Modernism and Social Condition: a Study on Harold Pinter's The

ISSN 1923-1555[Print] Studies in Literature and Language ISSN 1923-1563[Online] Vol. 4, No. 3, 2012, pp. 40-45 www.cscanada.net DOI:10.3968/j.sll.1923156320120403.2355 www.cscanada.org Modernism and Social Condition: A Study on Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming Siamak Babaee[a]; Ruzbeh Babaee[b],*; Morteza Habibi Nesami[b] [a] Department of English Language and Literature, Kashan University, perspective that generally shaped our culture beginning Iran. in the fourth century. In this view God was the defining [b] Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia. reality out of which our understanding of Self, Others, and * Corresponding author. the universe was derived. The Self was subject to God, governed by virtue, alongside Others was concerned with Received 22 March 2012; accepted 25 May 2012 the relationships of self-giving and service, and served by creation. Then began a shift of worldviews, a lurching Abstract transition starting with the Renaissance and culminating The present study pursues the evolution of an organized during the time known as the Enlightenment. Over that system of play writing known as the modern and time humanity and the physical world began to loom contemporary social drama. It is believed that this ever larger, moving more and more into the center of the social drama has its roots in the condition of life in the picture, while God –– initially relegated to the fringes –– nineteenth century and in a larger sense, it is the inevitable was eventually lopped out of the picture altogether. When consequence of a long process which has begun with the dust settled, we found ourselves looking through the Renaissance. In relation to this inquiry, the present new glasses, standing within what came to be known study by focusing on Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming as the Modern worldview. A naturalistic worldview that (1965) attempts to clarify the social position of men and had no place for the supernatural, the Modern view was women in the modern drama. In this regard, the present dominated by Man and reason: Man, occupied center paper points briefly to the social condition of life in the stage, and reason, emerged as the new authority. Now the nineteenth century, and considers its inevitable effects on Self was alienated from God, governed by principles and our time and then depicts the reflection of that condition ethics, bound together in relationships of mutual benefit on modern social drama. with Others, and in a position of domination over the Key words: Social drama; Modernism; Nineteenth physical world. The effects of these two trends of social century; Social condition change are reflected in the modern and contemporary drama. According to Robert Brustein there are three Siamak Babaee, Ruzbeh Babaee, Morteza Habibi Nesami main categories in modern and contemporary drama as (2012). Modernism and Social Condition: A Study on Harold “messianic, social, and existential” (16). Pinter’s The Homecoming. Studies in Literature and Language, “Messianic drama occurs when the dramatis rebels 4 (3), 40-45. Available from URL: http://www.cscanada.net/ index.php/sll/article/view/j.sll.1923156320120403.2355 against God and tries to take his place. Social drama DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/j.sll.1923156320120403.2355 occurs when the dramatist rebels against the conventions, morals, and values of social organism. Existential drama occurs when the dramatis rebels against the conditions of his existence.” (Ibid.) What the present study is INTRODUCTION concerned with opening is to expose human degradation Up to the Modern history, western civilization has been and human corruption in modern and contemporary social shaped by two different major trends of making sense of drama. In the current language of psychology what the reality. The first, typically referred to as the Pre-Modern writer is seeking is an estimate of values, of changes in worldview, was the God-centered, biblically-based appreciation of what is worthwhile to humanity in modern Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture 40 41 Siamak Babaee; Ruzbeh Babaee; Morteza Habibi Nesami (2012). Studies in Literature and Language, 4(3), 40-45 world. This judgment is not an easy one, because there are be generally seen: our kindlier feelings toward the young yet many people in western world who believe in human lead us to allow our children all the enjoyment which is dignity, integrity, goodness, responsiveness, self-respect, within their reach (Findlay, 1960, p.146).” It is obvious and family organization. Therefore our generalization that the conflict between freedom and discipline cannot must be made with caution and truthfulness. This is be resolved by any formula; if it is good for human being particularly important when we attempt to include an to be “free” it is also good that he should accept control entire society in one drama, and as we approach our own and be trained to lead his desires in a right way. This time, the quicker becomes the change in society. In regard training must be done through the mass media, the press, to this judgment the present study points briefly to the the church, the politicians, and the manufacturers in the social condition of life in the nineteenth- century and its educational problems, and the people should acquire the definite effect on our time and then concerning the social arts of self-government. drama, Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming will be taken The nineteenth century with its new industrial system into consideration. and its assumption of control over human development committed a capital crime. In the old days young children were about the place with father or mother or sister or SOCIAL CONDITION IN THE servants, sometimes helping, sometimes working but always learning. After the Industrial Revolution, the NINETEENTH CENTURY young people were deprived of relationships with nature In the nineteenth century illiteracy became rarer with and had to find satisfaction in pictures and parks or in every decade. “The churches in contrast to the Catholic the cinemas; forbidden to employ their hands with wood world of medievalism, made direct effort to bring and earth and tools. They came to despise manual labor religious conviction within the inner circle of the and to look to clerical employment as a more worthy people’s experience, and their motives were to prepare mode of life. Moreover, the city of the twentieth century the people for their future, both in this temporal world needs inhabitants adapted to office, shop, warehouse, and their destiny beyond the grave” (Findlay, 1960, trades, most of which demand on the physical side far p.139). This effort has still remained, but the social milieu less muscular strength than their ancestors in the rural has changed. areas. The children brought up in this situation pay more Man is valued since the humanist movement of attention to sex because of the freer treatment of sexual the sixteenth century and the nineteenth century matters among their elders and in places of entertainment. is supplemented by an increasing desire to give Such freedom of license brings about difficulties that free play to the youngsters. There appeared the surround the society. general tendency towards an ideal of freedom for The crucial point in the disintegration of personality everybody called “sentiment of democracy (Find- starts when the system makes the children work from lay, 1960, p.143)”. As Rosseau has stated “that the their youth. In the old days the youth were always under child should be allowed to develop his natural powers, control. The years of early adolescence up to eighteen Wordsworth and other poets of his day gave an aesthetic were recognized as a period of development during which interpretation to the same philosophy (Findlay, 1960, both home and church and industry combined to keep p.144)”. Two trends of influence, one springing from the inexperienced youth within bounds. But the young love of liberty, the other from revolt against artifice and wage-earner is now emancipated. When girls and boys convention began to appear. received wages they became independent, and when Every living organism desires self-expression, desires to this was added superficial attractions of the crowd, to do as it likes, but in a generation before it was assumed the music hall, the streets, the bars, etc. the result was that this impulse must be repressed among human being extraordinary negative. until years of freedom were reached. Freedom to do as one It seems to us that the worst evils of the Industrial like involves the risk of doing what is evil, of indulging Revolution have been displayed in the release of self-regarding sentiments without restraint. The extension adolescence from that social control which civilization of this kind of freedom is a danger to democracy and it never abandoned until the nineteenth century. It is means confusion and anarchy. This revision of values in noticeable that after a few generations of boys and girls the society of the nineteenth century and its continuation passing through these critical years with encouragement in the twentieth century are the main sources that attract to independence, when grown to manhood, they find the modern and contemporary social dramatist’s attention. it hard to make a stable family by the perplexities Now, we intend to discuss more profoundly how this which now confront them, and they lose the sense abuse of freedom has operated on the minds of youths. of duty towards the family life. These are the main “In the old days social conventions led the parents to have points that cause the modern and contemporary social a warlike, hardy and disciplined attitude towards their dramatists concentrate on man in society, in conflict children.

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