NANCY HUSTON'S "FAULT LINES" - by Dr.Sandhya Tiwari
The theme of “Self exploration and quest for belonging ness” IN Nancy Huston’s novel - Fault Lines
Nancy Huston eleventh novel received much critical acclaim. Fault Lines narrators are children of four different generations of the same family tracing their history traveling back in time, from California to New York, from Haifa to Toronto and Munich. Though the central theme of the novel "Fault Lines," is Nazi atrocity, on rereading the text one can find a subtle portrayal is the variations in the attitude of the same aged children but belonging to different generation. The engrossing structure of the novel makes it all the more appealing, where once you identify and understand the characters the plot stands out.
The children, the narrators of the novel starting with the contemporary 6-year-old boy, Sol, to the narrative of his father, Randall, when he was 6, followed by Randall's mother, Sadie, and then Sadie's own mother, Erra reveal their innermost thoughts in the form of observations, which in turn are tuned because of their maturity and psyche. With this clever structure, as well as a wickedly critical and smart view of world politics, Huston helps us see firsthand how history gets erased and reinvented, and hints at the way how our perception of history changes with the influence of present.
Huston draws the character of Sol, an arrogant boy from California, with biting specificity and detail, in the process exposing the dark side of American self-conceit, narcissism and undue child adulation. Through the character of Sol, she unfolds the adverse impact of technology on the young child. Sol learns about everything, from murder to molestation, seduction to resurrection almost all things. His curious exploration and the knowledge about things which are forbidden for children makes him feel he is all-powerful and all knowing. Sol's parents have childproofed the house by covering the electrical sockets and putting soft corners on all the furniture, but as soon as Sol is alone, he enthusiastically seeks out images of pornography and torture on the Internet.
Nancy’s award winning novel is a subtle comment on how the life of an individual is shaped, and apart from the experience the predominant factor being the society. Though the human beings at large muse over the technological advancement and the comforts thereon as a result of that, very rarely the bleak side is thought of. However careful the parents are not able to ascertain the vicious impact of technology aided modernity on the children. More so because of the trend of nuclear family the young minds exposed to the panorama of eternal truths are the scapegoats of technically advanced modern society. Unable to comprehend or more apt to by miscomprehension the child starts to believe they he has outgrown childhood and is a whiz kid.
The exposure due to technologically advanced society mars the innocence in the child where he assumes himself to be the omnipotent.
In playschool I have to hold back so no one will guess the truth about my super intelligence my super plans my superpowers (FL31)
Huston spares us neither the outrageous vulgarity of the hypocritical environment in which Sol's parents raise him nor its appalling effect on his personality. Sol is convinced he is some sort of messiah, born with a congenital birthmark which bestowed on him all the superpower. Mother believes he is destined for great things and at the same time without exposing Sol to the real life of a child where he has to learn things the way other boys do like self care, protecting from electrical appliances etc. is stunting his growth by overprotecting him. The pretentious and malnurtured boy is falling into the trap of being a megalomaniac.
The second narrator Randall is inquisitive about why women do not show their full body when the child grows, why do they show it to the husband, what is the age of the child when women think the child who once was a suckling baby has grown up so on and so forth. But the questions in the mind of Randall are justifiable on the grounds of child curiosity, whereas Sol’s attitude was altogether that of a spoilt, brazen child bereft of innocence. He learns about the devastating effects of war between the Jews and Palestinians, during the family’s one year stay in Haifa.
The third narrator Saddie is happiest only "when she can hold forth against evil". Kristina, her mother the last narrator was so absorbed (obsessed) on singing, has little time for her daughter, Sadie, a tormented child buries herself in books. As an adult Sadie drags her family around the world in her obsession to know the truth about the Nazi Lebensborn - "fountain of life" - programmes designed to create a master race of Aryan children for the Third Reich.
Fault Lines in the reverse chronological order beginning in 2004 and going back to 1982, 1962 and 1944, shows the gradual corrosion of childhood innocence. And this can be attributed mainly to the pretentious parenthood, though unconscious. An eloquent spokesperson of multiculturalism and hybrid existence Rushdie equates love with a happy blend of differences:
I wanted to cling to the image of love as the blending of spirits, as mélange, as the triumph of the impure, mongrel, conjoining best of us over what there is in us of the solitary, the isolated, the austere, the dogmatic, the pure; of love as democracy, as the victory of the no-man-is-an-island, two’s-company Many over the clean, mean apartheiding Ones. (MLS 289)
Salman Rushdie in the Moor’s Last Sigh (MLS), which was written by him at a time when he was forced into hiding after the world famous ‘Rushdie affair’, reveals his intense desire to be heard. In the character of Moraes or the Moor, Rushdie depicts his own need for self expression. Likewise Huston’s characters in this novel resonates the same yearning to be heard, to be loved, to be understood etc.
When the narrators are dwelt in the chronological order it is Kristina the first narrator, who is at the threshold being the creator of the disconnected and discontented life spreading through four generation. Kristina’s unaccepted and unprincipled way of life leaves the lovelorn daughter heartbroken. Adoring arrogance the mother neglects the child, yet asserts she loves the daughter the most. After having borne a love child, Kristina is again in an affair with Peter, who she believes would promote and make her popular as a singer. Immediately after marrying Peter, she wants to rechristen herself as Erra. Peter tells people know the singer Krissy Kriswaty and to make that name popular he devoted two years of his life. Inspite of undemonstrative disagreement from Peter, she swivels around repeating the name Erra.
Love defines the way of life, transcending divisions of religion and race. Love triumphs in their way of life as is evident in the marriage of a mother of a love child with her second lover. Betrayal of love for the sake of an illusory freedom and the material rewards mars the life of the young Saddie. As remarked by Salman Rushdie in his novel Shalimaar the Clown, Love betrayed turns into anger and revenge.
All that remained between them [Boonyi and Shalimar], perhaps, was hatred, but this yearning hatred-at-a-distance was surely also one of love’s many faces, yes, its ugliest face. (STC 263)
Mother leads an appalling loathsome life yet the daughter is trying to make order out of chaos as a child. Sadie never wanted to show even the gravest of emotions like fear in front of mother and grandparents. The We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection. –H.H. the Dalai Lama
Suppressing her emotions Saddie learnt to remain quiet out of fear of rejection from grandparents, who wanted her to be bold often which connotes depriving the child the minimum affection and a few comforting words and out of fear of losing the “luxury” of staying with the mother. She wanted to impress her mother to allow her to stay and that she will not be a trouble for her mother.
The blocks are long and I’m afraid of getting lost, I’m afraid of dogs, I’m afraid of being kidnapped by a bunch of hoods but I want to prove to Mommy that I’m a big girl and wouldn’t be a burden on her if she let me to come to live with her so I swallow the fear each time it rises…(FL186)
Kristina madly in pursuit of fame sets a bad example for her daughter. Smoking and drinking at odd late hours sleeps late into the morning, ignoring the daily chores till they become urgent needing immediate attention. Saddie in turn becomes more responsible and mature a girl. The nightmare where her mother slips tiny babies into brown envelops on which she writes the names in red ink and drops them in someone else’s mailbox upsets her. Saddie unfortunately was exposed to the extreme lifestyle patterns, grandparents over-strict and mother a very liberal free thinker, grows into a responsible child serves the bed tea to her parents.
Kristina, herself having had led an unhappy childhood, attempts to be loving and caring mother. Her unintelligent handling of happenings in life results in the turmoil. She was impressed by Joannhe, the boy who was adopted, to believe that the inmates of the family are callous. Their hatred is racist driven and they rather want to put an end to the German race. In no time she even starts stealing things on the impetus given by the same boy. She appears to be carried away by the fantasies of leading free – life and gets influenced by him. The boy asks her to steal the jewellery and accompany him so that they can live freely forever. He also suggests her that you can sing and become popular.
Conclusion:
Although there are several competing centers of attention identifiable with the thematic concerns in the novel - the Nazi atrocity, impact of war, exploitation based on the caste system and class system, upbringing, human craving for love and affection etc. constitute more or less the focal point of thematic significance since they provide the premises underlying the fictional structure. Caste system, though seemingly related to the Indian milieu or the Hindu community, has a universal dimension, which needs to be recognized.
Bibliography:
Works cited:
1 Huston, Nancy. Fault Lines: 2007. Atlantic Books.
2 Rushdie, Salman. The Moor’s Last Sigh (MLS). London: Vintage, 2006.
3 Rushdie, Salman. Shalimar the Clown (STC). London: Jonathan Cape, 2005.
References:
1 Huston, Nancy. Mark of an Angel:1999.
2 Huston, Nancy. Instruments of Darkness:
3 Divakaruni, Chitra Banerji. Dark Like the River. Calcutta: Writers Workshop, 1987
4 Divakaruni, Chitra Banerji. The Mistress of Spices. London: Doubleday, 1997, 1998: New York: Anchor Books, 1997.
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