ING 218 SELECTIONS

FROM ANGLOPHONE
LITERATURE

GUESTS of the NATION

by FRANK O’CONNOR
Outline
 Frank O’Connor
 Historical Background & Irish War of Independence
 Plot of Guests of the Nation
 A short movie based on the story
 Characterization
 Setting
 Style
 Narrator & Point of View
 Themes & Symbols
 Overall discussion & Questions-Answers
Frank O’Connor (1903-1966)
 He was an Irish writer best known for his short
stories. He was born to a poor family and he lived
in Ireland for most of his life. His real name was
Michael O’Donovan but he became a famous and
prolific writer with the pseudynm Frank O’Connor.
At the age of fifteen, in 1918, he joined IRA (Irish
Republican Army) and fought in the Irish War of
Independence between 1919-1921. After the war,
he opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 which
made Ireland an autonomous state still under the
dominion of the British Empire.
Frank O’Connor (1903-1966)
 In 1922 he was imprisoned and after his release in
1923, he moved to literary circles rather than armed
units or political groups. He worked as a teacher, a
librarian and the dricetor of Abbey Theatre. He
wrote novels, poems, short stories, plays and over
three hundred articles and reviews on cultural,
social and political issues. In 1931, his collection of
short stories titled Guests of the Nation was published.
He taught at some universities in the USA. He died
in 1966 in Dublin.
Frank O’Connor (1903-1966)
 O’Connor was a nationalist writer who had a deep
love for his country, and its culture and traditions.
Yet, the war experiences of both Irish War of
Independence and following it, the Irish Civil War
between 1922-1923, marked the beginning of
O’Connor’s transformation from a romantic
nationalist adolescent to a more realistic young
man.This realistic and serious tone of O’Connor,
rather than an adventurous or ardent one, is clearly
seen in his literary works.
Historical Background
 Pope authorised King Henry II to invade
Ireland, to bring the country into the European
sphere and in return, Henry agreed to pay tax to
Pope. In 1171, Henry II landed with a large fleet
at Ireland and declared himself as the Lord of
Ireland.
 In 1533 Henry VIII was excommunicated from
the Catholic Church and the position of the
lordship in Ireland became uncertain because a
Catholic country was to be ruled by a Protestant
king.
Historical Background
 Most of the Irish were Catholic Christians; for
this reason, a Protestant English rule in Ireland
caused endless rebellions. Besides, Ireland had
always been considered by England a base for
probable foreign invasions. Hence, the relations
between Ireland and England were full of
violent wars and rebellions such as Kildare
Rebellion (1534), Nine Years' War (1594), Irish
Rebellion of 1641, Irish Rebellion of 1798,
Fenian Rising (1867), Easter Rising (1916).
.

Irish War of Independence (1919-1921)

 In 1918, Sinn Fein, the Irish republican party, won
the general election and declared an Irish Republic
independent from Britain. Shortly after the first
meeting of the republican parliament in January
1919, a guerrilla war between Irish Republican
Army (IRA) and British armed forces in Ireland
broke out. Irish War of Independence was mainly
based on ambushes, assassinations and reprisals on
either side as well as capturing the enemy soldiers
and holding them as hostages.
Irish War of Independence (1919-1921)
 After a series of violent attacks by the IRA and the
British troops, hundreds of soldiers and civilians were
killed and thousands of Irish republicans were
imprisoned. The war resulted with Anglo-Irish Treaty
of 1921 which created Irish Free State (an autonomous
state still bound to British Empire) and the partition of
Northern Ireland. The treaty caused the Irish Civil War
between the republicans who asked for full
independence and opposed the treaty and the
nationalists who supported it. The Irish Civil War was
won by the nationalists who were consolidated with the
British forces and weapons.
Ireland after independence
Plot of Guests of the Nation
 Guests of the Nation portrays the execution of two
English prisoners who are held as captives by the
soldiers of Irish Republican Army. Consisting of four
parts, the story is narrated by Bonaparte, one of the
Irish rebels. The setting is a cottage owned by an old
woman in the countryside of Ireland, remote from any
town. It is the time of Irish War of Independence.
The characters are four Irish rebels (Bonaparte, Noble,
Jeremiah Donovan and Feeney), two English prisoners
(Belcher and ‘Awkins) and the old woman.
Plot of Guests of the Nation
 Bonaparte and Noble are the two younger Irish
soldiers and they are responsible with the English
prisoners. In the beginning, they are not aware of
that they keep the prisoners as their hostages whom
they may have to shoot in case of any Irish
hostage’s being shot by the English. Even though
they are at war with the English, Bonaparte and
Noble become friends with the prisoners. They
spend a lot of time together playing cards, having
long conversations and even helping each other.
Noble and ‘Awkins argue about religion all the time.
Plot of Guests of the Nation
 Towards the middle of the story, Jeremiah Donovan, who is
the soldier in charge of the Irish group of rebels, tells
Bonaparte that he and Noble keep an eye on the English
prisoners because they keep them as hostages. Bonaparte is
shocked to hear it because he realizes that he may have to
shoot Belcher and ‘Awkins whom he regards his friends
rather than enemies. Next day, Feeney, the intelligence
officer, brings the news that four Irish hostages had been
shot by the English and that now they would kill the two
English prisoners. Bonaparte and Noble are deeply
disturbed; they can’t even look at the faces of Belcher and
‘Awkins.
Plot of Guests of the Nation
 Bonaparte thinks about letting the prisoners escape
but he knows that it would be anawful crime and he
would punished for that. At night, they take the
prisoners near the bog where they will execute
them. On the way, ‘Awkins continuously asks
«Aren’t we chums?», which puts Bonaparte into
great distress. They arrive at the bog and Jeremiah
Donovan shoots Belcher and ‘Awkins. This
incident causes a deep trauma in Bonaparte.
Bonaparte’s disturbance and feeling of betrayal at
killing the prisoners has a pivotal role in
constituting the anti-war and pacifist tone of the
story.
Characterization
 The characters in Guests of the Nation are divided into
two groups: The Irish rebels and the English prisoners.
Hovewer, in each side, characters differ in terms of
their perspective on war and the concept of duty. In the
Irish side, Bonaparte and Noble are reluctant to do any
harm on the prisoners, which proves that they keep
friendship superior to war and their responsibilities. On
the other hand, Jeremiah Donovan has a strict sense of
duty and seriousness of war; for him, obeying the
orders of his superiors is more important than anything
or anyone. Contrary to Bonaparte and Noble, Donovan
shows no hesitation about killing the prisoners.
Characterization
 As for the English side, Belcher and ‘Awkins are
different in their personalities and physical appearances.
Belcher is physically bigger than ‘Awkins and he is
much more quiet, reasonable, polite and helpful; unlike
‘Awkins, Belcher understands that it is the duty of the
Irish rebels to kill them and accordingly, he doesn’t try
to convince them. ‘Awkins is smaller than Belcher; he
talks a lot and swears all the time. He can’t believe that
the Irish will shoot them because he sees no reason for
it. His feelings of friendship is much stronger than his
attachment to his duty. He is ready to leave his English
identity and join the Irish rebels just before his execution.
Characterization
 By means of juxtaposing different characters,
O’Connor highlights the conflict between
friendship and duty. The communication and
mutual understanding between
Bonaparte/Noble and ‘Awkins/Belcher is quite
strong and well-established. Even though Noble
and ‘Awkins have completely different religious
and political views, they can communicate and,
understand each other without any kind of
violence.
Characterization
 In a similar way, Belcher and Donovan have alike
personalities: both of them are quiet and serious; both
of them are aware that they are enemies fighting in a
war and they may have to kill each other at any time.
The mutual understanding between Belcher and
Jeremiah Donovan is apparent especially at the very
end of the story, just before Donovan shoots Belcher.
A part of the dialogue is as follows:
 'You understand,' says Jeremiah Donovan, 'it's not so much our
doing. It's our duty, so to speak.' Belcher's head is raised like a
real blind man's, so that you can only see his nose and chin in the
lamplight. 'I never could make out what duty was myself,' he said,
'but I think you're all good lads, if that's what you mean. I'm not
complaining.'
Characterization

 By creating characters who reflect similar behavioral

and intellectual qualities even though they are enemies,
O’Connor points out that being enemies or allies
becomes just superficial concepts when one can
understand and communicate with the other. Because,
only through communication one can see how much
he/she shares with the other and how the other thinks
or feels.
Setting
 The setting of the story is a cottage in the
countryside of Ireland. It is owned by an old
woman and, probably, located at a hidden place in
the country. The choice of a cottage away from any
crowd as the setting contributes to the focus on
characters and their feelings and thoughts. Instead
of giving details about the setting, the narrator
directly deals with what happens within the setting.
Towards the end of the story the Irish rebels take
the English prisoners to a place near a fog to shoot
them. House (and in the case of the story, cottage)
Setting
is generally associated with protection and civilization.
Accordingly, while they stay in the cottage, the Irish and
the English can communicate and argue some matters in a
civilized manner and the English prisoners are safe in the
cottage. When they leave the cottage and go into the
woods, namely the nature, which represents wilderness
and savagery; shooting, killing, death and blood take place,
which is in accordance with the wild aspect of nature.
Hence, the setting of the story is in a parallel with the plot
and the action of the characters.
Style
 Guests of the Nation consists of four parts. In the first
part, the writer creates a friendly atmosphere and from
the second part onwards the tension begins to rise up.
In this way, the traumatic impact of shooting the
prisoners on Bonaparte is revealed in a more dramatic
way. The conflict in the story starts when Bonaparte
learns that they keep the Englishmen as their hostages.
The climax is the shooting of ‘Awkins, which also starts
the resolution of the conflict.
Style
The style of O’Connor contributes to the realistic aspect of the
story. He gives details of the arguments between ‘Awkins and
Noble; he lets Bonaparte call his and Donovan’s guns by referring
to their brands («my Smith and Wesson» , «his Webley»). The
death of ‘Awkins is also narrated in a realistic way:(«I saw him
stagger at the knees and lie out flat at Noble's feet, slowly, and as
quiet as a child») The choices of words and sentences uttered by
characters reflect their idemtities. For example, as befitting to their
English identity, Belcher and ‘Awkins use the word «chum», which
means friend» in the English slang. At another point, ‘Awkins’s
English Accent is revealed as follows: «'You daon't saound as if you
mean it. You knaow well you don't mean it.» When leaving the
cottage, Belcher, as befitting to his polite personality, thanks the old
woman A thousand thanks, madam, a thousand thanks for
everything». In this way, O’Connor makes use of style as a means of
giving the story a more realistic tone.
Narrator
 Bonaparte is the first person narrator of the story. All the
incidents and other characters are focalized through Bonaparte’s
subjective perspective and, for this reason, the narrator’s
reliability is arguable. O’Connor intentionally chooses first-
person narrator because, the reader can directly witness how
disturbed and frustrated Bonaparte feels due to killing Belcher
and ‘Awkins. The narrator tells the story mostly in the past tense.
Only the scene of execution is narrated in the simple present
tense. Such a change of tenses in the narration has a dramatic
function. Bonaparte narrates how ‘Awkins and Belcher were shot
in the simple present tense because, in this way, he implies that
he couldn’t get rid of this terrible experience and he is still
haunted by these dark memories.
Point of view
 Normally, the first-person point of view is more
restricted than the third-person omniscient narrator,
who can freely speak about other characters’ feelings
and thoughts. However, in Guests of The Nations,
Bonaparte observes other characters very well. He tells
about other characters’ feelings and thoughts more than
his own. He gives every detail of how Noble, Belcher
and ‘Awkins felt after learning about the news of
execution and during the shooting itself. An advantage
of first-person point of view is that it keeps the reader
at a very close position to the story itself. Accordingly,
Bonaparte’s narration makes it easy for the reader to
imagine him/herself «within the shory».
Themes
 Sense of duty vs. friendship: Bonaparte and
Noble befriend with Belcher and ‘Awkins; they
argue, play cards, discuss politics and religion, and
generally behave as though they are not part of the
war that surrounds them. This friendship conflicts
with the official duty of the Irish rebels. Jeremiah
Donovan represents the attachment to duty and
compliance to the orders of superiors, which every
soldier is supposed to do. On the other hand,
Bonaparte and Noble care about their friendship
rather than their duty.
Themes
 Bonaparte even thinks about letting the prisoners
free. Belcher and ‘Awkins also puts friendship
above their responsiblities; ‘Awkins says he is ready
to forsake his English identity and join the Irish
rebels. Hence, the conflict between sense of duty
and friendship is one of the main themes of the
story. Regarding that the focus of the story is
Bonaparte’s trauma and feeling of betrayal, one can
suggest that O’Connor intends to stress the
meaninglessness of official duties of war in the
existence of mutual understanding and communication.
Themes
 Antiwar perspective: Guests of the Nation shows
that enemies with completely unlike views of life
can be friends and live together peacefully if they
make an effort to understand each other. The deep
impact of the execution on Bonaparte and his
feeling of betrayal after it show that the act of
killing as the necessity of war has nothing to do
with being a human. In the end, Bonaparte feels as
if he betrayed his «chums» by shooting them; and
yet, his betrayal is not only to ‘Awkins and Belcher
but to his own humane nature as well.
Symbols
 The arguments between ‘Awkins and Noble:
The religious and political arguments between ‘Awkins
and Noble represent the religious conflict between
Ireland and England. Noble, being a Catholic, believes
in the principles of the church while ‘Awkins rejects
them. Hence, Noble represents the Catholic Ireland
and ‘Awkins represents the Protestant England. By
stating that ‘Awkins humiliates Noble’s beliefs with a
derogatory manner and a deplorable tongue, the writer
may be implying that England didn’t show any respect
at Ireland’s religious choices and beliefs.
Symbols
 Game of cards also functions as a metaphor for
the conflict between Ireland and England. In the
games, the Irish soldiers team up and play against
the English prisoners.
 The title symbolizes the English prisoners at the
hands of the Irish rebels. «Guests» in the title refers
to the prisoners. The writer may have chosen this
title for the sake of irony because the «guests»
Symbols
 Characters’ names: The narrator, Bonaparte, gets his
name probably from Napoleon Bonaparte. The writer
may be implying that Irish rebels like Bonaparte can
bring the revolution to Ireland. The name «Noble»,
which means «illustrious, distinguished; worthy of
honor or respect» for a pious Catholic character may
indicate that the writer intends to glorify the Catholic
Church. The name «Feeney» is reduced from Gaelic
«fianna» which means soldier.In the story, Feeney’s
name is symbolic because he is the soldier who brings
the news of Irish soldiers’ being shot.
Symbols

 Handkerchief: Belcher wants to bind his eyes

before being shot but his handkerchief is too small
for his head. He borrows Bonaparte’s handkerchief
and Donovan helps him bind it. Actions like
borrowin and helping are common between friends
rather than enemies. Hence, the handkerchief
symbolizes that the friendship between the soldiers
still exist even though one of them is about to kill
the other.
Symbols
 Lantern: Bonaparte and Donovan take the English
prisoners to the place of execution in the dark of the
night. Noble and Feeney are already there and Noble
carries a lantern, the light of which is seen by the other
characters. Ironically, light, generally associated with life
and hope, here signals the death of the prisoners.
 Bog: The Irish rebels bury the bodies of prisoners into
a bog. The narrator uses the adjective «treacherous» to
describe the bog. Hence, the bog symbollizes a kind of
trap which captures both the English and the Irish. It
takes the bodies of the English in and haunts the
memories of the Irish.
 Questions
 Please choose one of the following topics and write
a well-structured essay on it:

Discuss the ways in which Guests of the Nation is

an antiwar short story.
Discuss Guests of the Nation regarding the
historical background and refering to symbols,
characters and themes related with it.