Sillitoe and the hero
Date
1980
Authors
Hatton, Jeremy Charles
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Abstract
This thesis is a study of the protagonist in the novels of Alan Sillitoe. Chapter I, entitled "The Hero and Sillitoe", examines some of the literary and social influences that have affected our concept of the heroic figure in recent times and, in particular, the way in which these trends have made a character such as Arthur Seaton acceptable to a general audience.
Chapter II traces the development of the central character in the novels of Sillitoe and tries to establish whether or not the protagonists represent a continuous progression in thought and character development. What emerges is the existence of two distinct groups of heroic figures. One centres around the factory worker with a grievance against society, a character encountered in the early novels. Such a figure culminates with the appearance of Frank Dawley, who is able to break out of the industrial setting and seek fulfilment elsewhere. After the emergence of this character Sillitoe appears to have created a different figure, one less concerned with class-consciousness and more involved with material success in life. It is difficult to suggest that there is a definite progression from one character to another because the author has moved from overt social protest, and connections between some of the early and later figures are tenuous.
The third chapter concentrates on one particular aspect of the hero's character, his relationship with women, and seeks to discover if the use of the word love is applicable to the central figure in such a situation. Initially, love appears to mean lust alone, and I have tried to establish whether the definition of this word becomes more complex in the various novels, and if Sillitoe suggests that there is something more to a relationship than just physical attraction. An attempt has also been made to disĀcover whether or not a pattern emerges similar to that encountered in the previous chapter of two distinct groupings, but I have concluded that such is not the case. In this chapter it is possible to suggest that a gradually increasing complexity in the hero's use of the word does develop, although such a progression is very slow and, in practical terms, only radically alters with the appearĀance of William Scorton in The Widower's Son.