Şeyma Yıldız Monday, December 23, 2019

20194004011

English Language and Literature

MA Programme

SAVING ERNEST : VICTORIAN MAN’S STRUGGLE BETWEEN FINDING HIMSELF

AND FITTING IN THE SOCIETY

The aim of this research is to reveal the struggle of the Victorian English man
reflected into novels of it’s time with in depth analysis of the -protogonist ,Ernest
Pontifex, of Samuel Butler’s book “The Way of All Flesh” by establishing a link with
the term Übermensch from Nietzsche’s books “The Geneology of Morals and Thus
Spoke Zarathustra”.To clarify it , there wil be a focus on religion and hypocrsy both
Nietzsche and Butler heavely critisized in 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 16 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 127).

Calling himself as an outcast and rejecting both orthodox church and current Darwinism
along with his rebelious characteristic,Samuel Butler has always been blow the society and his
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,individual’s suffering moral atmoshphere and being stucked.The book was
considered as an influencing piece among anti-victorian supporters . With 19th centuries
developments and innovations,the novel also altered into something new just like the society
itself.The plot and especially the characters of the novel were changed into something with
more depth and complexity.They started to reflect both good and evil.The characters formed
their individuality outside the social norms.
 The first encounter with the protogonist happens in the 18th chapter with all the points
given in previous chapters to point ou the importance of the character development in full
detail.These chapters shows 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’s.

Ernest is a fictional counterpart,a mirroring character for both the writer Butler and his
great-grandfather John Pontifex,who might be not able to achive self-overcome..Even in his
own biography somebody else stands out and already achived the things in life that he is
supposed to achive.John Pontifex,just like Ernest,is the “other” of the family,not like his
children he has a different approach to life.We come across to John Pontifex at the firts 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 towards craftmanship and
music.Though he once worked as a clergy man , he is not mentioned with his reliogious
aspects.Yet again just like Ernest, he wasnt the master of his life. “His wife said to be his
master…” ( Chapter 1,p.6). In the novel,nobody becomes their own master and choose their
own way to live.George grows up in the shadow of his father respected and appreciated 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
(Chapter 2, p) with the only feature of gaining Money.Theobald,George’s youngest son, is
indiffrent to his father ; the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“You have your way.I have my way.As fort he right way,the correct way,and the
only way,it does not exist.” (Nietzsche,Thus Spoke Zarathustra)

According to Nietzsche there is not a single,certain goal or a 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 doesnt necesserly mean
that it will be same for his son.But throughout the novel nobody get this understanding.

During his childhood,Ernest is mistreated by his own family but his reactions and
comments on these incidents shows his “true” nature which is to be good.Theobald doesnt hint
as a decent father figure with his overly obsessive behaiviours.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 which is centuries years old and hadn’t changed since with
certain divisions on good and evil,is not suited for a father position.He is an obstacle to Ernest
in his early ages. In orderto understand Ernest’s struggle for self-knowledge and individuality
some questions should be asked.Is the way to personal freedom clashes 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?

“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)

Ernest has struggle to surrive.It begins at his birth till the end of the novel.He cant even
reaches the point where he consideres himself as “whole decent human being” –“indiv.”
.Religion is not 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 of a negative effect in his life. ( All the
expectations from his parents ,especially being a celergy man, which he fails to fulfill ).These
instincts later make him to cut relationships with his abbusive/oppressive parents.Ernest’
parents believe that they have a duty to “train their children to be the ideal son to inherit the
family honor and name”,starting from the infancy.

“Well-to-do parents seldom eat many sour grapes; the danger to the children lies
in the parents eating too many sweet ones.” (Chapter 6,p24)

Theobald,the father,stars to teach Ernest when he was at the age of two .As Ernest
doesnt 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.” (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 become an adult.

Theobald, proceeds to control Ernest untill he reaches school age.Changing of the

environment doesnt keep back Theobald,he chooses someone/something else to be the
substutive 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 his home,with his parent.He has 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 discource with Ernest. Ernest’s first achivement in life is inheriting the Money
Aletha left to him,after the collage when his father gives it.

The pressure Theobald puts on Ernest affects his son’s desicions,path and life.As Ernest
is an obedient child,he is not be able to resist this external domination/opression upon his
identity.

“At thirteen or fourteen…was a mere bag of bones…appearing to have no

strenght nor stamina” (Chapter 30,p229)

The death of George Pontifex has a major role in the novel.He portrays the image of
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 ovelry drinking problems.He keeps his
morals,virtues and non-physical aspects at the centre in his life yet he lacks of having a “healthy
body”.

“Once the soul looked contemptuously upon the body, and then that contempt was the
supreme thing: - the soul wished the body lean, monstrous, and famished. Thus it thought to
escape from the body and the earth. But that soul was itself lean, monstrous, and famished; and
cruelty was the delight of this soul! So my brothers, tell me: What does your body say about
your soul? Is not your soul poverty and filth and miserable self-complacency?” (Nietzsche,Thus
Spoke Zarathustra)

Ernest is always in limitations of a social institution;first the family and later on with
him enrolling in a grammer school at the age of twelve with his father’s wish,the school limits
him to find his own path in life.The most appearent example of the limitations and
manipulationf of the school on Ernest is that their displeasure on him taking an insterest on
sports.”Healthy body,healthy mind” but the school master doesnt seem to agree with this as it
is always emposed to Ernest to focus on his religious studies.Being away doesn’t keep his
family to try to maintain their control over Ernest.He still have 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.” (Chapter 31, p 238)
 The first time Ernest feels like a free individual is his years at Emmanuel College of
Cambrdige University.He is free to do whatever he wants,he has comfortable enviroment with
his choice of people.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 is disturbed by this.According to them religion should be
practices 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 too.Despite Nietzsche’s suggest on appreciation of this natural force, culture and religion
enforces man to supress 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 outisde
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 to find himself a purpose in life ,to
be individual.But this plans leads him to the start of many disasters rather than his expectations
on a religious “awakening”.

Ernest tries to find his solution in Christian doctorine.”… he was among the few who
were ready to give up ALL for Christ.” (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.”,opened a new way to philosophy of life
in Victorian era.To his philosophy, in order to overcome the defected man and reach
Übermensch,one should omit the instututions that are holding back the man.Ernest has this bond
with Christianity which he cannot exclude from his life so easly as it is inherited from his family
line.Nietzsche suggets to not only omiting the institution of religion but also the moral system
which is dominant in Western World.He interprets that Christianity in its fundementality
consists the refusal of human nature and misunderstands the life.
 Towards the middle of the novel,Ernest is send to Coldbath Fields Prison for six months
of hard labor as a punishment of his misunderstood assult 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 couldnt even act properly to a girl from the society.He implies on
that the time he was in control of his parents and the school masters,he was protected from these
kinds of impudences 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.” (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 religios devotion being destroyed by the judge’s
words.His time in prison provides him the time and place to think further on his life and his
individuality.Ernest realizes his mistake to follow his parent’s wishes and becoming a clergy
man,putting them before them.He graps the underlying principle of Christianity and concludes
that this Resurrection thing was a fantasy.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 intellectual refused the beliefs but they keep preserving their morality.In Nietszche’s
understanding,even these moralities lacked of a authority.To him , core of the Christianity was
linked to hatred and it was threatening the nature of people.Our instincts,according to
Christianity was a disobedinece towards God.To Nietzsche,it was just supressing of the self and
self hatred.

“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.” ( Chapter 64,p 500)
 Ernest enjoys his life in prision and has a different kind of relief that he couldnt get from
his own home.He finds a way to prove himself by working as a tailor aprentice.He also serves
as prison chapel organist.Prison,contrast to other Victorian novels’ brutal descriptions of prison
life,is described as a place were Ernest can feel individual,equal and “free”.Through this time i
prison, Ernest decides on that the highest religious principle is the pursuit of sel-satisfaction.He
breaks from his passive identity and starts to reliying on his own judgement.

After coming out of the prison,Ernest’s parents tries to condition him by their financial
power.They offer him a sum of Money to start a new life nothing but as a clergy man.He refuses
and takes a step to his individual free life from that point.He redefines Christianity to himself
that serves to his own interest.All these months in and out 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.

“As the youth acknowledged it rightful to define their own roles in life
themselves, there appeared a crisis of development from adolescence to adulthood,
because individual desires tend to confront the socially prescribed requirements of
adulthood.”

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 serves
for people who seek to find/achive their true self-the best self.He defines it as the
Übermensch(süper/overman) those who master over their selves;emotions,behaviours and
acts.He was against handed down rules,values and laws.Ernest could have created his own
values,laws and morals in life , creating/finding his own identity but with the external opressive
force that was on him all his life enables him to do so. Through the end of Thus Spoke
Zarathustra , Nietzsche defines 3 kinds of Metamorphosis that the individual must go through
if he wants to achive 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 emposing them on the next generations.The
camel transforms into the lion,the rebel ,the one who challanges 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. The next allegory,The child,is representing the innocence and forgetting,a
new beginnig,rebirth,new values and such.Which Ernest is supposed to be.
“There are many things for the spirit, for the strong heavy spirit in which dwell respect and awe:
its strength longs for the heavy, for the heaviest […] thus it kneels down like the camel and and
wants to be well-laden.” (Nietzsche,Thus Spoke Zarathustra)

Ernest becomes a doubting,questioning Victorian English man.In his new life after
prison, he decides on 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.He chooses to follow people’s directions,their paths.This struggle is fed up with his
confusion and uncertainity of philosophy,science and metaphysics.He is stucked 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
which relies on “absolute first principle” .The narrator,Overton,reminds Ernest to have public
opinion in his mind.Nietzsche’s Übermenschen is the one who live by their own vales with
nature,recognzes their superiority,using their power to improve the mentality of the society and
take them further beyond if it’s necessery.Ernest ignores Overton’s advices on listening the
society and limiting himself within their laws.Like Butler,he follows his own way as a writer.

As he couldnt have a decent family and childhood ,its 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.

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 stars after his refusal of his
parents and wife.Even at the end of the novel,Ernest cannot be totally defined as “whole normal
human being” .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.Nietzsche defines “The Will to power” as the an important instinct in
humans to strive for grow. 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.
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