Non-fiction - 4. Why The Novel Matters

The animate things have life in them, they move, feel the touch of things, breath, reproduce and continue to grow. Whereas inanimate things can do none of these. They are stagnant in a particular state like a corpse.

The simple truth that paradise is not anywhere beyond life. It is here, right in the middle of living. It is the experiences one has and the values one gains. That is all a part of Paradise. It is nowhere beyond life. And ‘man-live’ being just a tin can or a jug is a blurred concept. Everything is actually concentrated in Man-alive i.e., in living man.

Lawrence says that there is no absolute and nothing is absolutely right. All things flow and change, and even change is not absolute. What he means to say is that man is man-alive is made up of constantly occurring changes. These changes occur either deliberately, like changing a bad habit or over the course of time like changing hobbies. Lawrence also says that even a minute reply like ‘yea’ doesn’t remain the same every day. It is mainly because of these changes that new things seem to happen in life and we seem to live. It is also only because of our constantly changing habits/actions that we have people around, who love us and that is integrity. Had we been stuck with being just one self from beginning till end, we’d become similar to a dead pen.

The novel reflects the wholeness of a human being by affecting the entire man-alive and not just mere instincts. The novel is made up of characters. Characters are its soul players just like in reality we humans. A novel is alive completely based on its characters and characters display various traits. A novel doesn’t show only one side of a human being, it allows the reader to have an overview of every character in detail. All the flaws and good deeds of every character is clearly seen. That’s how a novel reflects the wholes of a human being.

The novel is the one bright book of life. Not all kinds of books are life. Most books are only tremulations on the ether. But the novel as a tremulation can make the whole man alive tremble. Which is more than poetry, philosophy, science, or any other book tremulation can do. That is why the author considers the novel to be superior to philosophy, science or even poetry.

By saying ‘tremulations on ether’ the author means to say that most books are like messages or news being read on the radio. One can hear them, feel sorry or happy about a specific piece of news for some time. But one can never identify with the news. Whereas ‘the novel as a tremulation’ is a multi-dimensional review of the characters of the novel. Through the deeds of the characters a reader can understand what needs to be done and what needs to be avoided in life. It actually gives the reader an insight into the crucial moments of life without actually having to experience them. In that way, a person can mould his or his decisions and grow well.

Lawrence says that the people who overlook the importance of the body are themselves limited to the body. Since every person’s man-alive ends with his body. There is no bigger truth cause the thoughts that take off from the philosopher’s mind are themselves actually dead. They are mere tremulations in the ether. But if the tremulations reach another man alive, he may receive them into his life, and his life may take on a new colour, like a chameleon creeping from a brown rock on to a green leaf. Yet, fact that the spirit, the message or teaching of the philosopher or the saint, isn’t alive at all remains the same.It is just a tremulation upon the ether, like a radio message. If someone quivers from the tremulation of the other into a new life, that is because the person is man-alive.

It is a fact that the backbone of any given novel. The plot, storyline and the events all roll around the characters. So it is very essential for the characters to be true to their integrity. If they aren’t true to their own integrity, then they will lose their luster and become flat characters. There are basically two types of characters. Round characters and flat characters in any novel. Flat characters are those who remain consistent in their behaviour all through the plot. No incident changes them. Nothing has an impact on them. But round characters are those that constantly keep changing or rather say developing themselves throughout the storyline. They help the keep the reader glued to the novel and helps the reader understand the motive of the plot.

If every character is stuck to ‘what should be done’ rather than being true to their own character trait, the novel will become a straight line and lose its charm. Hence it is mandatory for the characters to stick to their integrity rather than doing what is expected.

‘The novel is a bright book of life’ means that the novel casts light on the real aspects of life and portrays them in the form of a story so that people can gain knowledge from them. But there is also a reminder that the author posts. He strongly says that though the novel might be a real-life portrayal of events, it is not ‘life’ in reality. It is just meant to draw experience and collect important lessons. This now takes us back to what Ruskin had said in ‘What is a Good Book?’. Ruskin had said that it is mandatory to read between the lines of a good book so as to understand the underlying meaning that a good author has wanted to say.

The catch phrases are-

i. Body- the author describes the importance of the body and discusses how the body is the ultimate phase of being in learner mode.

ii. Spirit- the spirit according to the author is a misleading concept which makes a man get into vagueness. It leads man to things that are unreal to the imagination.

iii. Man alive- this is the realistic concept of the author in which he says that everything happens because man is alive.

iv. Tremulations- Here tremulations are the talks that the saints and philosophers do because of which man-alive may be influenced to change

v. Change- the only constant.

Given below are the list of rhetorical devices used to intensify the language of argument-

•Allusion- The mention of the Bible.

•Amplification- The repetitive use of words like man alive, spirit, tremulations etc.

•Metonymy – By saying that books ‘The novel is the one bright book of life’.

•Mens sana in corpore sano is a Latin phrase, usually translated as "a healthy mind in a healthy body".

•C’est la vie! is a French word used to express acceptance or resignation in the face of a difficult or unpleasant situation.

a) Mind- remind mastermind, never mind.

b) body- bodily, anybody, nobody.

c) to heal- to heal up.

• It seems important. (be+adjective)

• The Word becomes more and more boring. (be+adjective phrase)

• I am a thief and a murderer.

Ans. be+adjective phrase

• Right and wrong is an instinct.

Ans. be+adverb

• The flower fades.

Ans. be+adverb

• I am a very curious assembly of incongruous parts.

Ans. be+adjective phrase

• The bud opens.

Ans. be+adverb

• The Word shall stand forever.

Ans. be+adverb phrase

• It is a funny sort of superstition.

Ans. be+adjective phrase

• You’re a philosopher.

Ans. be+noun phrase

• Nothing is important.

Ans. be+adjective

• The whole is greater than the part.

Ans. be+adjective

• I am a man, and alive.

Ans. be+noun phrase

• I am greater than anything that is merely a part of me.

Ans. be+adverb phrase

• The novel is the book of life.

Ans. be+adverb

a) My hand, as it writes.

b) Whatever is me alive is me.