Suffering and Misery in Canadian Literature from 1940-1970

There are many different mythos ideas in Canadian literature in the period of 1940-1970. However, a most unique and apparent mythos was that of the suffering and misery, which was so dominant in many of the novels. All the novels had a theme of suffering or misery. One of the main characters was always trying to overcome a hurt, trying to pull themselves out of a misery, or attempting to cease their suffering. Of the suffering and misery that took place so dominantly in many of the novels, the majority of it was emotional suffering. However, there was also a combination of physical, psychological, and cultural suffering as well. Furthermore, it was the emotional, physical, psychological, and cultural suffering and misery which manifested itself into a mythos for Canadian literature dominant in the period of 1940-1970.

By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept written by Elizabeth Smart is a novel entirely focused on a woman's emotional struggle towards acceptance and happiness within a relationship that could never be what she wants it to be. The woman within this novel is in love with a married man. A famous married man. However, she desires the kind of true love that everyone desires. No secrets, no hiding, and most importantly the ability to actually live their lives together. It this love yet non-love that envelops her within a life of emotional suffering and misery. She is suffering for the man she loves but yet cannot have because another woman already has him;

Perhaps I am his hope. But then she is his present. And if then she is his present, I am not his present. Therefore, I am not, and I wonder why no one has noticed I am dead and taken the trouble to bury me. For I am utterly collapsed. I lounge with glazed eyes, or weep tears of sheer weakness. (By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept, pg.85)

She is in misery for being in love. Perhaps to her love is misery, and it is this misery and suffering over the man she truly loves, which takes over her being. It takes control of her life, and therefore overcomes her completely. This suffering and misery is all she feels and thinks of, "I have not been in love but in despair these last ten days. And without love I am lost more fatally than he can have any idea of..."(By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept, pg.85) Furthermore, it is her suffering, which has overtaken her spirit. She is lost within her own suffering, and lost without his constant love, "O the fact, the unalterable fact: it is she he is with: he is with her: he is not with me because he is sleeping with her." (By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept,pg.86) Therefore, she knows the facts, she knows the hurt it brings to her and will continue to bring to her, but yet she continues on within this false love, letting her misery consume her and overtake her once independent spirit.

The Sacrifice written by Adele Wiseman is a novel largely based on emotional, psychological, cultural and physical suffering and misery. All these different aspects of suffering are combined within the novel to show a dominant theme of suffering within different ways. It begins with the emotional suffering of the entire family. Abraham, Sarah, and Issac are all mourning the deaths of Issac's two older brothers , Abraham and Sarah's two sons, who were killed in a Jewish terrorist act. It is this emotional suffering for the deaths of two brothers, two sons that starts the suffering within The Sacrifice;

Sarah spoke a little, and when her words blundered towards her sons she remembered her four men when they had been most fully hers. Four straight backs, waiting for her at the dinner table, the shoulders of the boys gracefully molded, hard and vital under the clean shirts. She began to cry silently." (The Sacrifice, pg.33)

Furthermore, it is this emotional suffering that wears so hard on Sarah physically. It is Sarahs emotional suffering due to the loss of her two elder sons, as well as the adjustments she must make to a new life in a new country with new people, which changes her forever. Over the years she becomes more ill. She can not seem to get over the misery of losing her sons and the heartbreak it brings her, and this takes its toll on her strength emotionally as well as physically;

"Sarah," he mumbled into her hair, "what will I do without you? What will I do without you?" He realized while he spoke the implication of what he was saying, and gripped her tighter in the terror of a sudden spasm of foreknowledge. She was silent in his arms, as though already distant. What will I do without you? He closed his eyes tightly and choked back the words. (The Sacrifice, pg.143)

Abraham knows that this suffering and misery that is so deeply rooted within her is slowly draining her of the life she once had. A happy and carefree life in which she prided herself on her role as mother and wife. However, she no longer posseses the strength to fight the illnesses that are robbing her of life, and eventually she does die;

As though each in his own way had already struggled with Sarah's death and lost, when the time came Abraham and his son, at least partially forewarned against the inevitable surprise, lent themselves passively to the action of mourning. (The Sacrifice, pg.161)

Furthermore, it is Sarah's death which only adds to Abraham and Issac's own emotional suffering and mourning after the deaths of Jacob and Moses. Therefore, it is Sarah's emotional as well as physical suffering and misery, which slowly takes her strength and will to fight, and that eventually results in her death, while adding to Abraham and Issac's own emotional suffering. I

Abraham also encounters a cultural suffering within The Sacrifice. His two eldest sons deaths greatly affect him. The effects on him are so great that he temporarily loses his faith in God, who he has always believed so strongly in before. He see's no reason why God would allow such a thing to happen to two men who had so much to look forward to, which is why he loses his faith in God;

What more can be said? To give such sons is to make a promise. To take them away again, and in such a way-I felt it was unholy. I was mad. I turned, in my heart, away from God. I felt that my soul was gone. All I had now was my frantic body. All I wanted was to move, to run run run. My body screamed to wear out all its movements in violence and to drop down in a heap, unfeeling, somewhere, anywhere. (The Sacrifice, pg.71)

Abraham was in such misery after the loss of his sons that he lost all his belief in God, who before was the only one who truly knew all the answers. However, it didn't matter what was said, he just couldn't belief that God would allow such a thing to happen to two young and realiable young men. Abraham quickly lost his belief and trust in all things;

I started to sell everything that was left: my buried valuables, my little shop. Anything to get away. On the streets some goyim turned away when they saw me. Others wanted to make it as though nothing had happened. I said nothing. I looked at them. If God was not human, how could they be expected to be? (The Sacrifice, pg.71)

The last aspect of suffering within The Sacrifice is the psychological suffering. After Abraham kills Laiah he is sent up the hill into solitary for his crime. His grandson, Moishe, is so disappointed in his grandfather, and Abraham realizes this. Psychologically Abraham suffers in his own misery with the knowledge that his only grandson is so completely disappointed in him that he can't even bring himself to visit his own grandfather for years. Day after day, week after week, all by himself Abraham suffers with this knowledge. He suffers with the knowledge of how many people he has disappointed and hurt; "Do you hate me?" Abraham asked painfully. "I think of you; I think of her, of how I have wronged you. How you must hate me." (The Sacrifice, pg.378) Therefore, it is a psychological suffering, which Abraham must live with because of his own realization of the sin he committed as well as the disappointment he has placed in his only grandson.

As For Me and My House, written by Sinclair Ross is yet another novel deeply rooted within a characters psychological and emotional feelings of misery and suffering. The Bentleys have an unhealthy marriage in which neither is really very happy. Mrs. Bentley is suffering with the knowledge that her marriage is so unhappy and loveless. She knows that her husband Philip is unhappy as well, but doesn't know what to do to bring the love and happiness back into their marriage;

That's why Philip and I must keep out of each other's way. Shutting himself up in his study doesn't help. We can still feel each other. When the wind sends him pacing I glance up as he passes, uncertain whether to speak or not, then twist my face into a feeble smile, and hurry off to the next room with a show of some activity. If I don't have the garden he's going to hate the sight of me by fall.

(As For Me and My House, pg.58)

It is a psychological suffering, for Mrs. Bentley is not grieving for one thing in particular but a falseness in her marriage. A marriage that has grown more distant and unhappy over the years. She is suffering for this love she seems to be losing. Although to the rest of the town she must show herself and her marriage as one with no problems whatsoever. She must show herself as an independent wife, a wife who gave up everything for her husband, including her love of music, and has nothing in return for that loss;

She is the woman excluded from economic productivity, the wife excluded from the role of the biological mother, the musician excluded from most of the institutions of art and music, the citizen of Horizon who both accepts and refuses the narrow economic and sezual rules through which it manages its fragile family economies. (Davey, pg.189)

However, what is on the surface is not always the same as what's underneath, and Mrs.Bentley knows this best. She must show herself happy as a ministers wife, but deep down she is suffering for her marriage, which she cannot seem to get a grasp on.

Furthermore, Mrs. Bentley is then forced to acknowledge that fact that Philip is cheating on her. This just increases her inner suffering and misery as she won't confront him about it; "It's still the same-to keep it from him that I know. Somehow it's so important that my shoulder even doesn't hurt."(pg.163) Mrs. Bentley keeps her misery to herself. She refuses to reveal what she has found out, which only increases her emotional suffering and heartache. However, she loves Philip and needs him so she continues on hoping and praying that he won't leave her and that she will be able to win him back, even with all the hurt and misery she is suffering through;

Somehow I must believe in them, both of them. Because I need him still. This isn't the end. I have to go on, try to win him again. He's hurt me as I didn't know I could be hurt, but still I need him. (As For Me and My House, pg.164)

Eventually, Mrs. Bentley is then forced to acknowledge the fact that Judith is pregnant, and with her husbands child. This small yet life-altering fact just increases her inner turmoil although she tries not to let it affect her so;

Mrs. Bird was here today, and told me that Judith is going to have a baby. I wasn't so shocked or startled as I pretended to be. I haven't admitted it to myself, but for several weeks now I've really known. Philips's such a poor actor. There's not much he keeps me in the dark about. (As For Me and My House, pg.192)

However, as much as Mrs. Bentley is suffering through the hurt that Philip caused her, she still refuses to acknowledge the fact that she knows about Judith and Philip. Even as much as her hurt is consuming her, she still feels for Philip and his feelings. His feelings of hurt and guilt over what he has done and caused, and to be separated from Judith during her pregnancy. Finally, Mrs. Bentley can't endure anymore of his suffering anymore than she can her own;

Philip went to see Judith yesterday. I sent him. It was getting unbearable, watching the white silent misery in his face. I thought that if they were alone together for a while it might make things easier.

(As For Me and My House, pg.199)

Over time as the Bentley's adapted to having a baby of their own to care for, Mrs. Bentley's inner misery increased. It increased with knowing who's baby it really was-not hers. Finally, in a outburst of emotions she eased her suffering just a little by telling Philip she knew that it was indeed his own son that they had adopted;

I ran to the bedroom door, flung it open, and showed him the baby. "Your baby!" I cried. "Yours-" and he stopped white a moment, and said in a hollow voice, "You were with her then-and she told you-" I steeled myself, afraid to admit what I had done, then shouted no, she hadn't told me, that I had always known, that I had wanted the baby so that in time his son would be my son too. (As For Me and My House, pg.214)

Once Philip knew the truth that Mrs.Bentley did indeed know what had really happened, he could begin to hope for a real family just as Mrs.Bentley could begin to hope as well; "If the girl, who was the mother of the minister's child, had not died, there would have been no hope for him and no ending with promise in it, for the book."(Winnipeg Free Press, pg.15) Therefore, although Mrs. Bentley's suffering would never completely diminish over the betrayal of her husband, at least he now knew what he had done to her. He would suffer over the hurt he had caused her just as she would continue to suffer over the knowledge that her adopted son would always be a constant reminder of her husband's betrayal.

As well as an unhappy marriage Mrs. Bentley was forced to suffer with the loss of her music. She left her music behind to marry Philip, when both of them knew she could have gone places with her music, with her talent. Although, she once was able to reach Philip through her piano playing, she is no longer able to, as hard as she tries; " I know-and still it dares me. Maybe not to reach him as I did that night-just to come a little closer, make him stop and look at me again." (As For Me and My House, pg.185) Therefore, Mrs. Bentley is not only suffering with the loss of her music, but with the loss of being unable to reach Philip through her music as she once was able to:

He came to a recital once to hear me play it, this same rhapsody, and because he was there I played it well. The desire to reach him, make him really aware of me, it put something into my hands that had never been there before. And I succeeded. He sstoood waiting for me afterwards, erect and white-lipped with a pride he couldn't conceal. And that was the night he asked me to marry him. (As For Me and My House, pg.185)

Fifth Business, written by Robertson Davies is another Canadian novel, which is driven by emotional, physical and psychological suffering. Dunny, the main character within the novel is suffering on several different levels. His emotional suffering is due to the fact that he has no one within his life to love. Although, within the novel it seems he is fine on his own, it also is shown that he is always looking for someone to love. He lost his first love, Leola, to his friend Percy when he was off at war. Although, Leola continued to write him during his time at the war and while he was in the hospital, and although Dunny didn't particulary want to go back to her once he was released, she still never mentioned the fact that she had gotten engaged to Percy; "Nevertheless I was a little put out and thought that Leola was a sneak not to have informed me of this development in one of her letters." (Fifth Business, pg.94) Then Dunny fell in love with Diana, who was his nurse after his injury in the war. However, they didn't marry because they just wanted too many different things in live. Dunny really did love her though, and often wondered if it had been a mistake not to marry her because his love for her had been so strong;

Why did I not find some other girl? Diana, Headmaster, Diana. I often yearned for her, but never to the point where I wrote to ask if we might not reconsider. I knew that Diana would stand in the way of the kind of life I wanted to live and that she would not be content with anything less than a full and, if possible, a controlling share in the life of any man she married. But that did not stop me, often and painfully, from wanting her. (Fifth Business, pg.115)

Then there was Faustina who he fell in love with while working with Magnus Eisengrim. He loved her and suffered for her with such an intense adoration, while knowing that he would never be able to have her. Yet he continued to love, adore, and hope for her;

There were whole nights when I lay awake from one o'clock till morning, calling up her image before my imagination. On such nights I would suffer, again and again, the worst horror of the lover: I would find myself unable to summon up the adored one's face and-I write it hardly expecting to be believed except by someone who has suffered this abjection of adoration-I would shake at the blasphemy of having thus mislaid her likeness. I plagued myself with fruitless questions: would the promise of a life's servitude be enough to make her stoop to me? (Fifth Business, pg.222)

Therefore, it was Dunny's dealings with love that often left him suffering. He would suffer for who he could not have, while knowing full-well that she would not want the kind of life he wanted. Yet he still wanted someone to love and to love him in return, which was the root of his sufferings.

Fifth Business also portrayed Dunny with some physical sufferings as well. When he was injured at the war his leg was injured and had to be amputated, so that he was given an artificial leg in place of it. He had to physically learn to walk again with the use of his artificial leg; "It was some time after I woke from my coma before I could get out of bed, and quite a while after that before I could begin experimenting with the succession of artifical legs that came before my final one." (Fifth Business, pg.80) So, Dunny was forced to suffer through the pain of learning to walk again with an articial leg, and with the knowledge that he would never walk as he once had. As well as dealing with the misery of learning how to walk again, Dunny also had to accept that his love life would not be what it once had, and that women wouldn't be so inclined to come to him with an artificial leg. Dunny was very self-conscious of his artificial leg, and suffered through this self-consciousness, especially concerning women; "Liesl, I am fifty, and I have a wooden leg and only part of one arm. Is that interesting for Faustina?" (Fifth Business, pg.226) Therefore, it was Dunny's physical suffering concerning his leg, which he suffered through, as well as his self-consciousness, which he also suffered with that portrays how much he suffered throughout his life.

The Double Hook, written by Sheila Watson is the last Canadian fiction novel concerning the mythos of suffering and misery within this era of 1940-1970. This novel is based solely on the relationships between the charaters. From love and hate, to friendship and marriage, it shows the feelings of misery and happiness. It is based a lot on those feelings that aren't shared are known. Ara feels that her mother-in-law doesn't even realize or care about her existence, and suffers with that knowledge of not feeling like she's good enough for her mother-in-law;

Ara saw her fishing along the creek. Fishing shamelessly with bait. Fishing without a glance towards her daughter-in-law, who was hanging washing on the busher near the rail fence. I might as well be dead for all of her, Ara said. Passing her own son's house and never offering a fry even today when he's off and gone with the post. (The Double Hook, pg.12)

Many of the village people resented the old lady fishing in the pool, and though they would complain about it, they never actually did anything about it. Instead they just suffered with their own bitterness; "When at last he went down to the creek the old lady had gone. And he thought: Someday I'll put a catcher on the fence and catch her for once and all." (The Double Hook, pg.15) "The old lady from above is fishing down in our pool, he said, coming into the Widow's kitchen. I'm going down to scare her out." (The Double Hook, pg.16) Therefore, The Double Hook is about people full of psychological suffering and resentment. People who complain, yet do nothing to amend the problem, and yet continue to suffer within their own bitterness and resentment.

Therefore, suffering and misery is a strong and dominant mythos within Canadian literature from 1940-1970. Not only are the majority of the characters suffering through some kind of emotional, physical, psychological or cultural hurt, but the majority of them are miserable with some aspect of their lives. It is a dominant theme within all of these novels, and makes a strong point for each and every novel.