The sweeping assertion “once a rebel, always a rebel,” soliloquised by Alan Sillitoe’s character Arthur Seaton in "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning", published in 1958, echoes the dissent of the Angry Young Men of the late fifties and sixties in Britain and functions as a binding theme and narrative strategy yoking together the different fragments of the novel.
The purpose of this paper is to study the various aspects of the anti-hero’s dissenting action, assess the limits of his rebellion and eventually relate the complexity of the narrative to a larger corpus of literature that is more likely to be dubbed “literature of dissent” rather than “literature of exhaustion” (John Barth 70 – 83); although Sillitoe’s novel may partake of both. Such subversive trends, typical of post-war British literature, permeate a wide spectrum of working-class ethics ranging from mere industrial dissent to more life-enhancing assent.
The ultimate purpose of such literary representation of modern life in Britain is to question, at the same time, the bourgeois standards of profitability and the controversial identity of the marginally subversive working-class anti-hero trapped between hope and despair, revolt and submission.
Table of Contents
1. Dissenting anti-heroes
2. Anger and dissent in SNSM
2.1 Industrial dissent:
2.2 Political dissent:
3. The poetics of dissent in SNSM
Objectives and Research Themes
This paper examines the various manifestations of the anti-hero's dissenting actions within Alan Sillitoe’s 1958 novel, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. It seeks to assess the limitations of such rebellion and position the work within a broader "literature of dissent," analyzing how the narrative voice and linguistic strategies reflect the protagonist's struggle between hope, despair, revolt, and social submission.
- Analysis of the dissenting anti-hero archetype in post-war British literature.
- Examination of Arthur Seaton's industrial defiance and factory life.
- Evaluation of the protagonist's political awareness and contradictory social stance.
- Investigation into the "poetics of dissent" and linguistic constructs in the novel.
- The relationship between individual rebellion and systemic alienation in modern Britain.
Excerpt from the Book
Anger and dissent in SNSM
From the outset, Arthur Seaton appears as a proud young man rising to a record-breaking-beer-drinking challenge suggested by some character, nicknamed Loudmouth in the novel, who wants to show off in the presence of a female audience at the White Horse Club. “Big talkers” of Loudmouth’s ilk are contemptuously despised by Arthur; and by accepting the challenge, he hopes to “show him up and take him down to his right size” (7).
After defeating his opponent who goes “green half way through the tenth pint,” the narrator says, achieving thus an honourable record of drinking, Arthur manages to make a fool of himself, though. He tumbles and rolls down the stairs, nearly breaking his neck. Then after another drinking bout, he is literally sick over a bourgeois middle-aged man and his wife in the saloon bar. Needless to say that the whole event turns into a hilariously burlesque scene as the woman keeps yelling at the “stupefied” Arthur to “Apologise,” repeating: “Go on, apologise” (11).
In his dazed intoxication, Arthur could only see “teeth between open lips, narrowed eyes, claws raised” (12). The woman became “a tigress” (12).
Arthur must run away from the threatening woman. “Before she could spring he gathered all his strength and pushed through the crowd, impelled by a strong sense of survival towards the street-door, to take himself away from a scene of ridicule, disaster, and certain retribution.” (12)
Summary of Chapters
Dissenting anti-heroes: This chapter provides a historical and mythological overview of the anti-hero archetype, linking the concept of rebellion to psychological and religious frameworks.
Anger and dissent in SNSM: This section explores the protagonist Arthur Seaton’s initial defiant behaviors and his reactions to social pressures in the context of the novel.
Industrial dissent:: This chapter analyzes Arthur’s specific resistance to factory conditions, focusing on his use of cunning to maintain productivity while avoiding exploitation.
Political dissent:: This section examines Arthur’s vague and often contradictory political beliefs regarding the Conservative and Labour parties, highlighting his distance from actual revolutionary action.
The poetics of dissent in SNSM: This final chapter discusses how the linguistic register, narrative techniques, and intertextuality function together to construct a multi-layered aesthetic of resistance.
Keywords
Alan Sillitoe, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Arthur Seaton, dissent, anti-hero, post-war British literature, industrial rebellion, working-class, linguistic construct, alienation, political consciousness, narrative aesthetics, social critique, rebellion, discourse.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on the nature of dissent in Alan Sillitoe’s novel, analyzing how the protagonist, Arthur Seaton, expresses rebellion through his actions and discourse.
What are the primary themes explored in the text?
Central themes include industrial and political dissent, the psychological state of the working-class anti-hero, social alienation, and the limitations of individual revolt.
What is the ultimate research objective?
The objective is to assess the limits of the anti-hero's rebellion and to relate the novel's complex narrative to the broader category of "literature of dissent."
Which methodology is employed in this study?
The study utilizes a literary analysis approach, examining the text’s linguistic register, character construction, and intertextual references to authors like George Orwell.
What topics are covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body covers the archetype of the dissenting anti-hero, Arthur's defiance in the workplace, his confused political stances, and the narrative poetics of the novel.
Which keywords define the research?
Key terms include dissent, anti-hero, working-class, rebellion, alienation, and narrative aesthetics.
How does the author interpret Arthur Seaton's "rebellion"?
The author views Seaton's rebellion as largely performative and internally contradictory, noting that his grandiose dreams of "blowing up the factory" are tempered by his resignation to his daily life.
What role does the factory setting play in the narrative?
The factory functions as a "modern Leviathan," a symbol of entrapment that drives Arthur’s feeling of alienation and justifies his desire for escape through fantasy or, occasionally, disruptive mischief.
Why does the text compare Arthur Seaton to George Orwell’s characters?
The comparison is used to highlight the shared sense of hopelessness and the feeling of being "ground down" by authority, reinforcing the novel's participation in a wider post-war discourse of social oppression.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Mansour Khelifa (Autor:in), 2006, Dissent and Assent in Alan Sillitoe's Novel "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning". The Dilemma of Arthur Seaton, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/314249
