William Golding won the Booker Prize for the novel that is the first in his To The Ends of the Earth trilogy. The trio of novels focuses on a ship bound for Australia in the early nineteenth century and the cast of characters aboard. Rites of Passage relates the tale of the aristocratic Talbot, his shame for failing to prevent the public humiliation of a parson and the event's consequences. It's a fairly simple story but Golding relates it powerfully and he uses the novel to explore the notions of shame, class and savagery.
Edmund Talbot displays his aristocratic tendencies from the start. He is the tale's narrator and it is from his point of view that the reader sees events unfold in the form of daily journal entries. Golding describes Talbot's interactions with valets and other members of the ship's crew, as well as his palpable shock when the captain does not show him the respect he feels is due to his rank. Talbot is portrayed as a pompous upper class ingenu with a strong sense of his own self-importance, however his attitude is abruptly transformed once he realises that his position means little to the ship's captain Anderson. Talbot annoys the captain and unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events which lead to the very public humiliation of the parson Mr Colley. Golding taps into the fear of being responsible for the suffering of another, and portrays Talbot's consequent feelings of personal shame.
Golding's novel raises a number of questions about class and hierarchies, and what happens when the unwritten rules that keep these boundaries in place are transgressed. The people on the ship are stratified, with the poorer passengers not being permitted to mix with Talbot's class on the upper decks. The crew also warn the upper class passengers against mixing with those from the lower classes for their own safety. Colley goes against these warnings and his attempt to bring Christian worship to the lower classes ultimately leads to his disgrace. The mini model of the British class system that is constructed on board does nothing to prevent Colley's downfall and Golding uses Talbot to further criticise it, with him disapproving of some of the ship's officers for having risen from ignoble ranks.
Golding also portrays the theme of human savagery, one that is explored in one of his more famous novels, The Lord of the Flies. Colley's description of the ship undergoing a transformation prior to the start of his ordeal mirrors the terrifying transformation that a human collective can undergo when facing unusual circumstances and how the social conventions that protect us from one another can very easily break down.
This is not one of the better Booker novels in my opinion. It took a while for me to get into and, although it seemed very authentic, I sometimes found the nineteenth-century English language to be difficult to understand. However, once the narrative shifts to Colley it becomes dark and captivating. Golding has crafted an interesting tale that makes us all question how responsible we are for the bad things that happen to others.
Golding also portrays the theme of human savagery, one that is explored in one of his more famous novels, The Lord of the Flies. Colley's description of the ship undergoing a transformation prior to the start of his ordeal mirrors the terrifying transformation that a human collective can undergo when facing unusual circumstances and how the social conventions that protect us from one another can very easily break down.
This is not one of the better Booker novels in my opinion. It took a while for me to get into and, although it seemed very authentic, I sometimes found the nineteenth-century English language to be difficult to understand. However, once the narrative shifts to Colley it becomes dark and captivating. Golding has crafted an interesting tale that makes us all question how responsible we are for the bad things that happen to others.
