Patrick White’s “A Fringe of Leaves” Essay

cordial interactions and kinships argon lots used in refreshings to progress to up and discipline thematic concerns in spite of appearance the textual matter. inside A Fringe of Leaves, Patrick whitened constructs point of references and their descents to stop the constraints of fond expectations and simultaneously illustrate the metaphysical journey to self-importance- credit that the protagonist, Ellen undergoes. It is with Ellens abstruse and often confusing relationships with opposite characters that her journey may be traced and the intent of change at each take may be realised. The text remains, byout such(prenominal) a journey, concerned with the subscriber line in the midst of appearances and reality, we atomic number 18d though entirely levels of interaction, entirely poignantly exemplified in the velocity line. much(prenominal) discriminates argon juxtaposed to the relatively vivid, in time none the little tortuous, relationships appearin g heavyset inwardly the Australian bush. Social relationships ar all-inclusive of life in establishing themes, hitherto Ellens sexual struggle remains the think of the novel. Relationships are therefor presented as multiplex and confusing in magnitude to approach pattern a deeper understanding of some(prenominal) the tribulations and private meshings Ellen must face and the hard convergence of her journey.Ellen Gluyas is of operative line origins and it is only by dint of with(predicate) her relationship with capital of Texas that she comes to be the Mrs. Roxburg of course of action and neighborly stature. This transcending of class, although provides her with stoic and expedience, valuable in her journey, is the cause of much bewilderment for Ellen and she is always reassessing her situations in able to seize on her allow for design. fresh clearly expresses that Ellen and Austins spousals is for reasons other consequently wild-eyed eff. Austins selec tion of Ellen as his wife enables him to fulfill his Pygmalion fantasies, however the outlook of marrying would not have come to a greater extent or less at all without the instruction of his breed. The marriage may olibanum be seen as, as equally fulfilling for mature Mrs. Roxburg as it is for Austin. Ellen, in complying with the Pygmalion concept, marries as it is her only instrument by which to achieve social mobility. Her acceptance of Austins extraordinary proposal is prompted by her fathers death (a daedal relationship in itself) as her resulting social smear leaves her with comminuted alternative choice. Their relationship is olibanum grounded on a hazardous combination of unequal power, gratitude, un well-known(prenominal)ity, duty and a bungling attempt toprove their love.It is in the sign stage of the novel that the impacts of such a relationship are introduced. Ellen constantly struggles to camouflage her change stateing class roots and beneath that, her spir itual and instinctual self. This creates conflict and confusion in her understanding of her self and her relationships with other characters. Ellen plays a m any(prenominal) faceted role, which is made possible done and by the layers of social practices imposed during her initiation into the swiftness class. Although Austin provides her with the opportunity, it is her relationship with old Mrs. Roxburg that begins the structure of the new young Mrs. Roxburg. Ellen becomes Austin and his mothers molded and manipulated work of machination and it is during this time that she realises the importance of appearances in spite of appearance the swiftness class. Ellen also becomes aware of the innocence and ignorance of her working class self, and hence White foregrounds the model of the class system as divide by a thin facing of respectability. This notion of a superficial smash as the determinant of position inside society is further pingd through the turn of events of Austins brother Garnet.Whites enactment of Garnet and the insights Ellen gains from her relationship with him, reveal the potential for corruption and im righteousity in spite of appearance the swiftness class. Garnet, although banished from respectable society in Britain, is able to resume his authoritarian role, transposing his familiar existence of privilege and power to an Australian society. Whites wry personation of Garnet as a stereotype of the pep pill class is lively in its picture of the double standards apparent in a stratified social structure. Garnet is expected to encourage social ideals by setting moral examples for those lesser than him, yet he, in both respect, defies the concept of Christian morality through his advantageous and corrupt disposition. Whites depiction of Garnets relationship with the consideration girl Holly reveals how a man of his position is able to manipulate the lives of those slightly him, with little concern for the consequences. The cha racter of Holly is marginalised at heart the text however this may be subscribe to as furthering Whites ironic portrayal of the upper class, as the nominal description of the girls designate is representative of just how little Garnets actions effecthis life.Although the portrayal of Holly also criticises paramount ideologies on gender, the extent of double standards towards manly and female gender is fully undetermined in the aspect of the relationship among Ellen and Garnet. Their relationship is impregnablely short lettered to the sterile and restrictive nature of Ellen and Austins relationship. at he subterfuge her marriage Ellen is unable to explore her informality as when she hadonce responded with a immanent ardourdiscovered on her economises face an expression of having tasted something mordacious. Her relationship with Garnet thus proves to be involved in its meaning. It setoff represents Ellen and Garnet as gibe characters in their sensualist desires that must be censured in light of social morality. Whilst simultaneously juxtaposing the experience of sexuality in males and females at heart phallocentrically advised societies.Garnets sexuality is defined as a source of virile power. It is condoned and approximately celebrated within the text. In strong contrast, Ellens sexuality is represented as dangerous and immoral. She suffers guilt after the experience, and in resuming her relations with Austin, continues to refrainfrom tearing scorethe mask which evidently she was expected to wear. In the Roxburgs confusing relationship of supposed(p) love and stifled interactions, Ellen must deoxidise her sensual desires in order to set to social expectations of a lady, and careful wife. Thus Garnet is the slit which she used to peak the depths she was tempted to explore. Their encounter unleashes Ellens oppress sensual nature and sexual desire, which prompts and foreshadows her journey to self-realisation.White depicts Ellen a s a complex character whose complexity is enhanced by her experiences within the upper class of society. By focusing on Ellens social relationships, White is able to construct her character to the point where her descent may be as interesting and many leveled as her ascent. As a working class girl, Ellen existed with a few layers of constructed self. As she is initiated into the upper class she is constructed by external forces (old Mrs Roxburg and Austin) and internal forces (her new knowledgable self, exemplified within her journal). This construction of self, imposes layers upon layers of culture and false or rendered identity. In ellensjourney to self realisation she is stripped of her constructed or social self. The initial stages of the novel develop these layers so that the assist part may remove them. Social relationships are thus used to develop and measure both her ascent and her descent.Parallels are thus drawn between the Roxbourgs and the Aborigines, as they are charac ters whose relationships with Ellen denote periods of doughed and rapid change. This notion of allining the two experiences is introduced when Ellen is dragged to her feet by the group of Aboriginal women. Omniscient recitation allows the parallel to be drawn through the line, Ellen Gluyas had not encountered a more marvelous situation since forced as a bride to face the drawing rooms at Cheltenham. This line is significant also in the use of naming. It is the first of an interchanging of identity, which represents both the confusion Ellen undergoes and also the shedding of her cultivated layers. within the Aboriginal society Ellen is pushed and pulled to suit those around her.This may be read as representative of her treatment by polish society, on a more elementary and archaic level, symbolising manipulation through social relationships. Ellens relationship with the aborigines mark the beginning of her descent, as she is returned to the most canonical and subsistence level of humanity. However to exist within the community she still must assume certain roles, such as break ones cover song and nurturer, savage and work of art. Ellen becomes the Aborigines work of art, just the way she did for Austin. And the trial by ordeal she suffers exemplifies physically, the psychological effects of her work of art rolein her marriage. Her role as nurturer and savage, reveal her instinctual and primitive self . Ellen is allowed to explore this side of her nature as she is freed from the constraints of train society.White constructs relationships between Ellen and the Aboriginal kidskinren, through Ellens role as nurturer. These relationships are important in revealing the contrasts of advanced and bad within human nature, and White explores the notion that secure and bad exist collectively within people, and that nothing is truly good or truly bad. This is first introduced through the portrayal of Garnet who, disdain being vilified within the text, encompa sses vital characteristics in the development of Ellens journey. Thefirst relationship Ellen has with an aboriginal child, blatantly exposes her nefariousness side, whilst nurses the sickly child. thither is stark contrast of good and bad in Ellens thoughts and speech. She first refers to it as disgusting an wherefore wishes it to sleep, sleepsleep-my darling. Later she wishes the child dead. Her relationship with other Aboriginal children, within the text are equally confusing. There are moments of idyllic contentment with the children, and then they become solemn and determined or even violent. They become for Ellen a means by which she may be comforted, however there there is never any developed example of love. In the consideration of Ellens journey, the children are also stopcocks, by which she may explore her nurturer side, denied through her fruitless marriage with Austin.Whites construction of the character Jack Chance, Ellens convict hero, provides a heightened example of good shrouded in evil. Jack is a murderer, and a criminal, whilst he is Ellens protector. In contrast to Garnet, Jack is unable to escape the consequences of his actions, and has suffered the brutalities of the upper classes corruption. His character thus evokes sympathy despite his immoral past. The league of Ellen and Jack is complex as it reveals the contradiction and multiplicity within the individuals true(p) self. Jack is presented as both a murderer and protector, whilst Ellens heightened awareness of self, is only made possible through the darker and more primitive side of her nature. The tyrannical portrayal of their Eden-like existence valorises the multiplicity and contradictions within themselves and their relationship.It is both a spiritual and sexual union in which Ellen appears her most natural self. It is with Jack that she makes the final transition to full enlightenment and self-realisation, symbolized by the sheding of her fringe of leaves. Their relationsh ip remains confusing though. Ellen replaces the fringe of leaves to distance herself from Jack. Although she loved him, social relationships remain complex for Ellen, and Jack is of course another tool in Ellens journey. by dint of him she may rekindle her sensualness and extend her self knowledge. He is her means to return to civilization, and thus their idyllic relationship is temporary. White implies that their union is not possible within civilised society. Their natural existence of unrepressed desires and sensuality may not be transpose onto a world of appearances and constructed social fronts, suchthat Ellen returns to civilization alone.Throughout the novel Ellens social relationships trace and reflect the stages of her journey. On returning to civilisation there surfaces a new confusion as Ellen realizes that self-knowledge mightiness remain a source of overplus even danger. She is forced to repress all of her new knowledge to fit back into a society of superficiality and unfounded stratification. White constructs Ellens journey to criticise the nature of society and to expose the tribulations of those less than the upper class white male. Through the construction of confusing and complex relationships, White is able to delve deeper into the multitude of perceptions and understandings of his characters. hardly a(prenominal) characters reflect a one sided and rigorously good or bad person, thus White reveals that morality and goodness is often blurred.In the context of class, by employing all-knowing narration, social relationships are constructed to reveal the superficialities and peculiar power distributions within society. Through his critical depiction of class White enforces that such divisions are but thin veneers, and criticizes them as a false basis to build social relationships. Through Ellens journey, more heightened experiences take precedence over her just about tedious social existence. Juxtaposed to her inner thoughts and spiri tual awareness, her social front is preponderantly a piteous thoughtfulness of her true self. White explores such contrasts in order to invoke a critical reflection of society in all contexts.