Exploration of Minor Characters in Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon

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Lewis Watson

Choose a novel in which minor characters play a significant role. Outline their role in the novel and discuss their significance to the novel as a whole.

Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s “Sunset Song” features a village of minor characters. John Guthrie, the main character Chris’ father and her husband Ewan Tavendale are central in conveying Gibbons ideals and themes. John Guthrie is conflicted between traditional and modern and had many admirable qualities that make him an engaging character. He supports the main charcter in displaying the theme of change. Ewan is only a dominant in the second half of the book but still had a major impact. He is the result of Chris’ development in the first half and replaces John Guthrie as Chris’ male counterpart. They are both advocates of the peasant way of life.

Throughout the novel, the character of John Guthrie is tormented by his high sex drive: “she saw a caged beast peep form her father’s eyes”. He is strictly religious and the teachings of the church tell him that sex and sexual desire is sinful. This creates a conflict within John Guthrie and leads to the cruelty and severity of the character in the novel: “The dourness hardened, hard and cold, in the heart of Jean Guthrie’s man.” As sex is sinful, only justified for the purposes of reproduction, John Guthrie must resist the temptation of his wife. This arousal is a cause for guilt and John Guthrie blames his wife. He justifies sex with religion: “We’ll have what God in His mercy may send us, woman.” John Guthrie plays a significant role in illustrating Gibbon’s theme of religion and its corrupting influence.

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John Guthrie is also central in displaying the theme of change. John Guthrie refuses to accept the process of mechanisation taking place within his community. It creates a conflict between John Guthrie and his son Will. This conflict creates a obvious contrast between traditional and modern farming methods and shows the impact of change on the community. John Guthrie’s refusal to adapt is significant as it is symbolic of the death of the peasant way of life.

In the early stages of the novel, John Guthrie is seen through Chris’ eyes as a brutal and cruel character. His sexual ...

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