Book Discussion: Chapters 1-4

[queen_ypolita]

Chapters 1-4

The first four chapters cover about four years of Maurice's life, from his last days at prep school to the end of his years at Sunnington, his public school; from the age of "fourteen and three quarters" to "nearly nineteen". Both schools are his father's old schools, and the point of Maurice following his path in life in the footsteps of his father is made several times in these four short chapters. These chapters establish Maurice as an average person who isn't particularly intelligent or perceptive, one who would go through his life doing all the conventional things and feel perfectly content about his lot if he ever thought about it. It's this ordinariness that makes him reasonably successful at Sunnington: he's tolerably well liked, becomes a prefect and member of the first fifteen and get the prize for a Greek oration that it's not particularly good but thought worth rewarding nonetheless.

But underneath all the ordinariness is something waiting to be awakened, most clearly manifest in the dream he has in Chapter 3, a dream about a friend that he'll one day have. The dream isn't clear and he doesn't quite understand it but the feeling of longing is strong enough to make the dream feel very real. The other significant dream he has is about George the garden boy who left, and whose leaving made Maurice sadder than he could understand.

But to go back to Chapter 1 for a moment, and Mr Ducie's goodbye talk. Maurice's incomprehension at nearly fifteen over Mr Ducie's talk about sex may feel a bit old-fashioned to modern readers but it seems to me it's more a question of disconnect between his own experiences and what Mr Ducie is trying to say, particularly if Maurice is a late developer which is possible in the light of a line in Chapter 3 "As soon as his body developed he became obscene" which, in its context, is clearly not happening until he's at Sunnington. In some ways, it seems he does understand what Mr Ducie is explaining, it just doesn't mean anything to him at that age. Or what do you think?

Chapter 4 offers a small clue for fixing the novel to a particular historical timeline with the mention of Hague Conference, the second international peace conference held in The Hague from mid-June until mid-October 1907.

Over to you now! Here's a couple of questions if you're stuck for ideas what to say:

• Does Maurice's ordinariness make him likeable in these early chapters, or does he come across to you, as he does to Dr Barry in Ch2, that he's asleep all his life and hence useless?


• What do you think about the dreams?


• Why had the Halls considered moving when the church was built? (Ch2)

* * *
into_the_greenwood will open the discussion for Chapters 5-8 on Sunday 31 May. For the full schedule, see this post.

Comments

[into_the_greenwood]

The church - I think they considered moving possibly because of the disturbance...hitherto a quiet, sleepy backwater, from then on there would be services on Sundays, people, increased 'traffic' etc. But of course being the Halls it turns out to be useful as it is nearby and they don't have to go to the trouble of walking or being driven further afield.

The dreams - This is Maurice's subconscious trying to come to the surface. He's in complete denial and non-comprehension about who he is and what he is, but the subconscious won't allow him to sleep, much as he wants to. I think it's a terrible shame for him that there was a scandal just before he arrived at Sunnington which meant that there was no way of experimentation. There was that one other boy, but because 'that kind of thing' had been eradicated to all intents and purposes there was nothing that Maurice could find out and have the realisation of what his preferences were. No one spoke of 'the unspeakable' which mayn't have been the case before the scandal, and neither he or the other boy who were mutually attracted were able to fathom things out. Poor Maurice! I still feel so sorry for him. Yes, he's asleep, he's going through the motions, but under the surface there is his real persona struggling away and coming out in strange dreams.

If there's anyone I'm going to dislike in the first four chapters, it's dr Barry who comes across as being unnecessarily crude (comments about the housemaster's wife) and generally unhelpful - he is rude to Maurice about his prospects, his following in the footsteps of his father, but offers absolutely no help or advice. I think this is terribly unfair of him and quite nasty, said purely to make Dr Barry feel more superior and for Maurice to feel even more inferior.

[queen_ypolita]

The church - I think they considered moving possibly because of the disturbance...hitherto a quiet, sleepy backwater, from then on there would be services on Sundays, people, increased 'traffic' etc.
That was about the only possible explanation I could think of--because on the face of it, surely if you're conventionally Christian and expect to go to church every Sunday, it's more convenient having one nearby.

[into_the_greenwood]

And more about Dr Barry - he COULD have been the father figure Maurice desperately needed, seeing as how he was a respected family acquaintance - but he fails Maurice rather miserably on that score. Perhaps partly to do with Maurice not seeking out (presumably) Dickie at school, but if it wasn't done it wasn't done and not really Maurice's fault as someone desperate to not be seen.

[queen_ypolita]

it's dr Barry who comes across as being unnecessarily crude (comments about the housemaster's wife) and generally unhelpful
I've always wanted to give Dr Barry a good slap. I suppose it comes down him not really caring a fig what the Halls think of him, and taking as little interest in them as possible within the terms of their long acquiantance.

[into_the_greenwood]

Momentarily skipping ahead to the bit in the book when Maurice gets sent down - I think Dr B has a bloody cheek remonstrating with him after offering nothing in the way of guidance in the past.

[trueriver]

I've always wanted to give Dr Barry a good slap.

LOL I agree with both of you - Dr Barry is most unpleasant. There really is so little understanding going on in Maurice's early life. At least he had some boyish rough and tumble with George! Odd that we don't hear anything about his relationship with his father, who only died a year before the story commences.

[into_the_greenwood]

That surprised me on this particular reread, for some reason I've always thought of Maurice's father as being long dead, and Mr Ducie's little talk being as a result of that, rather than it being a talk to a boy whose father has only just gone. I suppose this reinforces Mr Hall's mediocrity - we don't even notice properly that he was around fairly recently!

[sweet_fallacy]

I assumed that his father was the hands-off type, burying himself in business and such. And I totally agree on the desire to give Dr. Barry a good slap in the face.