Literature As a Reflection of Contemporary Society
An Analysis of Three Popular Works
ONE
‘Fern Hill’ (1945) by Dylan Thomas is a nostalgic evocation of an idyllic past contrasted with the despair of the present. The present that the poet is referring to is the disarray and destruction wrought by the two World Wars. Young men and women caught in these events were scarred for life, both physically and psychologically. Thomas laments this irreplaceable loss of innocence and youth, likening the past to biblical Eden and its denizens to biblical Adam and Eve, the very embodiments of purity and innocence. The ‘death’ at the close of the poem represents the absence of hope for a better tomorrow.
TWO
James Joyce’s ‘Araby’ (1914) also paints vivid contrasts, this time through the minds and eyes of children on the brink of adulthood. It explores their curiosity and fascination for things unknown and their ability to create magical worlds amidst the dreary realities of their humdrum existences. However, these charmed fantasies are shattered when the child narrator encounters the reality of the Araby bazaar. This represents a moment when the narrator metaphorically sheds his shielded innocence and ‘grows up’.
THREE
The primary theme in D.H. Lawrence’s ‘The Rocking-Horse Winner’ is the erasure of love by avarice. This idea is as relevant today as it was in the early 20th century when it was written. The Industrial Revolution and the culture of materialism and consumption that it spawned raised important questions about what truly mattered in life. The fruits of technology enabled the unprecedented destruction of the First World War, bringing death and misery (Wilson). Were material possessions and territories more important than morality and happiness? This is the question raised by the heartbreaking ending of the story.
WORKS CITED
Wilson, Carolyn RC. Writing the War: The Literary Effects of World War One. Dissertation. The Ohio State University, 2006.
