Love And Love Of One's Fatherland: Aspects Of Patriotic 'Ex-Istences' In Sean O'Faolain's Short Story "The Patriot"
Sean O'Faolain's story " The Patriot " deals with the value of patriotism and its personal implications. The plot is situated in the context of the Civil War and hinges on the counterpoint development of the two main protagonists : Bernie, a young rebel-fighter in the Irish Irreg...
Gespeichert in:
| Veröffentlicht in: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/jsse, |
|---|---|
| 1. Verfasser: | |
| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Sprache: | Anglais |
| Veröffentlicht: |
Journal of the Short Story in English
2008
|
| Online Zugang: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Zusammenfassung: | Sean O'Faolain's story " The Patriot " deals with the value of patriotism and its personal implications. The plot is situated in the context of the Civil War and hinges on the counterpoint development of the two main protagonists : Bernie, a young rebel-fighter in the Irish Irregulars and Bradley, a passionate political orator supporting the nationalistic cause. Bernie is tragically split between his love for his fatherland and his love for Norah ; ultimately, his patriotic commitment is defeated by personal feelings. On the contrary, Bradley's nationalistic idealism is overwhelming and cancels any other passion, in particular love. Altogether, the experiences of both characters show that there is an anathema between love and patriotic love, that such passions are mutually exclusive. Besides, the characters' positions both suggest that extremism in such matters may lead to a form of existential " ex-centricity " : Bernie's political demobilisation and absolute devotion to love mean " ex-centricity " to the course of history ; Bradley's patriotic fanaticism means " ex-centricity " to interpersonal relationships. |
|---|