Şeyma Yıldız Monday, December 28, 2019

20194004011

English Language and Literature

MA Programme

SAVING ERNEST: VICTORIAN MAN’S STRUGGLE BETWEEN FINDING HIMSELF

AND FITTING IN THE SOCIETY

This research aims to reveal the struggle of the Victorian English man which is
reflected in the novels of its time with an in-depth analysis of the -protagonist, Ernest
Pontifex, in Samuel Butler’s book “The Way of All Flesh” by establishing a link with
the term Übermensch from Nietzsche’s works mainly “The Geneology of Morals” and
“Thus Spoke Zarathustra”. To clarify , there will be a focus on religion and hypocrisy
which both Nietzsche and Butler heavily criticized in the Victorian period.

Butler “wanted a view of life in which the diverse needs of man’s nature should be
harmonized, a world in which the struggle for self-knowledge and personal freedom should
constitute not an act of rebellion but an inevitable growth, in harmony with natural and social
laws,” he begins to imagine the world that would become his novel, The Way of All Flesh
(Stillman).

Calling himself an outcast and rejecting both the orthodox church and the contemporary
Darwinism along with his rebellious characteristic, Samuel Butler has always blown away the
society and the scholars of Victorian Literature. The Way of All Flesh, published in 1903,
contains elements that can be considered as certain features of Butler’s style. The work is
written as a biography with realism, emotions, the individual’s suffering, moral atmosphere and
being stuck. The book was considered as an influencing piece among anti-Victorian supporters.
With the developments and innovations in the 19th Century, just like society itself the novel
also changed according to the conventions of the dawn of the industrial age. The plot and
especially the characters of the novel changed into something with more depth and complexity.
They started to reflect both good and evil as the characters formed their individuality outside
the social norms. Butler does his criticism on religion, morals and the individual through
Ernest’s struggle by providing an example of a Bildungsroman, which focuses on the growth
of the protagonist from youth to adulthood in many aspects of life.

The first encounter with the protagonist happens in the 18th chapter with all the points
given in previous chapters to point out the importance of the characters development in full
detail. These chapters show how Ernest’s father overexerted in order to reduce Ernest to be like
himself and fit in the expectations by family especially the grandfather, George.
Ernest is a fictional counterpart, a mirroring character for both the writer Butler and his great-
grandfather John Pontifex, who might not be able to achieve the state of self-overcome. Even
in his own biography somebody else stands out that has already achieved the things in life that
he was supposed to achieve. John Pontifex, just like Ernest, is the “other” of the family, unlike
his children he has a different approach to life.

We come across John Pontifex at the first few chapters and grasp his view on life
immediately. He is a balanced man who is both morally and physically capable and in a healthy
condition. He has interest in craftsmanship and music. Though he once worked as a clergyman,
he is not mentioned with his religious aspects. Yet again just like Ernest, he wasn’t the master
of his life. “His wife said to be his master…” (Butler, The Way of All Flesh, Chapter 1,p.6). In
the novel, nobody becomes their own master and cannot choose their own way to live. George
grows up in the shadow of his father a well-respected and appreciated man by the neighborhood.
His father is the highest stage of the Pontifex blood-line. George on the other hand is the first
character that Butler reflects his criticism through; he is the “aggressive” child (Butler, The
Way of All Flesh Chapter 2) with the only skill in life of making his fortune. Theobald, George’s
youngest son, is indifferent to his father; the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only
way, it does not exist.” (Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue, 3) According to
Nietzsche there is not a single, certain goal or path in life that applies to people in the same
way. It differs from people to people and might be changed with their will to power. One thing
might be good for one person, e.g. for George, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be the
same for his son. But throughout the novel nobody gets this understanding.
 During his childhood, Ernest is mistreated by his own family but his reactions and
comments on these incidents show his “true” nature which is to be good. Theobald doesn’t hint
as a decent father figure with his overly obsessive behaviors. He is a clergy-man called
“Walking Sunday” because of his passion. This kind of man, who is dedicated to radically
promote and defend an institution that is centuries old and hasn’t changed since with certain
divisions on good and evil, as is not suited for a Father figure. He is an obstacle to Ernest in his
early age. In order to understand Ernest’s struggle for self-knowledge and individuality some
questions should be asked. Is the way to personal freedom a clash with societal/religious
constitutions as a rebellious act? Is it possible to improve or find the true self of one’s own
along with natural and social laws?

Ernest has struggled to survive, from his birth till the end of the novel. He can never
even reach a single point in his life where he considers himself as “a whole decent human being”
or “individual.”. Religion is not an assisting element in Ernest’s life. Instead of religion as a
guide he (at some point starts to do this) follows his instincts even if it means to have a negative
impact on his life. All the expectations from his parents, especially being a clergyman, which
he fails to fulfill. These instincts later make him cut off his relationship with his
abusive/oppressive parents. Ernest’s parents believe that they must “train their children to be
the ideal son to inherit the family honor and name”, starting from infancy.

Theobald, the father, started to teach Ernest the basics when he was at the age of two.
As Ernest doesn’t reach his expectations and being “self-willed and naughty”, he whips him.
“‘It was painful,’ as he said to Christina, but it was the only thing to do and it was done.” (Butler,
The Way of All Flesh Chapter 19, p 162). He, as a father, should do more than just punishing.
He undermines and conditions him -Ernest- at a young age that he is not capable of individual
action and he has no original thoughts. According to the father, the “powerless” Ernest cannot
control his life/environment even when he becomes an adult.

Theobald, proceeds to control Ernest until he reaches school age. A change of

environment doesn’t hold him back, he chooses someone/something else to be the substitute
guide of Ernest. This shows how the child is overpowered by the father’s dominative manners
and become the failure. Ernest evolves and changes as a result of the things/experiences he had
at home, with his parents. He has an unhappy childhood, not healthy contacts are made between
him and his family. Ernest fails to assert any self-will. Aunt Alethea is the only one who has
positive discourse with Ernest. Ernest’s first achievement in life is inheriting the Money Aletha
left to him, after the college when his father gives it.

The pressure Theobald puts on Ernest affects his son’s decisions as well as his path and
life. As Ernest is an obedient child, he is not able to resist this external domination/oppression
upon his identity. Even the narrator mentions that “At thirteen or fourteen…was a mere bag of
bones…appearing to have no strength nor stamina” (Butler, The Way of All Flesh Chapter 30,
p229) which shows the general view on Ernest by the family and neighbors. It’s the way in
which most of the people in his life approached to him.

The death of George Pontifex has a major role in the novel. He portrays the image of a
modern man with following moral laws and being a man with good fortune. He dies because of
a chronic liver condition caused by gluttony and severe alcoholism. He keeps his morals, virtues
and non-physical aspects at the center of his life yet he lacks of having a “healthy body”.
Nietzsche refer to the segmentation of “self” as body and spirit. “An instrument of thy body is
also thy little sagacity, my brother, which thou callest "spirit"—a little instrument and plaything
of thy big sagacity.” (Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra,4,31). He suggests a balance between
the two terms and advices on the improvement of both. George Pontifex is an example of the
unbalanced man of the Victorian period. Nietzsche also suggests the men with a health mind
will most probably achieve a healthy soul as the body is the provider of senses and feeds the
soul. He suggests that the healthy states of the senses, the body and the soul is in parallel by
stating “More honestly and more purely speaks the healthy body, the perfect and perpendicular
body, and it speaks of the meaning of earth.” (Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra,4,30)

Ernest is always at the hand of the limitations set upon him by social institutions; first
the family and later on with him enrolling in a grammar school at the age of twelve with his
father’s wish, the school limits him to find his own path in life. The most apparent example of
the limitations and manipulations of the school on Ernest is their displeasure of him taking an
interest on sports. “Healthy body, healthy mind” but the headmaster doesn’t seem to agree with
this as it is always imposed on Ernest to focus on his religious studies. Being away doesn’t keep
his family to try to maintain their control over Ernest. He still has the financial dependency to
his parents. “but Ernest never got more than half-a-crown and seldom more than eighteen pence;
his average would, I should think, be about one and nine pence, which was just too much for
him to rank among the downright bad boys, but too little to put him among the good ones.”
(Butler, The Way of All Flesh Chapter 31, p 238)

The first time Ernest feels like a free individual is his years at the Emmanuel College of
Cambridge University. He is free to do whatever he wants; he has a comfortable environment
with the free choice of who to surround himself with. During his last years, Ernest becomes
more attentive to religious teachings and other theological topics. He starts to question religion,
morality and society, plans to enter the Anglican ministry with some of his friends. But, when
he writes all his plans and this “new awakening to Christ”, his parents are disturbed by this.
According to them religion should be practiced in moderation even for the clerics. His main
plan is to cure people’s souls like the doctors, bringing religious practices up to date with
scientific developments of the time.

According to Nietzsche’s philosophy, just like animals, there is a natural instinct within
man that he cannot deny;

“Filth is at the bottom of their souls; and Alas. if their filth has still spirit in it! Would that you
were perfect - at least as animals! But to animals belongs innocence. Do I counsel you to slay
your instincts? I counsel you to innocence in your instincts.” (Nietzsche, Thus Spoke
Zarathustra,11. 48)“

Despite Nietzsche’s suggestion on appreciation of this natural force, culture and religion
enforce man to suppress this side of him. Nietzsche’s view on character is as something to be
created individually as he sees life as a piece of art. To create it, one needs to exclude all outside
factors and elements. Basically, one needs to turn to its own nature. Only by looking inwards,
one can create a “true self” which is cleaned from social institutions, religious oppression and
norms. A true freedom to “self”. These chapters are the peak of Ernest’s religious compassion
and beliefs. At this point, his life is surrounded by spirituality in order to find purpose for
himself in life, to become an individual. But these plans lead him to the start of many disasters
rather than his expectations on a religious “awakening”.

Ernest tries to find his solution in the Christian doctrine.” … he was among the few who
were ready to give up ALL for Christ.” (Butler, The Way of All Flesh Chapter 54, p 434)
According to Nietzsche , it cannot be trusted whereas nothing can have a single starting point
in life.

Nietzsche, by boldly stating that “God is dead. / Gott ist tot” (The Gay Science) in his
works, opened a new way to “philosophy of life” in the Victorian era. To his philosophy, in
order to overcome the defected man and reach Übermensch, one should omit the institutions
that are holding back the man. "Dead are all the Gods: now do we desire the overman to live."
(Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra,22,66). Ernest has this bond with Christianity which he
cannot exclude from his life so easy as it is inherited from his family line. Nietzsche suggests
not only omitting the institution of religion but also the moral system which is dominant in the
Western World. He interprets that Christianity in its Fundamentals refuses to understand human
nature and misinterprets life.

Towards the middle of the novel, Ernest is sent to Coldbath Fields Prison for six months
of hard labor as a punishment of his misunderstood assault towards Miss Snow. With the
judge’s sentence, it can be interpreted as that he is still not a mature decent man in the eyes of
society and law , he is impure and couldn’t even act properly to a girl from the society. He
implies that the time he was in control of his parents and the schoolmasters, he was protected
from these kinds of impudence towards society. Even with their teaching he is not able to
operate according to societal laws and ethics.

“At Cambridge you were shielded from impurity by every obstacle which
virtuous and vigilant authorities could devise… but it seems as though their only result had
been this— that you have not even the common sense to be able to distinguish between a
respectable girl and a prostitute.” (Butler, The Way of All Flesh Chapter 62, p 487-9)

Again, Ernest fails in life. Ernest collapses before even reaching the prison. This might
be symbolizing his downfall in means of religious devotion being destroyed by the judge’s
words. His time in prison provides him with a place to think further about his life and his
individuality. Ernest realizes his mistake to follow his parent’s wishes and becoming a
clergyman, putting them before them. He grasps the underlying principle of Christianity and
concludes that this Resurrection thing was a fantasy.
 “Perhaps the shock of so great a change in his surroundings had
accelerated changes in his opinions, … But however, this may be, his belief in
the stories concerning the Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ,
and hence his faith in all the other Christian miracles, had dropped off him once
and for ever.” (Butler, The Way of All Flesh Chapter 64, p 500)

Ernest physically recovers but he still has doubts and questions over his mentality. He
cannot reach a full spiritual recovery and certainty. Many 19th-century intellectuals refused the
beliefs but they kept preserving their morality. In Nietzsche’s understanding, even these
moralities lacked authority. To him, the core of Christianity was linked to hatred and it was
threatening the nature of people. Our instincts, according to Christianity are disobedience
towards God. To Nietzsche, it was just suppressing the self and self-hatred which he heavily
discussed in his works starting with the lines “Eternal hate created me as well” (Nietzsche, On
the Geneology of Morals,15.70)

Ernest enjoys his life in prison and has a different kind of relief that he couldn’t get at
an early stage in life from his parents and environment. He finds a way to prove himself by
working as a tailor’s apprentice. He also serves as a prison chapel organist. Prison, in contrast
to other Victorian novels’ brutal descriptions of it, is described as a place where Ernest can feel
individual, equal and “free”. Through this time in prison, Ernest decides that the highest
religious principle is the pursuit of self-satisfaction. He breaks from his passive identity and
starts to rely on his own judgment.

After coming out of the prison, Ernest’s parents try to condition him by their financial
power. They offer him a sum of money to start a new life nothing but as a clergyman. He refuses
and takes a step to his individual free life from that point on. He redefines Christianity to himself
as that which serves his own interest. All these months in and out of prison, alters his philosophy
towards life. He claims his independency against the institutions of family, religion and
education. But still he needs to take many more steps to be happy and a whole man, which
Nietzsche defines as Übermensch.

Nietzsche questions the doctrines (religious, social etc.) that hold people back. Instead
of these doctrines he suggests individual’s “own” ones. He developed his own doctrines that
serve the people who seek to find/achieve their true self-the best self. He defines it as the
Übermensch (super /overman) those who master over their selves; emotions, behaviors and
acts. He was against handed-down rules, values and laws. (Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra,
chapter 22) Ernest could have created his own values, laws and morals in life , creating/finding
his own identity but with the external oppressive force that was on him all his life enables him
to do so.

“The child is innocence and forgetfulness, a new beginning, a game, a

self-propelling wheel, a first motion, a sacred Yes.” (Nietzsche, Thus Spoke
Zarathustra,1.26)

Through the middle of Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche defines 3 kinds of

Metamorphoses that the individual must go through if he wants to achieve Übermensch, find
the true freedom, by using allegories of the camel, the lion and the child. The camel is the beast
of burden, it carries the values of past, just like George and Theobald trying to carry on their
values and imposing them on the next generations which is the actual problem in the novel and
which Nietzsche and Butler criticized;

“…All these heaviest things the weight-bearing spirit takes upon itself: and like
the camel, which, when burdened, speeds into the wilderness, so the spirit speeds into
its wilderness. But in the loneliest wilderness the second metamorphosis happens: here
the spirit becomes a lion; it will seize freedom, and become master in its own
wilderness.” (Thus Spoke Zarathustra,1. 25)

The camel transforms into the lion, the rebel, the one who challenges the values of past.
This might be Alethea in the novel as she has her own value system whereas she is the “less”
wanted child among George’s. In the next allegory, the child, is representing the innocence and
forgetting, a new beginning, rebirth, new values and such. Which is Ernest supposed to be

Ernest becomes a doubting, questioning Victorian English man. In his new life after
prison, he decides not to accept religion as a help to his struggle in life so blindly. He chooses
his instincts as a guiding principle in his life instead of religion. The novel is centered around
Ernest’s struggle on not having his own opinion and will to decide. This struggle is fed up with
his confusion and uncertainty of philosophy, science and metaphysics. He is stuck in the box
where most of the Victorian people were in distress about religion clashing with the scientific
innovations. He tries to focus on his literary instincts and after a long discussion within himself,
he concludes on philosophy cannot be mingled with and/or based on an institution that relies
on “absolute first principle” . The narrator, Overton, reminds Ernest to have public opinion in
his mind in these chapters. Nietzsche’s Übermenschen is the one who lives by their own vales
with nature, who recognizes their superiority, using their power to improve the mentality of the
society and takes them further beyond if it’s necessary. Ernest ignores Overton’s advice on
listening to the society and limiting himself within their laws. Like Butler, he follows his own
way as a writer.

In conclusion, the possible underlying liberation of Ernest might be him being left alone
from all the institutions of life; society, family and such. His actual life starts after his refusal
of his parents and wife. As he couldn’t have a decent family and childhood ,it’s not a surprise
that he fails in his own marriage too. Towards the end of the novel, we see Ernest leaving his
children and divorcing his wife who is just like Ernest, having a struggle to fit in the societal
norms and having an alcohol problem due to her distress. Even at the end of the novel, Ernest
cannot be totally defined as “whole normal human being” but he attains to maintain his own
identity. His life and identity might not be a perfect one but it belongs to him. Just like Nietzsche
saying that "Life is hard to bear." But for what purpose should you have your pride in the
morning and your resignation in the evening? Life is hard to bear: but do not affect to be so
delicate! We are all of us fine beasts of burden, male and female asses.” (Thus Spoke
Zarathustra,7. 37), Ernest comes to this realization of life, self-acceptance and in a way kind of
a “self-overcome”. His realization of the major reflections of his upbringing and experiences
causes him to accept that he was and/or is still incapable of living like the “others”, within the
expectations of society. But this realization doesn’t necessarily mean negative. Nietzsche
defines “The Will to power” as an important instinct in humans to strive for growth. İnstinct to
be strong and to survive which Ernest lacks of. He might not be able to reach the stage of self-
overcoming because of his past and his parents but he certainly achieves to create a “self” with
accepting his all defects in life.
Bibliography

Butler, Samuel. The Way of All Flesh. Braille Writers Association of Victoria, 1942.

Nietzsche,Frederich. Thus Spoke Zarathustra.Blurb,2009

Nietzsche,Frederich. On the Genealogy of Morals.Vintage Books,1969.

Mills,Carla.Samuel Butler 's Ernest Pontifex, or The Way of All Flesh: Evolution, Religion,
and Wealth,2014