There are many ways to read Jack Conroy’s The Disinherited. Ever since it was published the first time in 1933, critics and friends of the author differed in their receptions and assessments of the novel. To some contemporary critics, for instance Gold, Farrell and Hicks, The Disinherited conveyed too few communist ideas and did not satisfactorily “recommend militancy as a general solution for the workers’ problems.” The communist party indeed is not explicitly present in the novel; to Conroy, Marxist politics did not play a crucial role in proletarian literature. Yet on the whole, the left-wing critics praised the book. After its immediate success, the impact of the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in the 1950s silenced the radical thinker Conroy, who had thenceforth difficulties in finding a publisher. Finally, since 1963, when “Daniel Aaron exhumed” the novel, Conroy’s literary writing has been gradually rediscovered and the author has been rehabilitated to some extent.
Since any attempts to discover the author’s original intentions remain inevitably vague and speculative, this paper will not try to find out the true interpretation of The Disinherited. I will rather focus on an alternative reading which is possible to the present-day reader, who deciphers the novel approximately 70 years after its first publication and in different socio-political circumstances. In Walsh’s opinion, the novel “never rises to the level of a work of art in which each element is subordinated to a single unifying purpose.” Yet, I claim that there is a priority aim: My suggestion is to interpret the narrator’s development as the awakening of a missionary who is not interested in a particular religion, but rather stands up for socio-political amendments in favour of the working class. In some respects, the reader may even draw parallels between Larry Donovan and Jesus Christ: both had a strong mother and a very “influential” father; both moved around a great deal, both sided with the underprivileged and tried to help them, and both were spokesmen of the lower-classes, for whose interests they eventually sacrificed themselves.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Disinherited
- The Awakening of a Socio-political Missionary
I. The Death of the Father
II. The Railroad Strike
III. The Concept of Education
Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This academic paper provides a contemporary critical re-reading of Jack Conroy’s 1933 novel, "The Disinherited," approximately 70 years after its initial publication. The central objective is to interpret the protagonist Larry Donovan’s narrative trajectory as the awakening of a "socio-political missionary," shifting focus away from original authorial intent toward an analysis of class consciousness, narrative structure, and the role of cultural heritage in proletarian literature.
- Analysis of the protagonist’s socio-political development and moral awakening.
- Examination of narrative strategies, intertextuality, and the concept of narrative distance.
- Critical assessment of the portrayal of class dynamics and gender roles.
- Discussion of the interplay between formal education, ideology, and the survival of oral traditions.
Excerpt from the Book
I. The Death of the Father
The nostalgic view of the protagonist’s childhood comes to an abrupt end when the father gets fatally injured in a mining accident. In Freudian theory, the father’s death is the most significant event in a man’s life. For Larry too, this moment is of great importance, because he feels guilty for his father’s death and thus loses his innocence in a wider sense. This might be indicated in the seemingly inappropriate colour of the hearse; for old people grey is usually taken, but the father’s hearse is black, which normally corresponds to the young and middle aged. Yet, not only the undertaker is accused of working sloppily, but also the priest fails in the eyes of the camp people. At the funeral, the mourning crowd is very disappointed that the priest does not cite the verse about the great man who has given his life for a friend. But already earlier in the story, when Tim – one of the narrator’s brothers – has died, the narrator disapproves of the “unctuous preacher [who] hurrie[s] with his palaver.” At the steel mill, a grotesque service is performed by the “ex-pugilist evangelist One-round McKay”, who is an “unscrupulous seducer of virgins and a bibber who not only look[s] upon the wine when it [is] red but also consume[s] incalculable quantities of it”. Moreover, he gets “saved by a nocturnal spiritual visitation of his sainted mother.” In addition to these negative and cynical illustrations, there are even some blasphemous elements in the novel, for instance when Bonny Fern calls the belief in God a delusion. Lipkin, the Bolshevik at the steel mill with whom Larry sides, scares his colleagues with irreverence in religious matters. Another example of a slightly blasphemous but more humorous insinuation about religious matters is the depiction of Ben Haskin’s puncture:
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: The chapter sets the stage for a new interpretation of the novel, moving away from 1930s political critiques to examine the narrator's development as a socio-political missionary.
The Disinherited - The Awakening of a Socio-political Missionary: This section explores the narrative structure of the book, contrasting the episodic "Monkey Nest" childhood scenes with the later, more linear industrial struggles of the protagonist.
I. The Death of the Father: The author analyzes how the father's fatal mining accident marks the end of Larry’s innocence and introduces themes of religious disillusionment and early responsibility.
II. The Railroad Strike: This chapter focuses on the protagonist's initiation into political awareness through labor conflict and the influence of Marxist-leaning colleagues.
III. The Concept of Education: The analysis delves into the limitations of formal schooling for the working class and contrasts it with the practical, often harsh lessons of labor movements and class solidarity.
Conclusion: The author synthesizes the findings, confirming Larry’s final conversion to revolutionary activism and the novel's enduring value as a document of cultural heritage.
Keywords
Jack Conroy, The Disinherited, Proletarian Literature, Larry Donovan, Socio-political missionary, Class consciousness, Marxism, Narrative strategy, Labor struggle, Cultural heritage, Intertextuality, 1930s literature, Worker-writer, Industrial depression, Moral awakening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper offers an alternative, contemporary reading of Jack Conroy’s "The Disinherited," focusing on the transformation of the protagonist from a naïve youth into a committed socio-political missionary for the working class.
What are the primary thematic areas explored?
The main themes include class distinction, the failure of formal education as a means of social mobility, the impact of religious disillusionment, and the importance of preserving working-class cultural heritage.
What is the central research question?
The research asks how narrative strategy and specific turning points in the novel facilitate Larry’s development into a radical worker organizer who ultimately rejects bourgeois ambitions.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The study utilizes a literary analysis approach, focusing on narrative structure, intertextual references, and character functions within the context of 1930s proletarian fiction.
What is examined in the main body of the work?
The body analyzes key incidents—such as the father’s death, the railroad strike, and the character development of figures like Bonny Fern and Hans—to demonstrate the protagonist's gradual abandonment of social climbing in favor of collective labor solidarity.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include proletarian literature, class consciousness, socio-political missionary, narrative strategy, intertextuality, and working-class heritage.
How does the author interpret the role of "The Disinherited" female characters?
The author argues that female characters, such as Bonny Fern, Wilma, and Helen, are not fully developed individuals but serve as symbolic narrative functions, often acting as mirrors for Larry's evolving awareness or as cautionary tales regarding sexual and moral choices.
What is the significance of the "hollering 'I'" mentioned in the analysis?
The author interprets this chant from a childhood game as a symbolic moment that highlights Larry’s growing sense of individuality and resistance to assimilation, reflecting Conroy’s own skepticism toward rigid party dogmatism.
- Quote paper
- Sabine Rohrhofer (Author), 2002, Jack Conroy’s "The Disinherited" - The awakening of a socio-political missionary, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/4763
