My chosen selection begins on page 49, “He took a train for Toronto…” and ends at the top of page 51, “like a dog‘s footprints on the snowed roof of a garage”. I chose this section because I felt it described the ‘otherness’ of immigrants well, and because it also depicted how the dreams of what emigrating to North America, were unrealistic. There is a distinct sense of the degrading nature of the ‘otherness’, and how the English speaking actors think of them.
“If he did not learn the language he would be lost.” Key concept throughout whole section. ‘Otherness’ again. Basically, the language is needed in order for him to integrate himself fully within society, without a good understand of English, he would have been condemned to the outskirts of society.
“The school was free. The children in the class were ten years old and he was twenty-six.” In my opinion, this is a clear indication of the ‘otherness’ experienced by Nicholas as a new immigrant, not understanding the language but yearning to be accepted he is willing to degrade himself in order to achieve the knowledge he requires to become more integrated in society. Although the school as free, and there was education to be had, it was almost as though, by being in a class with ten year olds he was being mocked for wanting to learn the language, almost as though the society he now found himself saw him as of sub intelligence. This of course, is conjecture, since maybe there was little demand for English classes among the immigrants and that the only school available was the children’s class. However, it still seems very demeaning and a far cry from the easy life described to him by Daniel back home, of how easy it was to make money.
The paragraph that begins, “When he returned to Toronto…” expresses how the immigrants used theatre and English spoken songs to improve their own English. The would mimic actors and often repeat what was said, in an interpretation of the actors voice. In the previous paragraph, Nicholas is “looking for a voice” for his English, and he follows suit. It implies that the immigrants are looking to fit in and the only way of doing this is to become Canadian. They seek to become exactly like their Canadian counterparts, to no longer be “others” but instead be Canadian, be a part of general society.
The fact that this irritates the actors, seems to be a sign, that perhaps the Canadians are not always receptive of immigrants. Or simply that the actors, are keen to impress and with half the audience reciting the lines as they are said.
It interests me that they learned their English accents through interacting with other medium, since this seems a rather post-modern concept. The idea of referencing, not only the availability of other medium, but also how it is utilised by a particular audience. Specific actors are also mentioned. It is suggested that the choice of an actor could determine how one is perceived. In Nicholas’s case he chose Fats Waller, whose method of speaking made him seem antisocial. It is interesting that the media, and its imitation is depicted as having a massive effect on individuals. Ironically, despite his attempt at becoming integrated in society via language, due to a poor choice in an actor to copy, he ends up a recluse.
When it is stated that when Wayne Burnett died onstage, and he was instantly replaced by a swiss immigrant, it screams of the opportunity of no longer being “other” and instead being a vital part of the show. The concept that the tickets didn’t have to be refunded, seems cheap dig. Like the actors, as workers, are easily replaced. In my opinion, that comment cheapens life.
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3 comments:
First, I agree with your interpretation of this passage : it depicts the otherness of the immigrants, the degradation Nicholas has to experienced in order to acquire a certain knowledge, and the wish of all immigrants to fit the norm to become Canadian.
However, I found this passage interesting in a more universal meaning because it deals with the relationship between words and reality. Nicholas is his voice. People knows him through the way he speaks. And it is the same for the trees in his dream, they « changed not just their names but their looks and character ».
It deals about power of words. For Nicholas, the signifying changes because he learns another language, and it is hard for him to accept that the signified does not change.
What i found enjoyable about this novel is how Ondjaate opens up points of discussion (for instance, this idea of 'otherness') but does not commit to a definitive idea. Instead, he often contradicts his earlier assertions - i think - to challenge the reader and make them consider alternative interpretation.
While i agree that in this passage Nicholas's 'otherness' is apparent because of his lack of English, later on Patrick is the 'other' because of his Englishness. Amongst the Macedonians he is a the outsider because he cannot communicate with them properly. In this reversal, rather than implying that the only way to fit in is to 'become Canadian', the only way to fit in is to 'become' Macedonnian.
I think that this complication speaks more generally to Ondjaate's ideas of what makes someone 'Canadian'. Patrick, (born and bred in Canada) is lost in the city amongst its inhabitants. Perhaps Ondjaate presents both sides of the story as a way of representing the fact that Canada is a country which has, in fact, always been based on immigration.
The excerpt you’ve chosen takes the basic and well-known idea that immigrants have to learn the language of their new country, and puts skin on its bones in an unexpected way. There is a whole little narrative about the difficulties of learning English (sitting in a class with children; working during the nights to go to school during the day; having ‘translation dreams’; going to the theatre to learn accents and pronunciation; making a poor choice of actor to imitate) which is not one that would be easy to imagine if you grew up speaking the language of a country as a native speaker. As Nikki points out, we get the reverse situation when Patrick has to learn Macedonian, and again this is a narrative involving feeding an iguana and eating at a street market that would be difficult to imagine from scratch. You could see this as the novel’s entire drive: to take the basic idea of immigrants coming to a nation to build (both literally and figuratively) a new life, and creating a web of intricate and almost fantastical details through which to animate this familiar idea in order to breathe fresh life into it.
What you say about the ‘referencing’ of another medium by the immigrants being somewhat postmodern in nature is interesting: it’s a kind of mimicry that we associate with postcolonial subjects and the image of a Sicilian butcher up on stage sharpens the comic impact. I would not include plays under the umbrella of ‘the media’, though – films, yes; the theatre, no.
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