Masaryk University Faculty of Arts

English hypocrisy

“In every corner of the school the Union Jack flew its message. The colours though three in number had by constant repetition produced something vast and terrible, a kind of pressure or presence of which everyone was a part. (…) They saw a fact that was its own explanation. The red and the white and the blue. How strong and deep the colours were!” (Lamming, In the Castle of My Skin, 37)

The British are trying to produce a sense of awe of the British Empire in the Caribbean children, perhaps in order for them to suppress the memory of slavery and British oppression. This act of deception may work on little children who have not yet managed to gain knowledge of their ancestors’ fate, but most of them will soon, upon learning about their history, see through the illusion of English friendship. For those who will see through it, the hypocrisy of the school inspector’s rhetoric will become apparent.

The futility of the effort of preserving the image of the Great England is also captured in the same novel. During one of their adventures, the boys are preparing to perform a magic ritual and Trumper insists that to remember the words they are to say in order to perform the ritual, they should repeat the words to themselves over and over. Boy Blue then argues that with constant repetition, the words lose their actual meaning.

“I fin’ when I repeat a thing, a word, for example, it sound after a time as if it ain`t a word, but just a kind of noise.” (Lamming, In the Castle of My Skin, 118)

This reflection might refer to the way the English greatness is constantly presented to the school children. On special occasions, like the birthday of the Queen, the English flags and symbols are displayed all around, and figures of authority give their speeches on English greatness and graciousness towards their former colonies. This effort of the English is, at least according to Boy Blue, counterproductive. Because of the constant repetition of the words, the people that are subjected to it eventually perceive it as an empty rhetoric that is always present in their lives, without realizing the actual meaning or intent behind it.

The hypocrisy of the image in which England presents itself to the Caribbean people is penetrated by Charlot, a teacher to Fola, an educated white man who is nevertheless strongly influenced by the Caribbean mentality, being a teacher at one of the most prominent schools in San Cristobal. At the ceremony of souls, Charlot, infused by his Caribbean experience, reflects his opinions on contemporary England:

“(…) the only England he had known as a kind of corpse in future argument with itself, a dead voice bearing witness to its own achievement, passionate in incest with its past.” (Lamming, In the Castle of My Skin, 36)

It is apparent from the way his opinions are presented that Charlot does not perceive England as a great, chivalrous country. He sees through the hypocrisy of British rhetoric that aims to create an image of England as the perfect country, as allies to the countries that they formerly conquered and colonized. It is the same image of England that the school inspector is trying to evoke in his speech towards the school children in In the Castle of My Skin, stating that the ultimate intention of the crown is to preserve peace in the world. (Lamming, In the Castle of My Skin, 36)

However, Charlot, an Englishman himself, also contributes to the hypocrisy that is associated with the treatment of the Caribbean people and their cultural heritage. He accompanies Fola to the Ceremony of Souls, and when she asks why, he tells her that she needs to experience her own culture in order to understand her heritage. However, as it is later revealed, observation of the Ceremony is only a pretense in order for Charlot to get close to his pupil.

“He tried to smother her meaning by drawing attention to the traditional purpose of the ceremony.” (Lamming, Season of Adventure, 22)

Charlot’s disregard for the religious Ceremony of Souls presents a point of view that is similar to the way the colonizing countries perceived the slaves and their cultural heritage. They did not think there is anything to learn from the culture of various indigenous people they conquered, they considered them savage and uncivilized, and they abused their trust to trick them and achieve their own selfish means. Although that kind of behavior is far worse than Charlot’s pretenses for seducing Fola, it still represents the same kind of disregard for native history and culture that is associated with the colonizers.

Problems of Race and Complexion

Racism in the Caribbean society

One of the problems of the Caribbean society that is dealt with in both of Lamming’s novels is the issue of racism. As Campbell states in his book on education in Trinidad, the Caribbean social hierarchy is based on a three-tier system, with the white people at the top, the blacks at the bottom, and the non-whites and mulatto in the middle. (Campbell, 3) Although this is a bit of an oversimplification, the idea is that the fairer skin a person has, the better chance they have of making their way up in society in the Caribbean. The topic of racism comes across often in both of the novels, as it is deeply rooted in the Caribbean mentality, and affects more or less everybody on the islands.

The importance of skin color is discussed in In the Castle of My Skin, when G. visits a doctor for an emergency. The doctor asks G. about what he would like to do for a living when he grows up, and G. responds, out of appreciation for being treated successfully, that he would like to be a doctor, too. The doctor then comments that it is a pity that G. does not have the same fair skin as his mother. His mother is mulatto, while he is of dark brown complexion. The doctor implies that the skin color is the only thing that would stand in a way of G. climbing up the ladder of society.

The very same issue is depicted in the Season of Adventure, when Veronica reflects on rumors about her relationship with Squires that are spreading around the village. She is still hesitating with her decision whether to disclose or end their relationship because of what she calls “intricacies of complexion”. The problem is that Squires’ skin is very dark, while Veronica is of very light brown complexion. Even though Squires was a member of a respectable family, his father was Chief Justice, and he performed one of the most lucrative professions in the Republic, the color of his skin was still an issue. (Lamming, Season of Adventure, 163)

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