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Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers
1-1-1967
Malcolm Lowry: A study of the sea metaphor in "Ultramarine" and
Malcolm Lowry: A study of the sea metaphor in "Ultramarine" and
"Under the Volcano".
"Under the Volcano".
Bernadette Wild
University of Windsor
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd
Recommended Citation Recommended Citation
Wild, Bernadette, "Malcolm Lowry: A study of the sea metaphor in "Ultramarine" and "Under the Volcano"." (1967). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 6505.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/6505
IN ULTRAMARINE AND UNDER THE VOLCANO
BY
SISTER BERNADETTE WILD
A T h e sis
Subm itted t o th e F a c u lty o f Graduate S tu d ie s through th e Department o f E n glish in P a r t i a l F u lf illm e n t
o f th e Requirements f o r th e Degree o f Master o f A rts a t th e
U n iv e r s it y o f Windsor
Windsor, O ntario
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ABSTRACT
In t h i s stu d y o f th e sea metaphor in U ltram arine and Under th e
V olcano, a v e ry im portant p r o g r essio n i s su g g e ste d from th e t r a d i t i o n a l
u se o f th e s e a metaphor in th e f i r s t n o v e l t o a much more complex and
m a n y -le v elled in t e r p r e ta tio n o f i t in th e second n o v e l.
In Chapter 1 , I t r i e d t o show th e se a as th e b a t t l e ground fo r
th e i n i t i a t i o n ex p erien ce t h a t i s t o le a d Dana H i l l i o t from h i s c a llo w ,
f
rom antic n o t io n s t o some understanding o f th e world o f men and o f th e
meaning o f l i f e . The se a became h i s U n iv e r s it y o f L if e , a w orld w ith in
a w orld , where growth t o m aturity i s p o s s i b l e , and where th e young
s a i l o r can co n tin u e t o view th e s e a as a p la c e o f romance d e s p it e a
g r u e llin g i n i t i a t i o n .
The e a r ly book g iv e s some in d ic a t io n o f th e c e n tr a l sen se o f
c r e a t i v i t y which blossom ed in t o th e pow erfu l stu d y o f a s p i r i t u a l and
p s y c h o lo g ic a l c o n f l i c t in Under th e V olcano.
In Chapter 11, I u sed Chapter VI o f Under th e Volcano as a p o in t
o f departure because Malcolm Lowry h im s e lf in d ic a te d t h a t t h i s ch ap ter
brought"a much-needed ozone o f s e a air" in to th e p ic t u r e . Hugh i s a much
more s o p h is tic a t e d Dana H i l l i o t , and h i s se a e x p e r ie n c e , w h ile p a r a l l e l
in g D ana's, c a r r ie s g r ea ter c o m p le x ity . For him th e s e a i s a panacea
o f f e r in g r e g e n e r a tio n and escape whenever a c r i s i s fa c e s him. I t has
somewhat l e s s immature tw e n ty -n in e .
Chapter 111 d e a ls w ith th e Consul and Yvonne. The Consul i s r e a l l y
th e cou n terp art o f Hugh, th e man who has taken a road l e s s t r a v e l l e d a t
one sta g e o f developm ent, "And th a t has made a l l th e d if f e r e n c e ." For th e
Consul th e s e a h a s been a p la c e o f romance, but i t h a s become a world
where romance i s ju x ta p o sed t o e v i l , and so i t has become a nem esis as w e l l .
Yvonne, s t i l l lo v ed and lo v in g a f t e r a year o f se p a r a tio n , b r in g s a r a y o f
hope in to th e p ic t u r e . She c l i n g s t o her v i s i o n o f th e sea as a beacon o f
s a f e t y and a haven o f r e s t fo r h e r s e l f and th e man she l o v e s .
In th e C onclusion I p o in t o u t t h a t th e tr a c in g o f th e s e a metaphor
in th e two n o v e ls s e r v e s t o show an expanding panorama, in c lu d in g th e
whole human c o n d it io n , and em phasizes th e growth in s k i l l and a r t i s t r y on
th e p a r t o f th e n o v e l i s t , Malcolm Lowry. Lowry moves t o th e more com plex
Under th e V olcano,where romance i s exposed to e v i l , bu t w here, amid grow
ing d a rk n ess, th e n o v e l i s t a ls o p la c e s a v i s i o n o f h op e. Yvonne c a r r ie s
her dream o f r e g e n e r a tio n and a new l i f e w ith th e Consul in t o d e a th , but
th e n o v e l i s t h im se lf c a r r ie s th e v is io n o f h ap p in ess and s p i r i t u a l f u l
f illm e n t in to th e in t r ig u in g human s to r y , "The F o r e st Path t o th e S p rin g ."
A growing s c h o la r ly i n t e r e s t in Lowry’ s work su g g e sts t h a t h i s f a i t h in
t h i s stu d y o f th e human c o n d itio n was j u s t i f i e d . Even f o r th e g e n e r a l
reader U ltram arine and Under th e Volcano b elo n g to g e th e r f o r a com plete
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My f i r s t e x p r e s s io n o f g r a titu d e goes t o my R e lig io u s Order in th e
person o f Reverend Mother M .St. D avid, Su perior General o f th e U r su lin e s
o f th e Chatham Union, who gave me t h i s o p p o rtu n ity f o r stud y.
I am g r a t e f u l t o Mother M.Corona Sharp who in trod u ced me to Lowry,
t o Reverend C .P.C row ley, Dean o f Graduate S tu dies,w h o encouraged me t o
w r it e , and t o Paul Black,who shared h i s enthusiasm fo r Lowry w ith me.
To Dr. Eugene J.McNamara goes my d e e p e st a p p r e c ia tio n fo r h i s i n
v a lu a b le a s s is t a n c e a s th e d ir e c t o r o f t h i s t h e s i s . The o th er rea d ers
on my com m ittee, Dr. Raymond J . Smith and Dr. Ralph C. N elson , d eserv e
my s p e c i a l acknowledgement fo r t h e i r c r i t i c a l comments and h e lp f u l sug
g e s t io n s .
F i n a lly , I am in d eb ted t o th e S t a f f o f th e U n iv e r s it y L ibrary fo r
g ra cio u s s e r v ic e , e s p e c i a l l y Mrs. G.A. McCorkeli, who arranged v a lu a b le
i n t e r - l i b r a r y lo a n s f o r me.
ABSTRACT... i i
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS... i v
INTRODUCTION . ... 1
CHAPTER 1
ULTRAMARINE... . . . 9
CHAPTER 11
UNDER THE VOLCANO - HUGH . ... 28
CHAPTER 111
UNDER THE VOLCANO
-THE CONSUL AND YVONNE... $3
CONCLUSION... '. . . ... 69
BIBLIOGRAPHY... ‘ 7U
VITA A U C T O R IS ... ' ... 77
INTRODUCTION
In t h i s t h e s i s I would l i k e t o e x p lo r e j u s t how Malcolm Lowry used
th e s e a metaphor in h i s f i r s t n o v e l, U ltram arine, and in h i s major work,
Under th e V olcano. The ocean , a lc o h o l, d ea th and th e need fo r lo v e ~
'No se puede v i v i r s i n amar'^ — seem v e r it a b le o b se ssio n s o f Lowry1 s
th in k in g and w r it in g . Of t h e s e , th e ocean metaphor should be a f a s c i
n a tin g stu d y b e c a u se, a t tim e s , Lowry "broods on ocean l e s s than on th e /
: 2
g a l l / In seam en's minds." i
In U ltram arine, th e young Malcolm Lowry co n cen tra ted on how Dana
H i l l i o t , th e lo n e ly o u tsid e r among th e crew , underwent h i s i n i t i a t i o n
in th e unique "world w ith in a world" which was h i s s h ip . In Under th e
V olcano, t h e mature a r t i s t made th e memory o f th e se a o p era te on s e v e r a l
l e v e l s , and l e t th e s e a co n tin u e t o beckon a s a panacea b r in g in g reg en e
r a tio n and esca p e f o r Hugh, a s a haven and a beacon f o r Yvonne, and as
an am bivalent ex p erien ce o f reward and nem esis f o r th e C onsul. Hence
t h e tr a c in g o f th e metaphor in th e two n o v e ls r e v e a ls th e i n t e l l e c t u a l
growth o f th e au th or. The somewhat s e lf c o n s c io u s w r ite r o f U ltr a
-marine became th e man who was so le a rn ed t h a t he h im se lf f o r g o t how
^Malcolm Lowry, Under th e Volcano (S ig n e t B ook, 1 9 6 6 ), p . 3 2 . T his i s th e t e x t co p y rig h ted in 191*7. Subsequent r e fe r e n c e s t o t h i s t e x t w i l l be in d ic a te d by: (UtV and th e a p p ro p ria te page number).
2
Malcolm Lowry, "The Ship i s Turning Homeward," in S e le c te d Poems by Malcolm Lowry, e d . Earle B im e y (.San F r a n c isco : C ity L ig h ts Books, 1 9 6 2 ), p . 17.
3 h i s work.
Mr. Jacques Barzun accu sed Malcolm Lowry o f b e in g a mere im ita to r
o f Joyce and Hemingway, o f Dos P assos and Sterne and o th e r s .^ However,
Lowry had some o r i g i n a l and am b itious th in g s t o say, and he s a id them
t
w ith q u ite consummate s k i l l . He f e l t he was something o f a s t y l i s t i c
t r a i l b l a z e r , and he p o in te d out t h a t th e c r y a g a in s t him had been heard
by many a new v o ic e b e fo r e t h i s :
Whatever your la r g e r m otive — which I in c id e n t a lly b e lie v e t o be extrem ely sound — do you not seem t o have heard t h i s p a ssa g e or som ething l i k e i t b e fo r e ? I c e r t a i n l y d o. I seem t o r e c o g n iz e th e v o i c e , s l i g h t l y d is g u is e d , t h a t g r e e te d Mr. Wolfe h im s e lf,n o t t o sa y Mr. F au lkn er, Mr. M e lv ille and Mr. James, — an immortal v o ic e , in d eed , t h a t once addressed K eats in th e same term s t h a t i t inform ed Mr. Whitman th a t he knew l e s s about p o e tr y than a hog about M athem atics.5
Malcolm Lowry w rote U ltram arine under th e v e ry ob viou s in flu e n c e
o f Conrad A ik en 's Blue Voyage, and Nordahl G r ie g 's The Ship S a i l s On.^
3
In h i s t h e s i s , The Use o f L ite r a r y Sources f o r Theme and S t y le in Under th e V olcano, T oronto, 1965, M r.A n th on y K i l g a l l i n p o in ts out t h a t l i t e r a r y themes "emphasize la y e r s o f meaning and a s s e r t l i t e r a r y depths through e v o c a tio n ," p . 2 7 . L ater he adds th a t Lowry's tech n iq u e o f u n iv e r s a l l i t e r a r y and m y th ic a l e v o c a tio n f o llo w s th e form ula p re d ic t e d by T .S .E l i o t in 1923 in h is e s s a y , U ly s s e s , Order and Myth.
^Jacques Barzun, Book Review in H arpers, May,19U7.
'’Malcolm Lowry, L e tte r t o Jacques Barzun in S e le c te d L e tte r s by Malcolm Lowry (New York: L ip p in c o tt, 1 9 6 5 ), e d . Harvey B r e it and M argerie Bonner Lowry, p . lU 3 • Subsequent r e fe r e n c e s t o t h i s t e x t w i l l be in d i c a te d by: (SL and th e ap p rop riate page number). .
i t i s a l s o r e m in isc e n t o f Herman M e lv ille * s Redburn, and, l i k e th e l a t t e r ,
i t i s a u to b io g r a p h ic a l. In t h i s s to r y th e lu r e o f th e s e a brought Dana
H i l l i o t a s mes's-boy on th e f r e i g h t e r Oedipus Tyrannus. The o b s e s s io n o f
t h e s e a i s t h e r e , but as a backdrop a g a in s t which young Dana l i v e d
through h i s growing p a in s as he fo u g h t h o p e fu lly towards proving h im se lf
a man among men. His g i f t from th e s e a was th e exuberant jo y o f b ein g
accep ted — and accep ted in p a r t ic u la r by Mth e c h in le s s w onder," Andy,
whose apparent h o s t i l i t y haunted H i l l i o t throughout th e s t o r y . I t was
a much-matured young man who watched th e Oxenst je m a p u llin g a lo n g sid e
C
th e Oedipus Tyr annus a t th e end o f th e s t o r y . Yes, he had seen her once
or tw ic e b e fo r e . "But, oh J a n e t, no sorrow i s so bad as th a t which q u ite
goes b y." (2 0 3 ) D e sp ite t h i s n o s t a lg ic comment, Dana d id not r e a l l y come
? out o f th e e x p erien ce w ith h ea rt " em b ittered w ith sea s a l t . "
Malcolm Lowry h im se lf was c o n sc io u s o f much im m aturity in U ltram arine
O
Mr. E arle B irn ey f e l t th a t th e author o f t e n seemed em barrassed by t h i s ,
h is f i r s t n o v e l, and, r e p e a te d ly , e x p ressed th e hope t h a t he would g et
round t o r e v is in g i t some day. Mrs. K argerie Bonner Lowry, th e a u th o r ’s
widow, had a new e d it i o n o f U ltram arine p r in te d which
rep rod uces th e changes Malcolm had made, over th e y e a r s , s in c e 1933, in h is own copy o f th e o r i g i n a l e d i t i o n . During th e y ea rs . . . th e r e was a spasmodic running commentary on U ltram arine. I would
7
"Old F r e ig h te r in an Old Port" in S e le c t e d Poems, p . 1U. g
come upon him w ith th e b a tte r e d copy in h i s hands s ta r in g a t i t a n g r ily and making n o tes on th e p a g e s, o r sometimes j u s t h o ld in g i t and gazing o u t o f th e window; he would turn t o me and sa y s "You know I must r e - w r it e t h i s some day." (7 )
Mrs. Lowry does n o t remember j u s t when Malcolm Lowry d ecid ed t h a t , in i t s
r e - w r itt e n form, U ltram arine would become th e f i r s t volume in a group o f
s i x or seven n o v e ls , a l l under th e g e n e r a l t i t l e o f The Voyage That Never
Ends, - - som ething in th e nature o f a P ro u stia n m a ste r p ie c e . However, i t
was a t t h i s tim e th a t he changed th e name o f th e sh ip from Nawab t o O
edi-I '
pus Tyr annus, t o conform w ith Hugh’s second sh ip in Under th e V olcano.
1 The sea ! The w atches p a s s , th e hours tak e wing
Like s e a - g u l l s s t u f f e d w ith b read , T in - t in j pang, pang. And t h i s monotony i s our Sturm und Drang
Of which few p o e ts have th e h ea rt t o s in g .
In Under th e Volcano, Yvonne was c a r r ie d in t o th e bay o f Acapulco by th e
lo n g , pure waves o f th e P a c if i c "through a h u rricane o f immense and gor
geous b u t t e r f l i e s swooping seaward t o g r e e t th e P en n sy lv a n ia ." (U tV ,71)
The i d y l l i c ca b in o f her dream fo r th e Consul and h e r s e l f was lo c a te d a t
th e edge o f a f o r e s t , " sla p spang on th e s e a ." (U tV ,lU 9) Hugh's con
s c ie n c e t o ld him he was a l i a r , a t r a i t o r t o h i s own b r o th e r , a coward!
"And th e y are lo s in g th e B a t t l e o f th e Ebro. Because o f you." T h is i s
a r e f r a in th a t tr o u b le s him throughout th e book. In a rom antic n o tio n o f
e x p ia tin g th e g u i l t t h a t haunted him, he plan ned t o go t o se a ag a in t o
b r in g h elp t o th e h a rd -p ressed f o r c e s o f th e L o y a lis t s i n S p ain , — men
9
5
vhom he f e l t he had a ls o l e t down. N e v e r th e le s s , in h i s h e a r t, he knew
th a t t h i s was another empty g e s t u r e . Thus Hugh remained r o m a n tic a lly im
mature as h e , l i k e Yvonne, yearned f o r th e s e a w hich, t o b o th , r e p r e
sen ted a r e g e n e r a tin g and p u r ify in g e lem en t.
I f f o r Hugh and Yvonne th e sea was a v is io n o f e sc a p e , and a pro
mise o f r e g e n e r a tio n , i t was nem esis w ith a vengeance f o r th e C onsul. As
a r u l e , memories o f th e s e a brought him no c o n s o la t io n . H is peace o f
mind was d istu rb ed b y haunting images o f death and d is g r a c e a t s e a : fo r
him, th e s e a and th e d is a s t r o u s a f f a i r o f th e Samaritan b lend ed in t o one
se a r in g e x p e r ie n c e , and whether im agined or r e a l , a t tim es i t became a
harrowing nightm are fo r him .
Perhaps G eo ffrey Firm in, more than an yth in g e l s e in Under th e Vol
cano , b r in g s to mind e v o c a tio n s o f Herman M e l v i l l e . The Consul has been
compared t o Ahab and t o Moby D ick :
In V ic t o r ia . . • t h e y have d e c id e d t h a t th e Consul i s r e a l l y Moby D ick, masquerading as th e u n co n scio u s a sp e c t o f th e Cadbosaurus in th e book o f Jonah, o r words t o t h a t e f f e c t . (SL, 196)
My w ife sa y s i t would be more tr u e t o sa y th a t in th e Volcano th e Consul bore some r e la t io n t o Moby Dick h im se lf r a th e r than t o Aheb. However, i t was n o t p a tte rn ed a f t e r Moby Dick (th e book) which I never stu d ie d t i l l f a i r l y r e c e n t ly (and i t would seem n o t hard en ou gh .) (SL, 197)
I t i s an i n t e r e s t i n g f a c t t h a t in a l e t t e r to Mr. Derek P e th ic k ,
dated March 6, 1 95>0» Malcolm Lowry adm itted t h a t , on h i s s i d e , th e i d e n t i
f i c a t i o n was w ith M e lv ille h im s e lf and w ith h i s l i f e . T h is was p a r t ly
w ith h i s s h ip . However, Malcolm Lowry added th a t th e r e was ‘'the p u re ly
rom antic reason th a t M e lv ille had had a son named Malcolm who sim p ly
d isa p p e a r e d .” (SL, 197J I t i s s i g n i f i c a n t t h a t Lowry ended by sa y in g
th a t most o f a l l he i d e n t i f i e d w ith M e lv ille b ecause o f th e " l a t t e r ' s
f a i l u r e as a w r it e r , and because o f h i s w hole ou tlook g e n e r a lly ." (SL,
197) Lowry does n o t e x p la in j u s t what i t was t h a t f a s c in a t e d him—
M e l v i l l e ' s la c k o f f i n a n c i a l s u c c e s s , or th e lo n g t w i l i g h t ex p erien ced
by some o f h i s work, in c lu d in g h i s m a ste r p ie c e , Moby D ick.
H is f a i l u r e fo r some reason a b s o lu t e ly f a s c in a t e d me and i t seems t o me th a t from an e a r ly age I determ ined to em ulate i t , in ev ery p o s s ib le way — f o r which rea so n I have alw ays been v e ry fo n d o f
P ierre (even w ith o u t havin g read i t a t a l l ) , (S L ,197)
Like M e lv i lle , Malcolm Lowry d e lig h t e d in th e o c e a n ic m ajesty o f
l i t e r a r y and B i b l i c a l rhythm s, and, l i k e M e lv i lle , he was in tr ig u e d by
th e demoniac in n atu re which h a ile d back t o th e o ld m y t h o lo g ie s .^ C
er-I
t a i n l y U ltram arine q u ite c a tc h e s th e s p i r i t and th e mood o f th e o ld
s u p e r s t it io n s th a t have lo n g been a p a r t o f a s a i l o r ' s creed*
Under th e Volcano i t s e l f was w r itte n on numerous p la n e s w ith pro
v is io n s made, accordin g t o i t s au thor, fo r alm ost every kind o f r ea d er .
Lowry f e l t h i s approach was th e o p p o s ite o f t h a t o f James J o y ce. His
approach was a u to b io g r a p h ic a l, p e r so n a l and a t tim es even s u b j e c t iv e j
in c o n tr a s t w r ite r s l i k e Joyce and E l i o t aimed t o in v e n t a modern
j e c t iv e " l i t e r a t u r e , which was f r e e o f a u to b io g r a p h ica l and s u b j e c tiv e
elem ents*
The n o v e l can be read sim p ly as a s to r y which you can sk ip i f you want. I t can be read as a s t o r y you w i l l g e t more ou t o f i f you d o n 't s k ip . I t can be regarded as a symphony, or in another way as a kind o f opera , . * I t i s h o t m u sic, a poem, a son g, a tr a g e d y , a comedy, a f a r c e , and so f o r t h . . . I t i s a prophecy, a p o l i t i c a l w arning, a cryptogram,
a
p rep o stero u s m ovie, and a w r itin g on th e w a l l . (SL,6 6 )In t h i s a n a ly s is o f h i s own work, Malcolm Lowry co n tin u ed t o d is c u s s
h i s n o v e l which d e a ls w ith f o r c e s in man which cause him to be a fr a id o f I
h im s e lf. Under th e Volcano d e a ls w ith th e g u i l t o f man, w ith h i s rem orse,
w ith h is c e a s e l e s s s tr u g g le t o reach th e l i g h t , d e s p ite th e burdens p la ced
on man from h i s h e r ita g e o f th e p a s t . The a lle g o r y i s th a t o f th e Garden
o f Eden, t h e Garden r e p r e se n tin g th e w orld, a Garden which i s c o n s t a n t ly
th rea ten ed t o become our P aradise L o st. The drunkenness o f G eo ffrey F i r
-min i s taken on one p lan e t o sym b olize th e u n iv e r s a l drunkenness o f man
kind during th e war, or during th e p e r io d im m ediately p reced in g i t . Of
c o u r se , i t i s im portant t o remember, as Mr. Stephen Spender p o in ts o u t ,
"fundam entally, Under th e Volcano i s no more about d rin k in g than King Lear
i s about s e n i l i t y . " (UtV, i x )
I t i s s i g n i f i c a n t t h a t in th e g e n e r a l p lan fo r The Journey That Never
Ends, Malcolm Lowry p la c e d "The F o r e st Path to th e S p r in g ," "which i s con
cerned w ith human h ap p in ess and ends on a n o te o f fu lfillm en t," " ? ^ a t th e
end o f what was d e s tin e d t o be a posthumous volum e. Amid h i s c o n sta n t ob
s e s s io n s w ith th e ocean , w ith a lc o h o l, w ith death and w ith th e need f o r
lo v e in th e human c o n d itio n , Malcolm Lowry a ls o p la c e d t h i s in t r ig u in g
s to r y w ith i t s message o f hope and lo v e .
U ltram arine i s a young man’s f i r s t workj Under th e Volcano i s an
ex h a u stiv e and p ow erfu l work, d e a lin g in a unique way w ith a t o t a l v is io n
o f l i f e . In i t s m a n y -le v e lle d a p p ea l, Under th e Volcano shou ld prove a
rewarding stu d y when tak en from th e p o in t o f view o f th e s e a metaphor.
In Chapter 1 , I w i l l d is c u s s U ltram arine from two p o in ts o f view :
f i r s t th e s e a voyage became an i n i t i a t i o n ex p erien ce in which "the c o ld
c le a n scourge o f th e s e a ” (7 0 ) d id i t s share in Dana’ s m aturation pro
c e s s . S eco n d ly , I would l i k e t o rev iew th e s to r y o f U ltram arine in
some d e t a i l becau se t h i s shows c l e a r l y how th e sea became a microcosm
o f u n iv e r s a l l i f e . Moreover, t h i s i s r e le v a n t to my stu d y o f Under th e
Volcano ^ Chapters 11 and 1 1 1 ,'b e c a u se Lowry's u se o f th e s e a metaphor
grew in co m p lex ity between th e w r itin g o f th e two b ook s. The somewhat
s i m p l i s t i c and rom antic view o f th e f i r s t n o v e l blossom ed in t o th e
CHAPTER 1
ULTRAMARINE
In U ltram arine th e s e a became an i n i t i a t i o n e x p e r ie n c e . Like "the
c o ld c le a n scourge o f th e sea" t h i s brought pain but a ls o an e x h ila r a tin g
c le a n sin g w ith i t . Dana H i l l i o t ' s n a iv e plunge in to t h i s new world brought
a rude awakening; th e scourge o f h i s i n i t i a t i o n , l i k e a s c o u r in g , c le a n se d
him o f h i s rom antic n o tio n s and brought growth and a dawning m a tu r ity .
There was th e added f a c t o r t h a t , once on th e s h ip , young Dana had no c h o ic e
but t o fa c e t h i s U n iv e r s ity o f L if e . 3h one sen se he was in a lif e - d e n y in g
c a g e . On th e o th er hand, through t h i s v e r y sco u rg in g , he grew from boy t o
young man by th e tim e th e c u r ta in rang down on th e f i n a l scen e o f th e s t o r y .
In U ltram arin e. Malcolm Lowry u sed two q u o ta tio n s as epigraphs, which
seem p a r t ic u l a r ly s i g n i f i c a n t fo r a stu d y o f h i s use o f th e s e a metaphor.
He quoted G eo ffrey C haucer's M aun ciple's T a le :
Take any b r id and put i t in a cage And do a l l th y e n te n te and corage To f o s t e r i t te n d e r ly
• • •
Yet hath t h i s b r id by tw en ty thousand f o ld Lever in a f o r e s t t h a t i s rude and c o ld Gon e t e wormes and swich w recch ed ness.
From Samuel Richardson he added:
Let who w i l l speak a g a in st S a il o r s ; th e y a re th e G lory and th e S a fe guard o f th e Land! And what would have become o f Old England lo n g ago but f o r them?
Lowry u sed th e s e p a r t ic u la r p a ssa g e s t o un derscore th e f a c t t h a t th e
sea i s in th e blood o f some men, and n o th in g but th e s e a , "the c o ld c le a n
scou rge o f th e sea" can b e g in t o g iv e them any sen se o f f u l f i l l m e n t in
fa c in g th e f a c t o f t h e i r own b e in g . I t has been a t r a d i t i o n a l theme w ith
w r it e r s from Walter S c o t t , James Fenimore Cooper and R ichard Henry Dana
t o Herman M e lv i lle , Joseph Conrad, Conrad Aiken and Nordahl G rieg.
Malcolm Lowry co u ld have been th in k in g o f h i s y o u th fu l p r o ta g o n is t ,
Dana H i l l i o t , unhappy in h i s home, and s u f f e r in g from growing pain s,w h en
he w rote:
When I was young, th e mildew on my s o u l, l i k e A n tip h olu s, i t chanced t o me,
Or M e l v i l l e ’ s Redburn, t o ta k e t h a t s o u l to s e a and have i t sco u red .
In t h i s s e a voyage which became a jo u rn ey o f i n i t i a t i o n , D ana's s o u l
was "scourged" and toughened, and, t o some e x te n t, c le a n se d o f c h i l d i s h
"mildew." As he fa c e d th e i s o l a t i o n o f th e s e a and th e i s o l a t i o n o f h is
own s o u l, he came to understand som ething o f h im se lf and o f t h e world o f
men around him.
2n th e Dana H i l l i o t "Seductio ad ABSURDUM" scene w ith th e Q uarter
m aster, th e l a t t e r asked him why he went t o sea :
"Search me," sa id H i l l i o t , "To amuse m y self I su p p ose."
"Well a man who'd go t o s e a f o r fu n 'd go t o h e l l f o r a p a stim e," s a id th e q u arterm aster, d rin k in g h i s g i n .
"That's what Andy s a id t o me th e f i r s t tim e I saw him."
" I t ' s an o ld s a i l o r e x p r e s s io n l i k e more days more d o l l a r s ." (3 8 )
11
L ater th e r e was a se q u e l t o t h i s somewhat d e s u lto r y c o n v e r s a tio n , t h i s
tim e in th e course o f Dana’s n ig h t o u t w ith P op plereu ter in Hong Kong.
Dana had reached a p o in t where he was j u s t drunk enough t o be v e r y much
on h i s d ig n it y , somewhat in th e fa s h io n o f th e Taskersons in Under th e
V olcano. He wanted to av o id e x p la in in g what had put him in to h i s p re
se n t predicam ent, h i s b e in g a t s e a , n o t o n ly p h y s ic a lly , but a ls o a t
se a about h i s r e la t io n s h ip w ith h is p a ren ts and w ith h i s g i r l .
Were i t p o s s ib le to e x p la in he would not understand i t any more than I would understand why P op plereu ter had gone to s e a . I cou ld not fo r th a t m atter e x p la in i t to m y s e lf. (98)
Later he c o n fid ed to h i s new acquaintance th a t h i s g ra n d fa th er, on h i s
m other’s s i d e , was a s e a c a p ta in who went down w ith h i s s h ip . ’’Conse
q u en tly , I have in me an inborn cra v in g fo r th e u n re st o f th e s e a . ” (103)
He extem porized th a t t h i s cra v in g was n o t c o n scio u s enough " i n t e l l e c t u a l l y
to be d ilu t e d in t o a mere in t a n g ib le w a n d e r lu s t.” (1 0 3 ) However, he pro
t e s t e d th a t he would n o t make a p r o fe s s io n o f th e sea : "I'm n o t going t o
s t i c k around ch ip p in g w in ch es, d o n 't you t h in k . I sim ply cannot imagine
why I'm here so many m ile s away in t h i s god-aw ful p la c e ." (9 8 )
They "must go to th e sea" — b u t, t y p i c a l l y r e s e r v e th em selv es th e
r ig h t to c r i t i c i s e th e sea and what i t sta n d s f o r . So, Dana H i l l i o t ,
" N arcissu s, B o llo c k y B i l l th e S a il o r , B o llo c k y B i l l , a s p ir in g w r it e r , drawn
m a g ic a lly from th e groves o f th e Muses by Poseidon" (9 8 ) o ft e n pondered th e
why o f h i s going to s e a . As o fte n as n o t , h i s th ou ghts were c o lo r e d by
T h is i s in l i n e w ith another f a c t th a t becomes e v id e n t as th e s t o r y deve
lo p s : he was n o t so much in lo v e w ith Janet as in lo v e w ith th e rom antic
n o tio n o f lo v e . Through an a lc o h o lic h aze even Olga Sologub had "some
t h in g m y sterio u s about h er, l i k e s t a r s , " th e "same cu rio u s im pression"
th a t Janet had made on him th e f i r s t tim e he met h e r . (113)
Dana H i l l i o t was haunted by growing p a in s , and by th e f e a r s and
sorrows o f p a r e n ta l r e j e c t i o n , a f e a r so g rea t t h a t , on one o c c a s io n , he
d escrib ed i t as a d a il y d y in g . A c h i l d ’s i n s t i n c t i v e knowledge had t o l d
him long ago t h a t h i s p a ren ts d id n o t lo v e him. Then h i s " so u l d ie d sud
d e n ly a t th e age o f e ig h t ," (7 0 ) The tren d o f h i s th oughts on t h i s occa
s io n le d him t o "Ibsen, th e author o f G h osts." (7 2 ) Like o th e r a llu s io n s
which Lowry u sed in t h i s n o v e l, and in Under th e V olcano, t h i s p a r a l l e l
i s a p p ro p ria te. Mrs. Aiming t r i e d d e s p e r a t e ly t o f r e e Oswald and h e r s e lf
from a l l t a i n t o f th e A lvin g h e r it a g e , o n ly t o f in d g h o s ts w alkin g in her
s o n 's in f a t u a t io n w ith R egina. The t e r r i b l e r e a l i z a t i o n made h er alm ost
v i s u a l i z e "We are a l l g h o s ts ." So th e g h o sts o f Dana H i l l i o t ' s h e r ita g e
haunted him, as h i s own p e r s o n a lit y pursued him:
There i s no g e t t in g away from th e u n fo rtu n a te H i l l i o t , t h i s stro n g c rea tu re w ith a head o f f i l t h y in f e c t e d h a ir , and a maggoty b ra in and a r o t t in g c o n s c io u sn e s s , who dreams o f a r ch ety p a l im ages. (9 8 )
Looking deep in to h i s g l a s s , Dana shrank from th e gh o st o f h im s e lf t h a t
he saw. Sad ness, m isery , s e l f - d i s g u s t , and t e r r o r 'to o k a h a n d 'in t h e - i n i
t i a t i o n which con tin u ed i t s in e x o r a b le c o u r s e . He th ought o f h i s own
p e r s o n a lit y as som ething o f an e v i l g h o st w ith which he must l i v e and w ith
13
him by th e s e a made t h i s c o n fr o n ta tio n not o n ly p o s s ib le but im p e r a tiv e .
Prompted by th e f o r c e s o f th e p r e s e n t , Dana was a c te d on by th e
f o r c e s o f th e p a s t . He thought o f h im s e lf as c r u c if ie d in h i s l i f e , and
c r u c if ie d p a r t ic u l a r ly in un dertaking t h i s voyage w ith some n o tio n o f
making i t a m a g n ific en t and h e r o ic p ro o f t o Janet th a t he was a man among
men. To h er and t o h im s e lf t h i s had t o become tr u e , even i f he was a
n o n -e n tit y , an o u tc a s t t o h i s own f a t h e r , and even i f he mourned t h a t
h i s own mother d id n o t lo v e him . (9 7 )
1
!
j S y m b o lica lly th e r e was an "Oedipus Tyr annus" elem ent in Dana H i l l i o t
'i
th a t he had to contend w ith , and so i t was n o t s u r p r isin g t h a t th e c o n tr a s t
o f c i t y and sh ip came s tr o n g ly and n o s t a l g i c a l l y t o him in Hong Kong:
. . . on th e sh ip was dead s i l e n c e , save f o r th e h i s s o f w ater th a t was p a rt o f th e s i l e n c e , f a l l i n g from her s id e in t o th e d a rk n ess. Oh God, oh God, i f se a l i f e were o n ly always l i k e t h a t ! I f i t were o n ly th e open s e a , and th e wind ra cin g through th e b lo o d , th e s e a and th e s t a r s fo r e v e r ! ( 8 2 )
Of c o u r se , t h i s o u tcr y was but p a rt o f h i s rom antic n o t io n , and p e r
haps akin t o what may have been h is j u v e n ile id e a t h a t p a r t o f h i s p rov
ing h i s manhood t o Janet and t o o th e r s in v o lv e d " try in g t o wrap th e deck
V
around him" " fo r a b la n k et in e v e r y p o r t," - so "regular a booze a r t i s t "
th a t h i s f e llo w s a i l o r s s a id : "It i s n o t n a tu ra l" a t h i s a g e . (6 5 ) I t
was an echo o f h i s sm a ll p e r so n a l s a t i s f a c t i o n th a t he was th e b e s t swim
mer on th e Oedipus Tyr annus even i f he d id n o t make th e swimming team a t
s c h o o l. Mixed up a d o le sce n t t h a t Dana was, he " t h r i lle d t o a dream o f
stran ge t r a f f i c k i n g and c u rio u s m erchandise," a t one p o in tj (2 9 ) watched
and th en went in t o •’Dead K en's B lu e s 1' a t th e p r e cio u s l i t t l e meaning l e f t
in ’’t h i s l i f e which so s u r p r is in g ly had opened b e fo r e him . Nor co u ld he
s e e why he had ev er been f o o l enough t o s e t h i s s e a l upon such a w ild
s e l f - d e d ic a t io n ." (1 7 )
In one o f h i s poems Malcolm Lowry w rote:
Perhaps t h i s tramp r o l l s towards a f u t u r i t y That broods on ocean l e s s than on th e g a l l
In seam en's m inds.
There was much b i t t e r g a l l in th e h e a r t o f young Dana when he f i r s t
went t o s e a . However, d e s p it e th e i n i t i a l r e b u f f s , th e r e was an aura t h a t
glowed en c h a n tin g ly over h i s f i r s t im p ression o f the men. Out o f th e s e
he chose
Norman, th e g a l l e y boy, w ith h i s f a i r h a ir f a l l i n g over h i s e y e s , and Andersen, th e ta to o e d cook, him whom th e y c a l l e d Andy, whose weakness o f c h in was complemented by h i s e x t r a - o r d in a r ily d ig n i f i e d fo reh ea d , as th o s e among th e crew who would be h i s f r i e n d s . (1 7 )
But i t was Andy, "the c h in l e s s wonder," from whom above a l l he would have
l ik e d a kind word, and from whom he r e c e iv e d unsym pathetic and morose
trea tm en t, and who u s u a ll y went out o f h i s way t o be c r u e l t o Dana, — to
"Miss Bloody H i l l i o t , " as he j e e r i n g l y c a l l e d him .
C erta in ly young Dana was g iv e n j u s t th e same as any o f th e o th er
s a i l o r s g o t on t h e i r f i r s t voyage. And a t th e end he h im s e lf r eco g n ized
i t a s p a r t o f "the c o ld c le a n scou rge o f th e s e a , " — as p a r t o f an in
e v it a b le i n i t i a t i o n in t o th e world o f men and o f s a i l o r s . However, a t
t im e s , l i f e seemed to be tu rn ed in s id e o u t fo r him in t o a h e l l th a t
c la w s .” (2 8 ) Symbols o f h e l l abounded as th e hom esick, young s a i l o r en
v is io n e d th e c la n g in g f r e ig h t e r as th e b o tto m le ss p i t i t s e l f . He mar
v e lle d a t ”How s w i f t l y , how in c r e d ib ly s w i f t l y , 11 th e fo u r te e n men in th e
f o r e c a s t l e had become a communityj "alm ost, he th ou gh t, a w o r ld ,” and
from "world w ith in a w orld , s e a w ith in a s e a , v o id w ith in a v o id ," ( 2 1 )
he went on t o g iv e u s a glim pse o f what th e v i s i b l e s tr u c tu r e o f th e sh ip
meant t o him . At t h i s p o in t th e sea had become a v i s i b l e w orld t o him,
2
a l b e i t t h i s v i s i b l e w orld h e ld shades o f th e Inferno f o r him. C ertain
l y t h i s i s a ls o one o f th e p a ssa g es t h a t shows us what Malcolm Lowry
could do w ith th e magic o f words even a t th a t e a r ly age a t which he w rote
U ltram arine.
H i l l i o t sudd en ly l i f t e d th e s k y lig h t by which he was sta n d in g , and
looked down in to th e messroom o f th e s a i l o r s ’ f o r e c a s t l e . He yearned over
th e s e men who had become a community from which he was exclu d ed , and sud
d e n ly , he saw th e v ery s tr u c tu r e o f th e sh ip p a r a l l e l i n g h i s th ou gh ts
about th e c i r c l e s in D a n te's In fe r n o . "The u ltim a te , th e in e s c a p a b le , th e
n in th c i r c l e . Great c i r c l e . . ." (2 1 -2 2 ) C ir c le on c i r c l e , deck on deck,
gave him a v i s u a l p r e se n ta tio n o f th e v a s t fu n n e l which was D a n te 's In
fe r n o , " and beneath i t th e w h ite -p a in te d g a l l e y w ith i t s g e n ic u la t e d ,
2
blackened smoke sta ck sp la y ed a t th e top l i k e . . . a d e v a sta te d c ig a r ,
th e q u arterm asters' rooms and roundhouse am idships, up t o th e b r id g e ,
which the o f f i c e r on watch paced c e a s e l e s s l y ." ( 22)
Dana H i l l i o t turned from h i s v i s i o n o f th e n in e c i r c l e s o f h e l l and
walked b r i s k l y , stim u la te d by h is th ou gh ts t o angry energy, alon g th e
th rob bing a lley w a y .
. . . Cloom - d o o m - d o o m . The Oedipus Tyr annus was making about e ig h t k n o ts, and her e n g in e s throbbed c h e e r f u lly somewhere down b e-tlowj a sh o v e l clanged and an e n d le s s spout o f w ater and r e f u s e was / s p la sh in g from her r u s ty s id e in t o th e Yellow S e a . And th e r e , and
t h e r e , th e joyous derangement o f th e b ou n d less w aste must be t h e i r i harbor . . . The sh ip r o se s lo w ly t o th e slow b lu e combers, a to n o f
spray was flu n g t o leew ard, and th a t o th er s e a , th e sk y, sm iled hap p i l y on seamen and firem en a l i k e , w h ile a sm a ll Japanese f i s h i n g boat glimmered w h ite a g a in s t t h e b la ck c o a s t — oh , in s p i t e o f a l l ,
i t was grand t o be a l i v e ! ( 2 3 )
C e r ta in ly a t tim e s , young Malcolm Lowry was moving towards making u s
r e c o g n iz e th e v e r y f e e l and te x tu r e o f young Dana's e x p e r ie n c e .
No man becomes h im se lf by h im s e lfj n e it h e r d id Dana H i l l i o t . For
him a l l t h i s was p a rt o f the "cold c le a n scou rge o f th e seaj! whose u ltim a te
g i f t t o him would be th e dawning r e c o g n it io n th a t community made s e n s e ,
and th a t appearance d id o f t e n hide th e co re o f r e a l i t y . Even Andy's c h in
-le s s n e s s d id n o t make him c h i n l e s s , b u t cov ered him w ith a new g lo r y as
o f an unsung h e r o .
Malcolm Lowry had w r itte n — perhaps ech o in g inn er angu ish and d e s
p a ir :
There i s no p i t y
17 3
The s e a i s th e s e a .
In U ltram arine t h i s sen tim en t i s n o t e n t i r e l y t r u e . Dana g o t th e
’’mildew” scoured from h i s s o u l in a g r u e llin g i n i t i a t i o n e x p e r ie n c e , bu t
h i s q u est in t h i s "world w ith in a w orld” was n o t w ith o u t i t s r e l i e v i n g
e le m e n ts. " It was a l l v e r y s tr a n g e , l i k e a nightm are, b u t a l s o e x c it in g ."
(2 0 ) Part o f Dana H i l l i o t ’s c lo s i n g dream was "to s a i l in t o an unknown
s p r in g , o r r e c e iv e o n e ’s baptism on sto r m 's promontory, where th e s o l i t a r y
a lb a tr o s s h e e ls o v er in th e g a le and a t l a s t t o come t o la n d .” ( 2 0 1 )
At th e opening o f U ltram arine Dana H i l l i o t ’s r e b e ll io u s day-dreams
made him lo a th e th e in e x o r a b le p r e c is io n o f th e s h i p ’ s e n g in e s . He "thought
o f th e w h ir lin g cla n k s h o ld in g h o r r ib ly in t h e ir n e r v e le s s g r ip th e p en
e-✓
t r a t in g s h a f t t h a t turned th e scr e w s, th a t in t e r n a l dynamic t h in g , th e
l i f e o f th e s h ip ." (2 3 ) At th e end o f th e s to r y th e en g in es hammered out
a song o f home, (1 7 2 ) and Dana w rote — in a l e t t e r he would n ever send t o
Janet — " I have i d e n t i f i e d w ith Andy . . . M en ta lly , I have surrounded
Andy's p o s it io n , in s te a d o f b e in g b a f f l e d and h u rt by i t . " (18$) The ship
t h a t had been a " so rt o f Moloch" (U1) t o him had become a haven and a
passage t o b e t t e r t h in g s . The s e a metaphor had tak en on an aura o f r o
mance once more.
At t h i s p o in t i t would be m eanin gfu l t o examine U ltram arine in some
what g r ea ter d e t a i l t o show how young Dana H i l l i o t ' s f i r s t se a voyage b e
-3
came an i n i t i a t i o n ex p erien ce r e v e a lin g l i f e on shipboard as a microcosm
o f u n iv e r s a l l i f e , and how i t merged in t o th e r e s o lu t io n j u s t in d ic a t e d .
The th o u g h t-flo w o f D ana's m usings, th e outward happenings o f th e voyage,
th e co n tra p u n ta l c o n v e r sa tio n o f th e o th er s a i l o r s — a l l c r e a te d a com
mentary on l i f e which was somewhat o f a nightm are t o th e young ad ven tu rer.
Caged in th e sh ip — and i s o l a t e d a ls o by th e sea — Dana went through a
h e l l o f h i s own, through som ething th a t he co n sid ered a c r u c i f i x i o n .
U ltram arine i s d iv id e d in t o s i x ch a p ters which we co u ld th in k o f as
a s e r i e s o f w aves, each a crescendo o f em otion al e x p e r ie n c e , th e theme o f
which i s sounded e a r ly in th e s t o r y : "Forlorn! L o st! L o st! L ost!" T his
fe a tu r e o f th e Inferno came up a g a in p a r t ic u l a r ly in th e sea rch f o r J a n e t's
l o s t l e t t e r . I t foreshadowed th e theme o f " lo s t in a dark wood" which was
so prominent a p a rt o f Under th e V olcano, T h is theme o f doom and l o s s
reached a clim a x in U ltram arine when Dana echoed th e d ying C h r ist in "Oh
God, why has Thou fo rsa k en me?" I t f in d s a cou n terp a rt in Under th e Vol
cano in G e o ffr e y 's sea rch f o r Y vonne's l o s t l e t t e r , and h i s b i b l i c a l a l
lu s io n s "look and s e e i f th e r e be any sorrow l i k e unto m ine,"^ "Lost,
l o s t . The l e t t e r . S ea rch in g , grop in g a l l th e tim e f o r th in g s : fo r f a c t s ,
fo r l e t t e r s , fo r d a t e s , fo r b ea u ty , fo r l o v e . And never knowing when we
have found i t , " (119) However, U ltram arine does have an a c c e p ta b le r e s o
lu t i o n , a k in d o f happy en d in g.
For young Dana th e s e a became " s ix w eeks' e n g u lfin g darkness o f i n
19
term inab le r i t u a l s p e l t out by b e l l s and j o b s , a s i x w eek s1 w hirlw ind o f
s u f f e r i n g ,” ( 1U) — a s i x w eeks' t h i r d degree i n i t i a t i o n in t o th e l i f e o f
a S a ilo r . Above th e con tin u ed th rob bing o f th e e n g in e s , th e r e was an in
s i s t e n t n ote o f th e memory o f h i s ch ild h o o d f r u s t r a t io n s , now a ccen tu a ted
by h i s a d o le sce n t f r u s t r a t io n s o f n o t b e lo n g in g , o f n o t f in d in g any e a sy
way o f b ein g a ccep ted by th e crew, p a r t ic u l a r ly no s ig n o f breaking through
t o any kind o f communication w ith Andy^ who had tak en on th e p ro p o rtio n s o f
I
th e a lt e r - e g o o f D ana's dreams. The m elancholy o f K eats' " N ig h tin g a le”
echoed through h i s mind: "Forlorn! The v e r y word i s l i k e a b e l l / To t o l l
me back from th e e to my sad s e l f . " (21;) However, th e r e s i l i e n c e o f youth
i s a ls o t h e r e , and, even w h ile he b r i e f l y saw th e sh ip a s h e l l i t s e l f , he
a ls o came under th e in flu e n c e o f th e "glad se r e n ity " t h a t hung over th e
s e a , g iv in g a g o ld -fle c k e d sp a r k le t o th e th r e a t o f th e ocean . In th e jo y
and th e sorrow, in th e dream and th e r e a l i t y t h a t made up Dana's l i f e on
board s h ip , we have indeed a microcosm o f l i f e i t s e l f .
Suddenly th r e e b e l l s rang o u t , t i n , t i n , t i n , and were echoed by th e lo o k o u t man, and from f a r b elo w , down in th e engine room, th r e e submarine n o te s f lo a t e d up and were fo llo w e d by t h e ja n g lin g o f th e te le g r a p h , w h ile th e engine changed k ey . ( 2h)
With th e o th e r s he t h r i l l e d t o th e gla d uproar as th e Oedipus Tyrannus'
s ir e n roared, and the mountains and th e r i c e f i e l d s and th e town i t s e l f
roared back th u n d ero u sly .
lo n g m u tila te d , drowned in sad s e a h o r iz o n s , clouded by th e smoke o f f a r c i t i e s and sn o rin g v o lc a n o e s . . j { 29)
From i d y l l i c dreams, Dana swung back t o a minor key as h i s sc h o o l
boy memories o f y o u th fu l f r u s t r a t io n s merged in t o memories o f th e l o s t
instrum ent box, w ith geom etry i t s e l f a s o r t o f monster t o torm ent h i s
sch o o ld a y s. " It r e s o lv e d i t s e l f in to a human and d r e a d fu l shape o f p er
p e n d ic u la r ly arranged c o n c e n tr ic c i r c l e s w ith a lon g ta n g en t o f arms, w ith
huge hand t h r o t t l i n g and tr ia n g u la r ." (U l) Of c o u r se , t h i s was an echo o f
D a n te's c i r c l e s o f h e l l , H i l l i o t ' s v i s i o n o f th e sh ip m entioned e a r l i e r in
t h i s t h e s i s .
The s e a i s th e g r ea t r e v e a le r o f th e h e a r ts o f men. On i t , in th e
f e llo w s h ip o f s a i l o r s , a l l men appear as th e y a r e , — in t h e ir l i t t l e n e s s ,
in t h e i r b ig o t r y , and in th e s u r p r is e o f t h e i r hidden magnanimity o f h e a r t
and c h a r a c te r . Herman M e l v i l l e ' s Redburn. Richard Henry D ana's Two Years
B efore th e Mast. Rudyard K ip lin g 's C aptains Courageous and Malcolm Lowry's
U ltram arine c a rr y th e same s to r y o f h o s t i l i t y e x p e r ie n c e s by " o u tsid ers"
„— o u ts id e r s who had a sen se o f b e lo n g in g t o a d i f f e r e n t w orld, o f speak
in g a d if f e r e n t langu age, o f th in k in g d i f f e r e n t th ou gh ts — o u t s id e r s who
would have lik e d to break through th e b a r r ie r s and g e t out o f t h e i r i s o
l a t i o n , but who, somehow, met f r u s t r a t io n s a t ev ery tu r n , dh th e c a se o f
U ltram arine. Dana H i l l i o t was i s o l a t e d n o t o n ly by h i s n a i v i t e and m id d
le-c l a s s str a n g e n e ss , but by h i s sh ip m a tes' p r e ju d ile-c e a g a in s t an in tru d er
from the w e ll-t o - d o b o u rg eo is w orld, — "the blood y t o f f s who come t o sea
21
At th e end o f Chapter 1 , in th e f a c e o f th e " b ru ta l mountains" o f
Manchuria s t r id in g in to th e b la z in g sk y , i t d id n o t h e lp th e torm ented
young H i l l i o t t o remember t h a t elsew h ere sm ilin g vin ey a rd s might come
down t o th e w a te r ’s e d g e . The f i r s t lo n g d e e p -se a comber was rea ch in g a
peak, and Dana H i l l i o t nightmared in t o "Lost w ith ou t a compass, I am on
a s h ip . I am on a s h ip , and I am g o in g t o Japan. L o st. L o st. L o st." (U 5 )
I t was th e Ishm ael m o t if , a freq u en t f a c e t in th e t r a d i t i o n a l u se o f th e
se a metaphor, th e c r y o f th e man whose unhappy f a t e i t was t o be a lie n a t e d
from th e human community in which he found h im s e lf , but who was lo o k in g
f o r a human shoulder t o share th e burden o f h im s e lf .
The second Chapter and i t s wave o f memories, i t s sm a ll tim e p e r s e
c u tio n s , and th e in t e r j e c t e d s to r y o f th e Oedipus Tyrannus — whose v ery
h is t o r y was enough t o f i l l H i l l i o t "with a n a r c i s s i s t i c compassion" —
crescend o s lo w ly in t o a prayer v o ic in g a g r i e f and a p a in which Malcolm
Lowry l a t e r transm uted in t o t h e a r t which was h i s m a sterp ieces
(Oh, Lord God, lo o k down on your unworthy and unwashed se r v a n t, H il l i o t , th e seaman, th e L iverp ool-N orw egian, whose knees knock to g e th e r a t thunder, whose f i l t h y hands trem ble in im potent p rayer; Oh Thou who c r e a t e s t my e y e s from th e green mantle o f th e sta n d in g p o o l, who c r e a t e s t e v e r y th in g , th e weak and th e str o n g , th e ten d er w ith th e c r u e l, th e j u s t w ith th e u n ju s t, p i t y h i s sm a ll im pulses o f l u s t , and s e e t h a t l i t t l e b eau ty in h i s l i f e , which so soon s h a l l be among th e green undertow o f th e t i d e s ; and as he sta n d s a lo n e , naked, wea p o n le s s , d e liv e r him from h i s bondage and b r in g him o u t o f th e dark n e ss and th e g r i e f and th e p ain in t o th e s u n l i g h t .) ( 7 7 )
Chapter 111 — th e t h ir d wave — became a churning, t w is t in g Maelstrom
H i l l i o t * s d eterm in a tio n t h a t "Tonight th in g s would be changed," To
n ig h t he would be "the h e r o , th e m onster," (8 1 ) Things were d i f f e r e n t
in d eed , H i l l i o t wove through a monumental b in g e in Hong Kong, during
which he spun an a lc o h o lic phantasm agoria o f an im aginary p a s t fo r th e
b e n e f it o f Hans P op plereu ters
My youth was ru in ed by a c u r io u s p a s s io n f o r c o l l e c t i n g among o th er t h in g s , u n i v e r s i t i e s , , , I p la y ed b a s e b a ll in Harvard and s e t f i r e to B r a t t le Square, in P rin ceto n I n e a r ly drank m y se lf t o d ea th . In . Moscow I was a camera man under Pudovkin. In Oxford, M isso u r i, I (w rote a so n g . In Yokohama I ta u g h t B o ta n y , , . Once, f o r a week a -- d r i f t in an open b o a t, I k ept up th e s p i r i t o f th e crew b y p la y in g
' th e ta r o p a tc h . In th e end we had to e a t th e s t r i n g s , . , , You s e e ,
I unemolumented b u t monumental, (100 - 1 0 1)
There was th e w eird th e a tr e fe a tu r in g Richard B arthelm ess in The
Amateur Gentleman, and Olga Tschechowa in L o v e's C r u c ifix io n , where Norman
k ep t thumping th e b o x - o f f ic e window f o r a " th ird d a y -retu rn t o Birkenhead
C entre," (103) They were swept in t o an even more w eird museum o f c a u tio n
a ry anatom ical e x h ib i t s ,' There was a l o s t l e t t e r — th e one mentioned
p r e v io u s ly . There was a l o s t Andy, And, harping on l o s t t h in g s , Dana H il
l i o t r e c a lle d the "dunghawkjf which became Norman rs p e t p ig eo n whose m essage,
whatever i t might have b een , was a ls o l o s t b ecause no one co u ld d ecip h er i t .
T h is m o tif o f l o s s and doom c a r r ie d o v er in t o Under th e V olcano.
The wave o f t h i s Gargantuan drunk o f Dana H i l l i o t broke on ir o n ic
disenchantm ent, when Dana heard Olga Solugub u se t o another s a i l o r what he
had n a iv e ly th ought was v ery p e r s o n a lly h is : "You've g o t n ic e hands, s a i l o r
boy!" Then, as "the music r o s e t o a scream o f d r e a d fu l p a in ," (1 2 7 ) he
23
T his was n o t Dantean sym bolism . T h is was h e l l i t s e l f f o r Dana! Andy,
th e " c h in le s s wonder" was th e i d o l o f h i s dreams but a ls o th e im pregnable
Rock o f G ib ra lta r sta n d in g in h i s way. Once again Andy had sco r e d a g a in s t
him!
Chapter IV must in e v it a b ly be th e backwash o f th e h u r ly -b u r ly o f
Chapter 1 1 1 . I f th e s e a was l i f e , i t was l i f e in a l l i t s sh ades o f ex
p e r ie n c e . There had been a s u b tle aura o f a s s o c ia t io n between Dan H i l l i o t
and Hamlet e a r l i e r in th e s t o r y , r e m in isc e n t o f th e same kind o f s u b t le
a s s o c ia t io n used by T .S .E lio t in P ru frock :
No! I am n o t Hamlet, nor was meant t o b e 5 Am an a tten d a n t Lord,
• • •
Almost a t tim e s , a F o o l,
s a id Prufrock, and j u s t as Prufrock never m ustered th e courage a c t u a ll y t o
s in g a lo v e -s o n g , s o , Dana H i l l i o t , s e n s in g a r e la t io n s h ip no doubt, m is
quoted th e same f r u s t r a t e d gentlem an who
. . . sh ould have been a p a ir o f ragged claw s S c u t t lin g a c ro ss th e f l o o r s o f s i l e n t s e a s . (1U3)
The ragged claw s were a p e r f e c t image o f P r u fro c k 's f r u s t r a t e d , t e n t a t i v e
se x u a l d e s i r e s , e a s i l y a r r e s te d and o ft e n d isa p p o in te d ; th e s c u t t l i n g was
an a p t i l l u s t r a t i o n o f Prufrock*s way o f f a c in g d i f f i c u l t i e s by running
away from them . Dana,who had planned t o be "the h e r o , th e monster" a ls o
found h im se lf n o t measuring up t o what seemed to him a s in e qua non o f a
tough s a i l o r l i k e Andy. (7 9 ) In h i s own mind he d e sp ise d h im se lf as a
In t h i s c h a p te r , perhaps more than elsew h ere in U ltram arin e, we a re
brought ns e n se c lo s e t o th e v e r y g ra in o f shipboard l i f e , ' * ' ’ — th e s e a ,
th e s a i l o r ' s in im ita b le t a l k , Dana H i l l i o t ' s extempore o f th e f o o l- p r o o f
murder he would p e r p e tr a te on Andy. Suddenly l i f e exploded in to th e r e a
l i t y o f a show-down w ith Andy. There was th e in e v it a b le in t e r v e n tio n and
th e r e s o lu t io n . And th en a l l th e f i g h t was gones "Andy l o s t h i s ch in in
th e war, and h e ' s p la t e s in i t , and a l l , and i f you h i t him on i t , he
might croak." (152)
Chapter V and Chapter VI can d o .o n ly one th in g s e f f e c t a r e c o n c i
l i a t i o n and com plete th e r e s o lu t io n , th u s c r y s t a l l i z i n g th e s e a metaphor
in to s ig n if i c a n c e f o r th e young s a i l o r . The uneasy b u ild -u p o f Chapter
V i s l i k e th e hidden a g it a t io n which r o l l s a wave to a peak. There was
th e r e c o n c i l i a t i o n w ith Andy, and
The tr a g e d y o f th e a fter n o o n , th e horrors o f th e voyage were f o r -g o tte n j a l l a t once he had a p e r f e c t l y c le a r v is io n o f h im s e lf , as i f a red l e a f should f a l l on a w hite t o r r e n t. I n s t a n t ly th e r e was no la c k o f order in h i s l i f e , no f a c t o r s w rongly c o -o r d in a te d , no lo o s e ta n g le d e n d s. I t was he and no o th er who brushed d is a r r a y w ith h i s p in io n s .
And a l l a t once th e m aelstrom o f n o is e , o f ta n g le d m otion, o f sh in in g s t e e l in h i s mind was su cceed ed by a c le a r p e r c e p tio n o f th e meaning o f th e p i t i l e s s r e g u la r i t y o f th o se moving b a rsj th e j i g g e r -in g le v e r s began t o keep tim e . . . and he saw th a t a t l a s t th e -in t e r dependence o f rod grasp in g ro d , o f sh o o tin g s t r a ig h t l i n e s e iz in g curved arms, o f lin k s lim p in g backward and w r ig g lin g forward on t h e i r
