James Honeyman: How does Auden tell the story? (part 2)

Hello,

Here's the rest of my post on Auden's ballad, James Honeyman:

22-27: The gas

•  Stanza 22, like 19, highlights the jarring contrast between obsessive scientist and father. Although he tenderly kisses his sleeping son, he doesn't do it until midnight. The second pair of lines focus on his true pride and joy: his 'glass test-tube'. The words 'I've won!' reinforce the idea of James's hubris; he is chasing personal glory. Whereas Miss Gee is about 'foiled creative fire', this is about misdirected creative fire.

• This idea is complicated in the next stanza. By the peaceful light of the moon, James states his desire to do something 'worthy' of Doreen. The relationships in this poem are presented as distant and dysfunctional, from the mother peering at the son on the floor (with matches), to James ignmoring his family much of the time, despite his apparent love for them.

• There's an ironic echo in stanza 25. Just as James has been too busy to see his family, the officals at Whitehall are 'very busy' and are annoyed by his request for their time. This could be seen as Auden's criticism of the British Government in the lead up to the war. Like James, they are too busy desperately seeking answers that they don't notice others trying to help them.

• Mrs Flower is the 'agent of a foreign power'. 'Agent' has a double meaning here, as it means both 'one who acts' but also it has connotations of chemistry and warfare. Interestingly, Mrs Flower seems to be an agent of James's doom in the same way as Mr Rose is for Miss Gee. Make of that what you will.

 28-31: A deal for the gas

•  Plenty of irony in stanza 30. He believes, when looking back at Calais, that his work is behind him and he can return in triumph. Of course, 'Honeyman's NPC Will be heard of some day.' In fact, Auden makes that day arrive in the very next stanza. Just like in Miss Gee, it is clear in the suddenness and harshness of the ending that Auden is punishing his eponymous character for his mistakes.
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32-end: The bombs and death

•  The first three lines of stanza 33 make clear that James is the sole target of the bombers - although it is really Auden that is targetting him. Three bombs land in close proximity to James's house - the final one right on top of him. The simile of the 'falling star' is worth analysing. 'Star' is suggestive of his ambition, but also of fate. 'Falling' too has connotations of the fall of man. Adam and Eve were punished for their transgression of eating from the tree of knowledge - and a similar fate befalls James.

 

• At the end of the poem, we hear a range of voices which finally add some pathos to the story, but it is all too late. We hear from the son, then from Doreen. Both address him in terms (Daddy/Jim) which emphasise his neglected role as father and husband. It seems that part of Auden's message here is about healthy relationships. This concern is echoed in the reference to Hitler and 'what occurred in Linz' in 1st Sept: it is suggested that dysfunctional relationships can be the cause of a misdirected 'creative fire' which can have disastrous consequences.

• The final four stanzas alternate between James's first person lament (the repetition of 'O' suggests a lament) and a response from an unknown speaker. Is it another part of James? He is presented as having two contrasting identities in the poem: chemist/family man. Is it Auden? Is it some abstract voice of Justice or Fate? Remember Auden's habit of personifying such concepts.

 

• The imagery of nature and creatures living in their natural habitat (note the irony of the dove - a symbol of peace and purity) suggest that James Honeyman's life has been unnatural and that he has now realised his mistake. The image of 'sea' and 'mountains' both suggest a desperate wish to escape this fate - but, like in Miss Gee, Auden reserves a deliciously ironic fate to James to ram home his message.

• The final stanzas mimicry of the repeated 'O' lament again adds to the darkly humorous tone. Auden dispenses justice with a brutal harshness and with a comic edge which makes the poem all the more effective.

I hope this helps. Remember, when you do the first question in the exam, you are focusing on AO2 alone and must show an understanding of how the whole story is constructed - keep the over-arching story in mind at all times, from beginning to end.

I'll blog about Musee de Beaux Arts shortly.

Mr M