Part 6 (1/2)
An important point, however, remains to be considered. Events are of two kinds, external and internal; things happen subjectively as well as objectively: and in representing the sort of occurrence which takes place only inside a person's mind, the expedient of a.n.a.lysis is by far the most serviceable means of making clear the elements of character that contribute to it. But if the same expedient be employed habitually in the depiction of external events as well, it is likely to give the impression of unwarrantable vivisection. There is a certain falsity of mood in giving an objective event a subjective rendering.
=4. By Reports from Other Characters.=--When, therefore, it is desired to depict a character by direct comment on his actions or his personality, there is a great advantage in allowing the comment to be made by one of the other characters in the story, instead of by the author himself in an att.i.tude of a.s.sumed omniscience. Jane Austen deftly exhibits this subtler phase of the expedient in many admirable pa.s.sages. For instance, in Chapter x.x.xIII of ”Emma,” Mrs. Elton thus chatters to Emma Woodhouse:--
”'Jane Fairfax is absolutely charming, Miss Woodhouse. I quite rave about Jane Fairfax--a sweet, interesting creature. So mild and lady-like--and with such talents! I a.s.sure you I think she has very extraordinary talents. I do not scruple to say that she plays extremely well. I know enough of music to speak decidedly on that point. Oh! she is absolutely charming! You will laugh at my warmth--but upon my word, I talk of nothing but Jane Fairfax.'”
In Chapter XXI the same character has been thus commented on by Emma Woodhouse and Mr. Knightley. Emma speaks first:--
”'Miss Fairfax is reserved.'
”'I always told you she was--a little; but you will soon overcome all that part of her reserve which ought to be overcome, all that has its foundation in diffidence. What arises from discretion must be honored.'
”'You think her diffident. I do not see it.'”
These pa.s.sages not only serve to portray, more or less directly, the personality of Jane Fairfax, but serve also at the same time to portray indirectly the personalities of the people who are talking about her. Mrs. Elton, in particular, is very clearly exhibited. And this point leads us to an examination of one of the most effective means of indirect delineation.
=II. Indirect Delineation: 1. By Speech.=--If the mere speech of a fict.i.tious figure be reported with sufficient fidelity to truth, it is possible to convey through this expedient alone a very vivid sense of character. Consider the following bits of talk:--
”'You're not a gun-sharp? I am sorry. I could have surprised you.
Apart from my gun, my tale don't amount to much of anything. I thank you, but I don't use any tobacco you'd be likely to carry.... Bull Durham? _Bull Durham!_ I take it all back--every last word. Bull Durham--here! If ever you strike Akron, Ohio, when this fool-war's over, remember you've Laughton O. Zigler in your vest pocket.
Including the city of Akron. We've a little club there.... h.e.l.l!
What's the sense of talking Akron with no pants?'
”'Did I talk? I despise exaggeration--tain't American or scientific--but as true as I'm sitting here like a blue-ended baboon in a kloof, Teddy Roosevelt's Western tour was a maiden's sigh compared to my advertising work.'
”'But the general was the peach. I presume you're acquainted with the average run of British generals, but this was my first. I sat on his left hand, and he talked like--like the _Ladies' Home Journal_. J'ever read that paper? It's refined, Sir--and innocuous, and full of nickel-plated sentiments guaranteed to improve the mind. He was it. He began by a Lydia Pinkham heart-to-heart talk about my health, and hoped the boys had done me well, and that I was enjoying my stay in their midst.'”
These pa.s.sages are taken from Mr. Kipling's story called ”The Captive.” The action is laid during the South-African war. Is it necessary to add that the speaker is an American gun-inventor who has fought upon the Boer side and has been captured by the British?
One point must be considered carefully. The art of these pa.s.sages lies mainly in the fact that we learn more about Zigler indirectly, from his manner of talking, than directly, from the things which he tells us of himself. His statement that he comes from Akron, Ohio, is less suggestive than his fondness for Bull Durham. Any direct statement made by a character concerning himself is of no more artistic value than if it were made about him by the author, unless his manner of making it gives at the same time an indirect evidence of his nature.
The subtlest phase of indirect delineation through speech is a conveyance to the reader, through a character's remarks about himself, of a sense of him different from that which his statement literally expresses. Sir Willoughby Patterne, in ”The Egoist,” talks about himself frequently and in detail; but the reader soon learns from the tone and manner of his utterance to discount the high esteem in which he holds himself. By saying one thing directly, the egoist conveys another and a different thing indirectly to the reader.
=2. By Action.=--But in fiction, as in life, actions speak louder than words: and the most convincing way of delineating character indirectly is by exhibiting a person in the performance of a characteristic action. If the action be visualized with sufficient clearness and if its dominant details be presented to the reader with adequate emphasis, a more vivid impression of character will be conveyed than through any sort of direct statement by the author. As an instance of characterization through action only, without comment or direct portrayal, let us consider the following pa.s.sage from the duel scene of ”The Master of Ballantrae.” Two brothers, Mr. Henry and the Master, hate each other; they fall to altercation over a game of cards; and the scene is narrated by Mackellar, a servant of Mr. Henry's:--
”Mr. Henry laid down his cards. He rose to his feet very softly, and seemed all the while like a person in deep thought. 'You coward!' he said gently, as if to himself. And then, with neither hurry nor any particular violence, he struck the Master in the mouth.
”The Master sprang to his feet like one transfigured; I had never seen the man so beautiful. 'A blow!' he cried. 'I would not take a blow from G.o.d Almighty.'
”'Lower your voice,' said Mr. Henry. 'Do you wish my father to interfere for you again?'
”'Gentlemen, gentlemen.' I cried, and sought to come between them.
”The Master caught me by the shoulder, held me at arm's length, and still addressing his brother: 'Do you know what this means?' said he.
”'It was the most deliberate act of my life,' says Mr. Henry.
”'I must have blood, I must have blood for this,' says the Master.
”'Please G.o.d it shall be yours,' said Mr. Henry; and he went to the wall and took down a pair of swords that hung there with others, naked. These he presented to the Master by the points. 'Mackellar shall see us play fair,' said Mr. Henry. 'I think it very needful.'
”'You need insult me no more,' said the Master, taking one of the swords at random. 'I have hated you all my life.'