This is a tale of a
family, “A portrait” of the writer's Father, biography rather
than hagiography. That it is a portrait of his Father rather than
his Mother when both feature equally in the narrative is because it
is also an exploration John Barnie's masculinity. Within the
Shopocracy there seemed to be a clear definition of what it was to be
a man, for John roles were more fluid.
He finds that while
on the surface his Father, and forefathers, conformed to societal
expectations they were in their quite ways independent souls. That
some of his rebellions were in fact conforming to type, he was more
of a chip off the old block than he had imagined.
I found this a
familiar trait, coming from a family that on face value is firmly
bourgeoisie, and yet often at the outer edges of subversion. This
quote perhaps sums it up “I have most sympathy with Anarchism,
though I have no illusions that it could be made to work. In a
democracy, if you vote a party into power, you have immediately to
join the opposition.”
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