a segregated family. This is truly Canadian.
Richler presents us with three generations of businessmen in one family and how they change. The grandfather brings his skills of a cobbler here to Canada and starts a business. He is not very successful in a monetary sense yet he holds the respect of all the community. Next comes Benjy, very successful as a factory owner, but caught in the trap of assimilation, giving up his religion and fashioning an image that will place him apart from the rest of the Jewish community. The last is Duddy, struggling the whole way with these two previous examples yet attempting to be his own man. He manages his success, owning the land he wants, still retaining his family connections, and earns the respect of his neighbourhood. Yet the cost is the shame that he cheated his way there, selling things that while not directly connected to his roots were still important to members of his family. His grandfather is also ashamed of Duddy's behaviour and afraid to leave the life he has subjected himself to.
These three steps could be applied to Canadian history. A young nation who negotiates its freedom as does the Grandfather with the dominant society, from England. Here we then see the white washing of Canadian history, the errecting of the settler myth, and the homogenization of any culture not English. Finally a recognition of standing on our own, yet at what cost? We hold the shame of many atrocities against our own original citizens, and have tamed the wilderness, as Duddy bought his own, to find it now spoiled and less attractive.
In The Diviners we see a very close examination of identity and what forms it. From Morag's first story of Morag Gunn, the wife of Piper Gun, we are introduced to the multilayer function that families, communities and a constructed myth play a role in the development of the individual.
That Morag eventually finds her adopted father's stories were nothing but that, stories made up to entertain a child, she still recognizes that this first influence of storytelling was one of the most significant events that shaped her chosen life, and a sense of who she is.
In the Tonnerres we see a family legacy that is passed down, appropriated, and given back. The culture of the First Nations is highlighted as the resilience and adaptation is brought to the forefront. Two very significant events help to show these concepts.
The passing on of songs from Skinner to Pique help to highlight the shared heritage and strength of the oral tradition. Skinner writes honest songs about the tragic events of his life and passes these things down to Pique as a part of the family history. This is the essence of the oral tradition of First Nations and gives Pique access to the family she eventually discovers back in Manitoba.
The trading of the knife and pin between Morag and Skinner is highly symbolic. It is a direct testament to the view of First Nation culture by the dominant Anglo culture. The image of the 'noble savage' has been used and misrepresented in 400 years of both governmental and commercial appropriation. It has only been within the last 40 years that First Nations have finally been able to attempt to revive and reclaim their culture. Lawrence would have been watching the significant events of the 60's and 70's unfold and been able to see this process clearly, and then represented it here with this highly poignant scene.
That Morag is able to piece together both the real and fictional parts of her personal myth and construct, or divine, who she is shows the importance of all aspects of history in shaping both an individuals identity and a national identity. I would go so far as to say that Lawrence, intentionally or not, has constructed a map with The Diviners that could be used to reconcile and redefine Canada's national identity.
Findley's novel strays significantly from any of these issues in a concrete way yet his novel could be seen as quintessentially Canadian for these exact reasons. That he leaves such ambiguity in the possible interpretations is a significant part of any identity construction. We as individuals are essentially making it up as we go along, and Findley's round about way of portraying the ideals of family and their influence reinforces the ideal itself.
The Noyes family is as split and dysfunctional as the two syllables of their name implies. That Noah takes a complete step in setting down rules to separate the lower and upper orders further illustrates this. This is no different than the politics of the past 30 years, factionalized, partisan, and now including literal separatists!
Findley stays away from any concrete or identifiable 'trademarks' of Canadian literature but this is in fact on purpose as Not Wanted on the Voyage is not a novel based in any solid foundation or addressing directly any real ideal, it is instead a plea for change. It is a heartfelt, yet idealistic, shout to the general populace to effect positive and lasting change. To imagine and incorporate the ideals of others that will improve the lives of all.
The three novels could very much be placed in a series as an action plan. First is Richler, showing us that the family that is Canada is losing its integrity and soul. Next is Lawrence, who gives us the map on how we as a nation can begin to pull ourselves together and leave behind the ill suited identities thrust upon us, and reforge ourselves as a cohesive whole. Finally is Findley, who gives us the force to change. He is the youngest sibling of the family but he points to us all and says: "Look! If these two can write these books, if they can imagine the situations, and make constructive change on paper, then why aren't we ALL doing it ourselves to make the country, and the world, a better place?!" Uncommon to each other in subject and style, but wholly Canadian, these three books take a look at the smaller unit of the family, showcase the significance, and show us all what the Canadian national family could be.
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