Julian Barnes and Mavis Gallant on Perception and Identity
Two of the major topics of Mavis Gallant's From the Fifteenth District and A History of the
World in Ten and a Half Chapters by Julien Barnes are identification as well as perspective.
Depending on the author's prior notions, actuality alters. The tale deviates from the usual norms
in several ways. Gallant's stories don't have any simple issues or answers. To help readers get
their bearings as they follow the events on board the Santa Euphemia, Barnes makes use of
analogies to Catholicism.
First, a description of Major Emery Traveller's life, or more specifically, his existence after
death, is given. The perspective is held by a deceased individual rather than a live one. Because
of the new setting, the reader loses the ability to identify with and sympathize with this
individual. Even if death is a known idea, the reader is nevertheless uncomfortable with it since
there is no proof that there is life after death. The living are unable to completely appreciate the
finality of death. By using words and expressions like the final slumber, gone to paradise, and at
peace, we, the living, try to put it into words so that we may grasp it. Nobody, nevertheless, has a
complete understanding of what takes on after death. Gallant has purposely compelled the reader
to examine the events of Major Travella's lifetime from this strange and bewildering standpoint.
Alternative or opposing perspectives to those held by the living are offered to death. While those
still alive cherish their memories of the departed, the Major Travella is filled with disdain and
scorn for those still alive. The Major requests that the congregation leave him alone, Gallant says
in his explanation of this notion. A guy with feelings finds the living's opaqueness, weight and
dullness, wetness in their skin, and grease buildup in their hair repulsive. (250) This emotional
inversion is crucial because it informs the reader that their view has changed and that the tale is
more complex than it initially appears to be. From life until death, the Major's identity as a
person evolves. Major Travella is a stubborn ghost that enjoys isolation and has a pessimistic
perspective on the living.
A History of the Earth in Ten and a Half Chapters by Barnes illustrates this: Once more,
appearance and identification of the Visitors are connected. The reader is given access to both the
terrorists' and the visitors' points of view. Perspective is crucial to the outcome of this tale. The
visitors are introduced on board the cruise ship Santa Euphemia not by name but rather by their
country of origin and the associated prejudice. Saint Euphemia was a martyred Christian saint,
according to the Catholic Saints Index. Perhaps Barnes intended this to be a hint at what
happened on board this ship. Barnes portrays the Brits as prim and respectable, the Canadians as
neutral, the Americans as undersized, and the Europeans as the Japanese "dropped significantly
their preconception by not exhibiting a monocular account between them," whereas the Swedish
family was described as being hirsute. (33). These are misconceptions that are prevalent in the
modern world. During one of his lectures, visiting professor Franklin Hughes is disrupted by the
hijacking of the cruise liner. This is an effort to release the terrorists' imprisoned brethren, it is
subsequently discovered. The nationality and stereotype of these troops, who are Arabs, are
frequently linked to acts of terrorism. To determine how much media attention each tourist's
execution would garner, the tourists are divided based on their nationality. Americans should top
that list since their fatalities will be most shocking and likely to elicit a reaction. The Arabs
achieve this by getting credentials, which are the sole irrefutable proof of the travelers' identities.
Because their administrations have recourse to nuclear bombs that may be used against any
army, from the Arab viewpoint, everyone is a military. "There are no longer any civilians," they
say to defend their stance. Your administrations make this claim, but it is untrue. You only have
the right to use your nuclear bombs against an army, right? At least the Israelis are aware of this.
They are all engaged in combat. A military is killed when a Zionist citizen is killed. Barnes (51).
This gives both an argument and a defense for what they did. Franklin is instructed by the
terrorists to present their perspective to the other travelers.
The second tale by Goodwin examines three viewpoints on Mrs. Ibrahim's illness and passing.
Mrs. Ibrahim is disturbed in death by the doctor and social worker who were in charge of taking
care of her in her dying days, in accordance with Major Traveller's story. She asks that her
chosen version of what happened be accepted as the truth in order to find peace. Her identity is
influenced by her membership in the international underclass. Everywhere they settle, they
transmit sickness and vermin, according to Dr. Chalmeton's description of the stigma associated
with her ethnicity. Their palms are never washed. In the soil, the disease that affects them thrives.
The Gallant 252 The Ibrahim family is despised by the community and endures an appalling
living environment. Barnes identifies the terrorists as Arabs, and the Ibrahim family is shown as
the impoverished immigrant family. This concept is best summed up by Gallant's case manager,
who asks, "Well, why do all these people come here, when nobody wants them?" (251) Identity
was therefore linked to citizenship and the preconceptions that go along with it.
Barnes portrays the boarding of the Santa Euphemia by using the legend of Noah's ark: "They
came up the gangway in dutiful couples. Franklin said, "The creatures came in two by two." (33)
This is consistent with the SantaEuphemia boat's name alluding to Christian and the death of a
lady who refused to identify as anything other than a Christian. Two persons every hour perish
on board. Franklin explains how Barnes is presenting the terrorists' strategy: "The order of
killings has been selected according to the blame of the Western nations for the crisis in the
Middle East." American Zionists first. Thereafter, more Americans. British then. French, Italian,
and Canadians follow. According to their identities, which are connected to their documents, the
travelers are expected to pass away (57). The reader is made to feel that the passengers' deaths
were a terrible injustice. Together with who a person is, identity is also influenced by their
nationality and the reputation of their residents. This sense of unfairness is also present in Major
Travella's afterlife experience, as he is surrounded by people he despises and is the subject of
religious allusions. When he hobbles up the church aisle, his look represents who he is.
According to Gallant, the injury was caused by the young private being crucified to a wagon on
September 23, 1914, when he was a young private.This is crucial to understand since, despite the
fact that they have altered now that he is a ghostly, the major's identity is still tied to his look and
demeanor. With Major Travella, Gallant, like Barnes, incorporates themes of Christianity into her
fiction. "Major Travella celebrates Holy Communion at St. Michael's, the church where he was
buried, on the Sunday closest to the anniversary of his passing every year. Before moving toward
the altar rail, he waits for everyone to have returned to their seats in the back of the church, near
to the entrance. He wants to prevent a mixed line of people who are both dead and alive since he
finds the idea repulsive. (250). The allusion to Christianity is significant because it gives the
reader a frame of reference and enables them to comprehend a viewpoint that they had not
previously been familiar with.
Gallant's viewpoint and substantiation are those of the dead, so it can be exceedingly perplexing.
Nonetheless, it alerts the reader to the fact that the story's norms diverge from those that are
customarily associated with stories. Gallant plays with the idea of reality and frequently
empathizes with individuals that are marginalized by culture. Barnes puts forward the notion that
identity is defined in larger dimensions, such as nationality and the associated preconceptions,
rather than being limited to a temperament attribute.
References
"Saint Euphemia." Catholic Saints Index. Siteseen LTD, 2017. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.
Barnes, Julian. A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters. New York: Vintage Classics, 1990.
Print
Gallant, Mavis. From the Fifteenth District. Toronto: Macmillan, 1979. Print.
