How Many Miles to Babylon - Cultural Context
Cultural Context Issues from the Dept. Guidelines:
Social rituals: We can see how the upper classes live their lives, with private tutors, holiday trips abroad, their own estate with tenants and horses, their separate eating rituals (child eating separately some of the time), able to take the car to Dublin, the social outing when the Moores put up a good front. Then there are the matching rituals in war, where the officers have greater comfort, with their orderlies (the equivalent of servants at home), their requests being met (e.g. getting tea with no sugar - unlike Jerry’s lack of success when he asks to work with the horses, or find his father).
Values and attitudes: Land is certainly valued, especially by Alec’s father, and he hopes Alec will join him in running the estate. Jerry values Irish freedom , seems to be involved in the Republican movement and says he’s a soldier to learn the use of weapons for the Irish struggle. Alec values Jerry’s friendship, but is rather passive and doesn’t seem to be interested in any causes. Mrs Moore values her own control over her life and consequently the lives of those around her.
Roles of men and women: The only woman in the novel is into control. She wields her power coldly and manipulatively in the family, even having the husband under her thumb (e.g. he gives in to her on the question of Alec’s going away to school). As she rules the domestic front so Glendinning rules in a similar way on the military front, where all the power resides with the men. Ironically it is a woman writer who gives us the most unpleasant woman character of the three texts.
Power: On the domestic front power resides with he woman, but on the battlefield it lies with the men. Glendinning has the power of life and death over Jerry (though there are military procedures for the death sentence). In a way Alec also exercises a power of life and death over Jerry also. The structures of power in the military are not conducive to family relationships as Jerry is severely punished for his attempt to find his father (deserting in the process).
Race and Class: Race isn’t a big issue in HMB except for the English/Irish conflict e.g. in the light banter between Bennett and Alec and Jerry and Glendinning’s dismissive attitude to the Irish. Class is obviously much more important, and much more significant than in the other texts, seen particularly in the efforts both of Mrs Moore and her counterpart Glendinning to keep Alec and Jerry apart.
The Key Moments
Opening Scene: From the opening sentence we can see the class differences - he gets extra privileges because he is "a gentleman" - gets his writing gear. Alec realises this without much concern: "They are treating me the respect apparently due to my class". The war context is also created here: "the attack must be on ... the end of the world for many ... the heroes and the cowards, the masters and the slaves" - showing that Alec has his own way of classifying people. The nature/countryside context is also evoked her (we'll hear more of that in the scenes set in Ireland), but in the descriptions war has a negative impact - "A hundred yards of mournful earth ... a thick and evil February rain". (2).
Alec’s Education: We get some insight in this scene into how the well off live e.g. the private tutoring with Mr Cave, the piano teacher, but mainly Mr. Bingham. There's the luxury of a school-room in the house. They could afford boarding school as well, though this option is not taken up because of Mrs Moore's attitude to her husband: "I have no intention of remaining alone in this house with you". (8). There's a house with an avenue, an estate with horses (8). This aspect of context is not as pronounced in the other texts. In relation to the parties the mother and father may be "excellent, generous hosts", but where the context is usually cold, unwelcoming, unappealing: "The dining-room in the daytime was unwelcoming. It faced north and that cold light lay on the walls and furniture without kindness".
First meeting of Alex and Gerry: The class differences are evident when they meet: Alec takes the landlord role - he is suspicious, "had been warned about gipsies", gives out to Jerry about being on private property, threatens to have him prosecuted. Jerry's cheerfulness (e.g. inviting Alec to join him for a swim), and his "contemptuousness" (that "wasn't aggressive") towards Alec's snobbishness breaks down this barrier.
Breaking Up the Friendship: The reason why the parents want the Jerry/Alec relationship broken up seems to be based on class difference. The father articulates it: “an unsuitable relationship ... The responsibilities and limitations of the class into which you are born. ... Once you accept the advantages then the rest follows. Chaos can set in so easily.” (29). The nature context is described here, a backdrop to the unpleasant conversation (“The green leaves on each side of us rustled ... “ - p 24) Alec wants to be part of it: “If I were to be born again in another shape I would choose to be a rook” (24). The war context figures in this extract also as the danger of war hovers in the background: “There are undoubtedly tensions ... A quick flare up perhaps cannot be ruled out completely”. (28).
Alec and Gerru Reunited: We get a flavour of the Irish historical and cultural background: e.g. the poteen, the snatches of Irish ballads and verses, the traditional Irish music at the crossroads dance and when Jerry gets touchy when Alec suggests he might be in Sinn Fein - "Keep your bloody mouth shut" (51). And of course there's plenty of the European history background throughout the text. The class issue surfaces briefly as Jerry slags Alec: "I suppose you travel first class", but Alec has a dig back at him: "You do have the most incredible pre-conceivd ideas". (62).
Leaving for War: There are some indications here of the upper class background of the Moores - talk of arrangements for the hunt (finding a horse for cousin Maud), the option of sending Alec to Dublin "in the motor" (66), though he shows his lack of interest in the class differences by opting for the train.
The Horse Riding Incidents: Bennett, like Alec has no interest in the class differences - doesn’t mind Jerry going horse riding with them and admires his abilities. The “small irate major” disapproves as does Major Glendinning later, for class/military reasons. Jerry has no time for the upper classes: “I spit on gentlemen riders” (77). There’s a touch of the home background when they go for their trips - in the scenery and the camaraderie at the bar. However, though there are beautiful descriptions some of them are tainted by the war context: “a line of white charming puff-balls appeared and disintegrated, a background to the grey tormented landscape” (77). The political contexts are discussed at the bar. Bennett jokes at Jerry: “ damn Celts ... It’s no wonder we don’t think you’re fit to rule yourselves” (97). Jerry laughs when Bennett thinks he’s a Home Ruler, and declares himself a Republican. Bennett is surprised by a Republican’s involvement in the war, but Jerry explains: “Learning to shoot a gun” (102). Bennett is impressed by what he hears of Pearse’s ideas from Jerry e.g. “there are things more horrible than bloodshed, and slavery is one of them”. (102) Bennett regards himself as a “fellow revolutionary” (103), as he is something of a social revolutionary in England, giving us a different kind of English context to that represented by Major Glendinning. We also get the perspective of the ordinary French, in the person of the bar owner, who has lost a son in the war (“Nous avons perdu notre fils” - 100). At one stage there’s a contrast of contexts when Alec refers to the owner: “Maybe he was thinking of his son killed on the twentieth of September, when I was training my Morrigan, on the hills at home, and Jerry was going on manoeuvres with a hurling stick” (104). The combination of French, Irish and English languages emphasises the different nationalities with their different cultural contexts. At the end of the second horse riding episode there’s a blending of contexts: “Having lost the war I never wanted to find it again, but we slipped back into it as easily as we had slipped out of it.” (105).
The Suffering Soldier: This scene helps to convey the context of war in which the characters exist and act out their lives. One exchange shows how Alec and Glendinning come from different contexts, viewing reality from different perspectives: Alec unconsciously spoke a line of poetry and Glendinning responds: “Incantations or poems, they’re all the same. I have no time for the man who cannot face reality”. Alec’s retort: “Maybe reality is different to each person”, Glendinning says: “Rubbish.” (120). In their conversation there’s also a reference to the Irish political situation: Glendinning hopes that Alec is not “tainted with the Irish disease ... Disaffection. Disloyalty. Epidemics flare from time to time” (121).
The End: Once again the context of war has people doing what they wouldn’t normally do - killing a friend. In their final discussion Alec and Glendinning trade heir different versions of the world. In response to Alec’s question about how he learned “to be so evil” (152), Glendinning replies: “The world taught me. The world will teach you. You will never understand me until the day you are faced with responsible decisions to make. People’s lives, people’s deaths. The crumbling world waiting for your word” Alec’s response shows his different world view: “Please God such a macabre situation will never arise” (152). They differ in their view of human nature: Alec: “You refuse to view people as anything but cattle”, Glendinning: “That’s what most of them are”. (151). The Ireland/England political context is raised again: Glendinning: “How you damn Irish expect to be able to run your own country when you can’t control your own wasteful emotions I can’t imagine”. (152).