Novels comparable to Knowles’s A Separate Peace and Doig’s Dancing at the Rascal Fair are built upon the examination of interpersonal relationships between the two main characters. In A Separate Peace, the story chronicles the rise and fall of the friendship of Phineas and Gene, and Dancing at the Rascal Fair, Angus and Rob. In both books, this archetypal story line appears in three phases—from the height of the relationship to the negative undertones and finally to the collapse of the bond altogether. Evidently, this phasic breakdown occurs to Rob and Angus, with evidence of each phase spaced equidistantly apart throughout the novel.
The first stage of relations is evident in the first few pages, once the pair unites on the trip to America. Multiple examples of each one’s good will toward the other express this union, up to the early days in Montana. Even small gestures such as the limes during the storm at sea and the effort in working to sustain themselves in Helena reinforce the bond between Angus and Rob. While not extremely important events in the book, a multitude of such combine to emit the power and compassion each had for the other. Upon arrival at the second phase, tension begins to mount under the stress of opinion and inexperience. Finding themselves in an unfamiliar world, Rob and Angus are left wondering where to begin. With the help of neighbors and Lucas, they claim lands, build homesteads, and begin anew in an agrarian lifestyle. Unsure of how to continue, certain, seemingly unimportant arguments arise—how many sheep to buy, which to sell, which to keep, when to sheer. General arguments such as these only contribute to a looming hatred, which thus far is just an annoyance:
As Rob was now doing his winter rhapsody about more sheep. But I didn’t want that tune, expensive as it promised to be, to get out of hand, and so I responded:
“Rob, I see that we don’t even know if we’re going to get through this winter with these sheep alive, let alone twice that many that we don’t have.”
“With an attitude like that,” he retorted a bit quick and sharp, “you’re not looking ahead beyond the end of your nose, you know.” (108)
And this was the argument which, with Rob’s assistance, revived itself every winter, until finally, Rob decided to buy more sheep for himself.
This begins the split between the Rob and Angus in their work. While Angus went on to be the school teacher for the area, Rob stayed back and tended ever growing flocks. While Rob continued to be increasingly rural, Angus moved on. Perhaps this division sprung from a difference in attitude from the start of the pair’s life in Montana, coupled with the increasing disagreement between the two men. At any rate, this midpoint marked the beginning of the decline of the relationship.
The third and most complex stage emerges at the involvement of Adair and Anna. While still in love with Anna, Angus marries Adair, Rob’s sister, out of convenience, under the impression that since he has lost his only love, he will die a lonely man. This arrangement, however, displeases Rob who fears for his sister and her feelings:
“You’ve utterly got to stop this infatuation of yours,” Rob was delivering urgently to me now. “It was one thing when you were just mooning around like a sick calf over her. But this is the worst yet. Meeting her out there to go at it in the grass...”
“Rob, I uttered flatly and hard. “You’re going way too far.”
“Somebody finally has to tell you what a lovesick sap you’re looking at in the mirror every morning,” he retaliated. “Adair has been too easy on you, all these years.” (287)
This argument was the major turning point in the relationship between the two men, once as close as brothers. Rob’s constant attacks, growing in severity, finally culminate in the involvement of Varick, Angus’s son. This event, for Angus, crossed the threshold of mild criticism to vicious attacks. At this phase in the story, the collapse of the bond occurs entirely.
This dramatic and tragic decline of friendship closes the book in sadness and despair. The situation does get somewhat better, yet, had Rob survived, it would have never been the same. Perhaps the very event that Angus needed to show him the power of their friendship was Rob’s death. Complications soon follow what, at first, seems like eternal bliss, leading ultimately to demise. Such a theme is present not only in literary pieces such as Dancing at the Rascal Fair, but in history as well. The three stage process parallels events including the fall of the Roman Empire and the collapse of the Medieval Church. Therefore, it is not entirely unlikely for such a model repeated throughout both genres, as “the collapse” is common to all levels of humanity.
English
Dancing at the Rascal Fair
Doig
Collapse
Novels comparable to Knowles’s A Separate Peace and Doig’s Dancing at the Rascal Fair are built upon the examination of interpersonal relationships between the two main characters. In A Separate Peace, the story chronicles the rise and fall of the friendship of Phineas and Gene, and Dancing at the Rascal Fair, Angus and Rob. In both books, this archetypal story line appears in three phases—from the height of the relationship to the negative undertones and finally to the collapse of the bond altogether. Evidently, this phasic breakdown occurs to Rob and Angus, with evidence of each phase spaced equidistantly apart throughout the novel.
The first stage of relations is evident in the first few pages, once the pair unites on the trip to America. Multiple examples of each one’s good will toward the other express this union, up to the early days in Montana. Even small gestures such as the limes during the storm at sea and the effort in working to sustain themselves in Helena reinforce the bond between Angus and Rob. While not extremely important events in the book, a multitude of such combine to emit the power and compassion each had for the other. Upon arrival at the second phase, tension begins to mount under the stress of opinion and inexperience. Finding themselves in an unfamiliar world, Rob and Angus are left wondering where to begin. With the help of neighbors and Lucas, they claim lands, build homesteads, and begin anew in an agrarian lifestyle. Unsure of how to continue, certain, seemingly unimportant arguments arise—how many sheep to buy, which to sell, which to keep, when to sheer. General arguments such as these only contribute to a looming hatred, which thus far is just an annoyance:
As Rob was now doing his winter rhapsody about more sheep. But I didn’t want that tune, expensive as it promised to be, to get out of hand, and so I responded:
“Rob, I see that we don’t even know if we’re going to get through this winter with these sheep alive, let alone twice that many that we don’t have.”
“With an attitude like that,” he retorted a bit quick and sharp, “you’re not looking ahead beyond the end of your nose, you know.” (108)
And this was the argument which, with Rob’s assistance, revived itself every winter, until finally, Rob decided to buy more sheep for himself.
This begins the split between the Rob and Angus in their work. While Angus went on to be the school teacher for the area, Rob stayed back and tended ever growing flocks. While Rob continued to be increasingly rural, Angus moved on. Perhaps this division sprung from a difference in attitude from the start of the pair’s life in Montana, coupled with the increasing disagreement between the two men. At any rate, this midpoint marked the beginning of the decline of the relationship.
The third and most complex stage emerges at the involvement of Adair and Anna. While still in love with Anna, Angus marries Adair, Rob’s sister, out of convenience, under the impression that since he has lost his only love, he will die a lonely man. This arrangement, however, displeases Rob who fears for his sister and her feelings:
“You’ve utterly got to stop this infatuation of yours,” Rob was delivering urgently to me now. “It was one thing when you were just mooning around like a sick calf over her. But this is the worst yet. Meeting her out there to go at it in the grass...”
“Rob, I uttered flatly and hard. “You’re going way too far.”
“Somebody finally has to tell you what a lovesick sap you’re looking at in the mirror every morning,” he retaliated. “Adair has been too easy on you, all these years.” (287)
This argument was the major turning point in the relationship between the two men, once as close as brothers. Rob’s constant attacks, growing in severity, finally culminate in the involvement of Varick, Angus’s son. This event, for Angus, crossed the threshold of mild criticism to vicious attacks. At this phase in the story, the collapse of the bond occurs entirely.
This dramatic and tragic decline of friendship closes the book in sadness and despair. The situation does get somewhat better, yet, had Rob survived, it would have never been the same. Perhaps the very event that Angus needed to show him the power of their friendship was Rob’s death. Complications soon follow what, at first, seems like eternal bliss, leading ultimately to demise. Such a theme is present not only in literary pieces such as Dancing at the Rascal Fair, but in history as well. The three stage process parallels events including the fall of the Roman Empire and the collapse of the Medieval Church. Therefore, it is not entirely unlikely for such a model repeated throughout both genres, as “the collapse” is common to all levels of humanity.
English
Dancing at the Rascal Fair
Doig
Collapse
Novels comparable to Knowles’s A Separate Peace and Doig’s Dancing at the Rascal Fair are built upon the examination of interpersonal relationships between the two main characters. In A Separate Peace, the story chronicles the rise and fall of the friendship of Phineas and Gene, and Dancing at the Rascal Fair, Angus and Rob. In both books, this archetypal story line appears in three phases—from the height of the relationship to the negative undertones and finally to the collapse of the bond altogether. Evidently, this phasic breakdown occurs to Rob and Angus, with evidence of each phase spaced equidistantly apart throughout the novel.
The first stage of relations is evident in the first few pages, once the pair unites on the trip to America. Multiple examples of each one’s good will toward the other express this union, up to the early days in Montana. Even small gestures such as the limes during the storm at sea and the effort in working to sustain themselves in Helena reinforce the bond between Angus and Rob. While not extremely important events in the book, a multitude of such combine to emit the power and compassion each had for the other. Upon arrival at the second phase, tension begins to mount under the stress of opinion and inexperience. Finding themselves in an unfamiliar world, Rob and Angus are left wondering where to begin. With the help of neighbors and Lucas, they claim lands, build homesteads, and begin anew in an agrarian lifestyle. Unsure of how to continue, certain, seemingly unimportant arguments arise—how many sheep to buy, which to sell, which to keep, when to sheer. General arguments such as these only contribute to a looming hatred, which thus far is just an annoyance:
As Rob was now doing his winter rhapsody about more sheep. But I didn’t want that tune, expensive as it promised to be, to get out of hand, and so I responded:
“Rob, I see that we don’t even know if we’re going to get through this winter with these sheep alive, let alone twice that many that we don’t have.”
“With an attitude like that,” he retorted a bit quick and sharp, “you’re not looking ahead beyond the end of your nose, you know.” (108)
And this was the argument which, with Rob’s assistance, revived itself every winter, until finally, Rob decided to buy more sheep for himself.
This begins the split between the Rob and Angus in their work. While Angus went on to be the school teacher for the area, Rob stayed back and tended ever growing flocks. While Rob continued to be increasingly rural, Angus moved on. Perhaps this division sprung from a difference in attitude from the start of the pair’s life in Montana, coupled with the increasing disagreement between the two men. At any rate, this midpoint marked the beginning of the decline of the relationship.
The third and most complex stage emerges at the involvement of Adair and Anna. While still in love with Anna, Angus marries Adair, Rob’s sister, out of convenience, under the impression that since he has lost his only love, he will die a lonely man. This arrangement, however, displeases Rob who fears for his sister and her feelings:
“You’ve utterly got to stop this infatuation of yours,” Rob was delivering urgently to me now. “It was one thing when you were just mooning around like a sick calf over her. But this is the worst yet. Meeting her out there to go at it in the grass...”
“Rob, I uttered flatly and hard. “You’re going way too far.”
“Somebody finally has to tell you what a lovesick sap you’re looking at in the mirror every morning,” he retaliated. “Adair has been too easy on you, all these years.” (287)
This argument was the major turning point in the relationship between the two men, once as close as brothers. Rob’s constant attacks, growing in severity, finally culminate in the involvement of Varick, Angus’s son. This event, for Angus, crossed the threshold of mild criticism to vicious attacks. At this phase in the story, the collapse of the bond occurs entirely.
This dramatic and tragic decline of friendship closes the book in sadness and despair. The situation does get somewhat better, yet, had Rob survived, it would have never been the same. Perhaps the very event that Angus needed to show him the power of their friendship was Rob’s death. Complications soon follow what, at first, seems like eternal bliss, leading ultimately to demise. Such a theme is present not only in literary pieces such as Dancing at the Rascal Fair, but in history as well. The three stage process parallels events including the fall of the Roman Empire and the collapse of the Medieval Church. Therefore, it is not entirely unlikely for such a model repeated throughout both genres, as “the collapse” is common to all levels of humanity.
English
Dancing at the Rascal Fair
Doig
Collapse
Novels comparable to Knowles’s A Separate Peace and Doig’s Dancing at the Rascal Fair are built upon the examination of interpersonal relationships between the two main characters. In A Separate Peace, the story chronicles the rise and fall of the friendship of Phineas and Gene, and Dancing at the Rascal Fair, Angus and Rob. In both books, this archetypal story line appears in three phases—from the height of the relationship to the negative undertones and finally to the collapse of the bond altogether. Evidently, this phasic breakdown occurs to Rob and Angus, with evidence of each phase spaced equidistantly apart throughout the novel.
The first stage of relations is evident in the first few pages, once the pair unites on the trip to America. Multiple examples of each one’s good will toward the other express this union, up to the early days in Montana. Even small gestures such as the limes during the storm at sea and the effort in working to sustain themselves in Helena reinforce the bond between Angus and Rob. While not extremely important events in the book, a multitude of such combine to emit the power and compassion each had for the other. Upon arrival at the second phase, tension begins to mount under the stress of opinion and inexperience. Finding themselves in an unfamiliar world, Rob and Angus are left wondering where to begin. With the help of neighbors and Lucas, they claim lands, build homesteads, and begin anew in an agrarian lifestyle. Unsure of how to continue, certain, seemingly unimportant arguments arise—how many sheep to buy, which to sell, which to keep, when to sheer. General arguments such as these only contribute to a looming hatred, which thus far is just an annoyance:
As Rob was now doing his winter rhapsody about more sheep. But I didn’t want that tune, expensive as it promised to be, to get out of hand, and so I responded:
“Rob, I see that we don’t even know if we’re going to get through this winter with these sheep alive, let alone twice that many that we don’t have.”
“With an attitude like that,” he retorted a bit quick and sharp, “you’re not looking ahead beyond the end of your nose, you know.” (108)
And this was the argument which, with Rob’s assistance, revived itself every winter, until finally, Rob decided to buy more sheep for himself.
This begins the split between the Rob and Angus in their work. While Angus went on to be the school teacher for the area, Rob stayed back and tended ever growing flocks. While Rob continued to be increasingly rural, Angus moved on. Perhaps this division sprung from a difference in attitude from the start of the pair’s life in Montana, coupled with the increasing disagreement between the two men. At any rate, this midpoint marked the beginning of the decline of the relationship.
The third and most complex stage emerges at the involvement of Adair and Anna. While still in love with Anna, Angus marries Adair, Rob’s sister, out of convenience, under the impression that since he has lost his only love, he will die a lonely man. This arrangement, however, displeases Rob who fears for his sister and her feelings:
“You’ve utterly got to stop this infatuation of yours,” Rob was delivering urgently to me now. “It was one thing when you were just mooning around like a sick calf over her. But this is the worst yet. Meeting her out there to go at it in the grass...”
“Rob, I uttered flatly and hard. “You’re going way too far.”
“Somebody finally has to tell you what a lovesick sap you’re looking at in the mirror every morning,” he retaliated. “Adair has been too easy on you, all these years.” (287)
This argument was the major turning point in the relationship between the two men, once as close as brothers. Rob’s constant attacks, growing in severity, finally culminate in the involvement of Varick, Angus’s son. This event, for Angus, crossed the threshold of mild criticism to vicious attacks. At this phase in the story, the collapse of the bond occurs entirely.
This dramatic and tragic decline of friendship closes the book in sadness and despair. The situation does get somewhat better, yet, had Rob survived, it would have never been the same. Perhaps the very event that Angus needed to show him the power of their friendship was Rob’s death. Complications soon follow what, at first, seems like eternal bliss, leading ultimately to demise. Such a theme is present not only in literary pieces such as Dancing at the Rascal Fair, but in history as well. The three stage process parallels events including the fall of the Roman Empire and the collapse of the Medieval Church. Therefore, it is not entirely unlikely for such a model repeated throughout both genres, as “the collapse” is common to all levels of humanity.