Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
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1999. Uncle Ernest The story Uncle Ernest by Alan Sillitoe, set in the postwar slums of England, illustrates one man's recollection of the past, his perception of life, and the eventual accusations made against him. The accusations followed an event which boosted his spirits; however, with the return of the accusations, his life takes a downward spin. Ernest is the man's name; scrubby beard, grubby looking, with a clean hat. Ernest was in World War I, and he often dreams of the shattering memories of the war. The most lucid memory Ernest has is the memory of his comrades during World War I. Ernest feels that he should have died along with his comrades. But since he did not, his solution to the problem is to crawl in a bottle, as he spends all of his money on booze. Realistically, Ernest wants to see no one because he doesn't want to feel anything. Overall, Ernest's perception of life is grim; he feels very alone. He eats alone and sleeps alone. He has no family to comfort him, nor a wife to hold him. When others see him, they view him as a ghost. In this way, Ernest is an anti-hero. He feels outside the realms of society, is a frustrated loner, and lacks all direction in life. However, Ernest's life changes for the better when a pair of young sisters, Alma and Joan, begin to keep him company. The girls befriend him, and, eventually, he begins to buy them food and talk to them on a regular basis. He views them as his own daughters and the only people he has to love. Ernest is accused of leading the girls in the wrong direction, however. This accusation splits Ernest from both girls, and they all depart in their own ways; Ernest back to the bar, and the girls back to where they came from. Ernest doesn't care about anything after that. Frankie Buller The story The Decline and Fall of Frankie Buller by Alan Sillitoe is important in its use of imagery, allusions, and symbols to convey that personality and past can never change, even with force present. The use of imagery in the story enhances the personality of the characters and the encroachment of war. Specifically, on the encroachment of war, the three levels of encroachment include mental, social, and relational. The encroachment is important because it relates to Frankie's place in society and war. It relates to Frankie in that his neighborhood is encroaching upon his territory, and he lives in his own world and his own war. The reader can see that he is lonely and has no grasp of reality, as most 25-year-olds do not run around chasing youngsters in battle. Furthermore, Germany is encroaching upon England, which relates specifically to the theme of war present in the story. The most important allusion is that of Sodom -- a biblical allusion which Frankie uses to allude to the rival gang. In the Bible, Sodom is a place where evil people reside. Similarly, Frankie uses the name Sodom to depict evil, represented by the rival gang. This is not the only allusion, however. Another important allusion is represented in the title of the story. The 'decline and fall' depicts the falling of the Roman Empire and how there were too many people in the Roman Empire for the space it occupied. Just as society has stages, so does Frankie. Frankie Buller falls because he is forced to grow up and face reality. The act of describing his study in the beginning of the book shows that Sillitoe has compassion about showing that he is still interested in going back to his origins. The lack of 'old accent' shows that Alan regrets selling away his dreams and his past. This indicates that Alan has no actually defected to the "them" side. Additionally, the story of Frankie Buller is also about Alan Sillitoe, the author. It shows the importance of individual values, and that one should not sell themselves to society. It also illustrates that each person should work to restore his/her own values. |
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