The Impact of Religion on Iris Murdoch's Fiction
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VEDA’S JOURNAL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (JOELL) Vol. 1 Issue 2 An International Peer Reviewed Journal 2014 http://www.joell.in RESEARCH ARTICLE THE IMPACT OF RELIGION ON IRIS MURDOCH’S FICTION Dr. Arpana (Associate Professor & Head ,Department of English ,SSM College, Dinanagar, Punjab 145001) ABSTRACT For some people religion is taken as an experience of individuals but for Iris, religion is always a feeling of love and goodness. In her fiction, she shows how middle class values continue to work in religious dilemma. Murdoch points out how people expect redemption from religious men and refuse to accept help from them when they lose their faith in God. The paper examines some of her novels from religious point of view. She through her characters confirms her belief in religion that if they disbelieve in the existence of god they will be deprived of the hope and consolation of forgiveness. Their lack of faith in God makes them blind to the possibilities of reconciliation. Article Info: Article Received: 19/09/2014 Revised on: 25/09/2014 Accepted on: 28/09/2014 keywords: Religion, Reconciliation ,Faith, Morality, © Copyright VEDA Publication Religion, according to Murdoch involves forfeit, consideration, and magic are popular ways of goodness that has a set of beliefs in it. She has also any religion. The most important is the way of remarked: It is felt to be important that religion worship, and closely linked with it, is the conduct of should be flexible and argumentative, centered upon its followers. Love towards God expresses itself and the individual and that no alleged transcendent must express itself through love of man, in whatever metaphysical realities, such as God, or History or the form it can be more effectual. In Western Christian Church, should be allowed to overshadow the moral usage, indeed, “religious” came to be synonymous life.3In her fictional work, Murdoch has shown with “monastic” in the sense of being bound by a delinking of morality from traditional religion and has vow to the observance of the way of life prescribed also shown how it has affected the present time by a particular community. Some believe that religion politics. is the experience of individual man in isolation while Religion involves more or less clearly others maintain that religion is essentially social. So articulated set of beliefs, practices, attitudes, and we find, two planes have been distinguished within motives. Religion is fundamental to the way of life of the moral aspect of actions: one of a subjective kind an individual or of a society. Indeed it has often been which concerns the inward observation of the rules held that morality is wholly dependent on religion: a of behavior, another of a more objective nature man who has no religion cannot have any morality. which-referring to society-embraces the totality of all Further popular or unreflective morality is inclined to kinds of behavior, accepted by any cultural group. lay more emphasis on rules than on ideals The Bell is the first religious novel of Iris Normally, to be religious is to be related to Murdoch. The action of The Bell takes place at Imber the holy in one or more ways. Worship, prayer, Court, a place for a lay religious community. In fact 64 Dr.Arpana VEDA’S JOURNAL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (JOELL) Vol. 1 Issue 2 An International Peer Reviewed Journal 2014 http://www.joell.in this Imber court is a “buffer state” between the James desires to judge others and wants to Abbey, the nunnery, and the outside world. Imber be judged by them in the light of religiously Community is an experiment and privilege given to “enjoined” and religiously “forbidden” things. He those people who cannot leave the world and yet links religious faith with absolute morality. For him, have a yearning for spiritual life or “who can live religion comes from outside. James considers Nick neither in the world nor out of it’’ (p.81). It is midway Fawley as “pansy” and Dora as a “bitch.” When Toby between the spiritual life inside the walls of the Bashe makes confession of his flirtation with Michael, Abbey and selfish yearning in the outside world. The James judges the latter in the light of conventional community has been voluntarily formed by its morality. He says, “Look, Michael, I can’t wrap this up members, and they are supposed to receive their and you wouldn’t want me to. Toby has told me power from the Abbey. The effort here is not to everything’’ (p.293). He thinks that Nick has done search for that place, that task, which will make their only one good act i.e. sending Toby to make spiritual life most constantly prosper: and for this confession. He cannot excuse Michael because he they must use a divine cunning, be as “wise as has committed something that is forbidden. But at serpents, as harmless as doves”(p.81). the same time, he is not very happy in judging Like all other religious communities, Imber Michael. There is an expression of pain and misery on Community has formed the custom of not discussing his face when he talks “to Michael about Toby’s their past, and leading a simple life. In fact they make confession”. He feels, Michael, the head of the an effort to “imitate monastic life in a certain way” community, has broken the known rules, so no good (p.59). They want to bring back self-respect and can be done to this community. Ultimately James and consequence into life by working on the farm to fulfill the Abbess decide to dissolve the community. James their needs. The members of Imber Community do goes to the East End of London from where he had their prayers regularly and the hand bell rings for come. Mass, Martins, Lauds and Prime. It is hoped that the In fact, it is James’ great regard for society sound discipline of this place will enable them to give that prompts him to condemn emotions, ideas and up their “personal expression.” There is also a legend people who threaten the “special fabric.” He realizes linked with this Abbey about the flying of the Abbeys how easily the individual falls into a moral and bell and falling in the lake. The life of the persons at psychological morass once he deviates from the the Imber Court is affected by different attitudes of simple rules like those in the Bible. His moralistic James Tayper pace and Michael Meade towards living makes him the undeclared leader at Imber morality and human behavior. They both address the Court. Even Nick whom James thinks to be having a Imber Community. great “capacity” to “make mischief’’ in the James represents the conventional morality community, has great regard for him. With and is deontological in approach Living conventional morality and rules, James cannot have conventionally by outward rules is possible for him any intimate relationship with anybody. His because he believe whole heartedly in God who relationship with others is an outward one, so it does exists outside himself and gives the rules. He says:We not produce any moral development in the should consider not what delights us or what disgusts characters with whom he comes in contact. It is us, morally speaking, but what Is enjoined and what people like James at Imber that make Dora feel is forbidden. And this we know, more than we are inferior and a “penitent wife.” The fact about James often ready to admit. We know it from God’s Word is that he does not tie his religion to archaic needs. and from his Church with a certainty as great as our His faith cannot give him any knowledge of the belief. Truthfulness is enjoined, the relief of suffering unsocialized inner life of himself and others. His is enjoined, and adultery is forbidden. And I feel that ignorance makes him unintentionally unloving and we ought to think quite simply of these matters, destructive. thus: truth is not glorious, it is just enjoined; sodomy James and Michael have different is not disgusting, it is just forbidden (p.132). approaches towards life. For James, “the chief 65 Dr.Arpana VEDA’S JOURNAL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (JOELL) Vol. 1 Issue 2 An International Peer Reviewed Journal 2014 http://www.joell.in requirement of the good life is to live without any the boys. During his lecture, Michael is “only thinking image of oneself” (p.131), but for Michael, “one of Nick’s embraces.” But his lecture on sodomy has a should have some conception of one’s capacities” deep effect upon Nick. The next day, instead of (p.200). It means Michael puts emphasis on self- coming to Michael, Nick goes to the Headmaster and knowledge. James’ address is a good collection of speaks everything. This leads to Michael’s departure ideas, whereas Michael’s address is based upon his from the school and failure of his ambition to personal experience. The latter says, “Each one of us become a priest. But Michael does not bear any ill has his own way of apprehending God” (p. 203), and will against Nick. He understands that it is Nick’s further adds, “Each one of us apprehends a certain religious enthusiasm that has turned their love into a kind and degree of reality and from this comes our dreamy tale of seduction. Nick is temporarily affected power to live as spiritual beings: and by using and by conservative morality. So its influence does not enjoying what we already know we can hope to know last long.