“‘Was anyone hurt?’
‘No one I am thankful to say,’ said Mrs Beaver, ‘except two housemaids who lost their heads and jumped through a glass roof…’”
This response is repugnant and Mrs Beaver goes on to discuss how she could profit from this disaster! Mrs Beaver and her son, John, are parasitic and feed off other people, even after a catastrophe that caused the loss of life:
“I must get on to them this morning before that ghoul Mrs Shutter snaps them up”
Mrs Beaver can be seen to be a classic villain, stood with her back to the fire. This choreography conjures images of rogues such as Fagan.
Mr Beaver, whose appearance is also deceptive, is a relatively pathetic character when we first meet him, calling his mother ‘mumsy’. Despite this feeble entrance, John Beaver goes on to worm his way into Tony and Brenda’s life and draining both there financial and moral resources. This sly, certainly cowardly nature of John just demonstrates how the ethics regarding society’s actions are rapidly being disregarded. John Beaver visits Brat’s, an appropriately named club for the relatively neauveau riche, and he demonstrates how concerned he is about money and his reluctance to spend his own! :
“ ‘I made Beaver pay for a drink’
‘He can’t have liked that’
‘He nearly died of it’
Brat’s is a curious location where a great deal of socialising and business takes place. Waugh demonstrates that the distinction between both is becoming increasingly blurred in this area of society. The social club is said to have a ‘Georgian façade’ which emphasises the falsity and pretentiousness of the club. This location is where Waugh shows the extent of the hedonism that is rapidly becoming rife amongst London’s citizens. The incompetence of people, such as Jock Grant- Menzies (who hold senior positions in politics), is effectively highlighted. Jock’s comic question regarding ‘important’ matters of his constituency; ‘Do you know anything about pigs?’ shows his ineptitude and also the trivial nature of matters discussed.
John Beaver is seen to be part of this social scene, but is never fully accepted due to his lack of material wealth as he and his mother had fallen on hard times and had to be self sufficient for the first time. Beaver ‘sponges’ off a man similar to those described as “soggy, like a wet meringue” in D. H. Lawrence’s poem ‘How Beastly the Bourgeois is’. He does this by instigating an affair with Brenda Last, Tony’s wife.
Adultery is rife amongst London’s socialites and almost positively encouraged. Brenda’s sister is active in her encouragement of the sordid business, not only by not disclosing it to Tony, but also in initiating meetings and attending parties with them. This demonstrates the complete moral void present in London. Whereas now, such an affair would cause extensive scandal and disgrace, Brenda is embraced into a culture where adultery was so ubiquitous; no one even raises an eyebrow. This support by Brenda’s peers results from their belief that Brenda has finally broken away from the traditionalist ideals ‘enforced’ on her by husband. Brenda is the archetypal ‘fairytale princess’ who broke away from an evil aristocratic tyrant. In reality we see that Brenda doesn’t have to put any effort in ‘freeing’ herself as Tony can be seen as pathetic. However, the stylised ideals created by the party goers leads to much gossip and becomes the topic of many a conversation. Waugh shows his distaste of gossip in his brilliantly funny and resonant novel ‘Vile Bodies’. Adam Fenwick-Symes writes for a gossip column for a while, his work involves the trivial matter of commenting on people’s clothes and who attended certain parties. Symes tests the influence of the gossip columns by suggesting fashionable people were wearing quite outrageous clothes:
“‘… Two of the smartest men in the room were wearing black suede shoes with their evening clothes – one of them was…a Very Important Person indeed.’
In a week he (Symes) was gratified to notice… that in a fortnight the big emporiums of ready-made clothes in Regent Street had… arranged rows of black suede shoes…labelled ‘for evening wear’.”
This illustrates the extremely fickle and superficial nature of the socialites that Waugh deplores: Black suede shoes were usually reserved for casual activities, not evening wear. Symes tests the capricious nature of society by falsely suggesting an V.I.P was employing this unconventional combination and his experiment works, suggesting that people live their lives according to a gossip column rather than their own beliefs or initiative. This is an example of Waugh’s belief that the modern Londoners were becoming increasingly vacuous, not showing any individuality at all
Brenda last is seen to yearn for this materialistic yet empty lifestyle and John Beaver is seen to be her social outlet. Hetton symbolises entrapment for Brenda, whilst London is seen to give her a new lease of life, when she ‘emerges’ from the train on her first visit. Hetton, to Waugh, symbolises the ‘Last’ of the aristocracy and the demise of the feudal system. Waugh abhorred the Bourgeois and its extensively capitalist values, and was an admirer of D. H. Lawrence’s poem ‘How Beastly the Bourgeois is’, that describes men like Tony Last as being ;
‘just like an old mushroom, all wormy inside, and hollow
under a smooth skin and an upright appearance.’
Hetton symbolises the capitalist system with its resulting aristocracy, with its out of date palatial surroundings. Tony’s strong traditionalist values give an equally strong sense of duty towards Hetton and its preservation. Routine plays a strong part in Tony’s life and it appears that he does things just to attain the appearance of a simple, quiet, archetypal family. Indeed he encourages the solitude through poor hospitality and takes pleasure in every aspect of his traditional lifestyle: “the pleasure he derived from his weekly routine,”. The poor hospitality is obviously evident as guests who visit Hetton rarely return for a second visit: “I daresay you won’t ever come again. People seldom do.” Waugh uses Hetton to highlight his moral concerns about Tony and his kind. The isolation and ‘tradition’ in which he revels destroys his marriage and almost makes him a recluse: Brenda degenerates into an almost mythical person in her time at Hetton: “she had been a legendary, almost ghostly name, the imprisoned princess of fairy story.” Waugh argues that Tony’s exclusion from society means that his trust for Brenda remains fervent, when it is obvious to those with any link with the gossip circulating that she has been corrupted by society. Waugh almost accuses Tony of being too passive in his relationship with Brenda; even when he is faced with her infidelity he still tries to accommodate her. I believe Tony’s blind ignorance to be caused by his determined subscription to ‘gentlemanly propriety’. This leaves Tony very vulnerable to Brenda’s betrayal and ultimately costs him his marriage.
Amongst these regimented goings on is Tony and Brenda’s only child, John Andrew. Waugh invites us to question Brenda and Tony’s suitability as parents. There are two extremes apparent within the family: Firstly, there is Tony, whose strict, traditional upbringing has implanted a belief in him that a child should be raised indirectly, through a nanny. In contrast to this, Brenda scarcely seems to acknowledge John Andrew at all. Her departure from Hetton was evident in John Andrew’s life as the constant round of “is mummy coming home today” echoes throughout the novel, indicative of Brenda’s abandonment of her son. Brenda’s contribution to parenting (or lack of it) is epitomised by her statement: “You speak to him. Your so much better at being serious than I am”. This brings a certain amount of triviality into her role as mother and degrades the act of having children. The extent to which Waugh scrutinises Brenda’s morals can be seen in Waugh’s treatment of the death of the tragic death. Brenda initially believes it to be John Beaver to have been killed and not her son. Brenda’s priorities obviously lie with Beaver, and her response when she finds is repulsive: “John… John Andrew… I… Oh thank God!”.
Tony is equally neglected by Brenda and is seen to be reclusive in his response to her adultery. Tony protects himself by shrouding his existence within the familiar surroundings of Hetton. It may be this withdrawn dislocation that has caused Tony to be so ‘soggy’ as D. H. Lawrence so aptly described the bourgeois. The only time Tony ventures into London to see Brenda, he ends up getting rejected, resulting in him getting drunk with Jock in ‘Brat’s’. This may suggest his lack of backbone and resilience, but crucially is evidence of Waugh’s view that London society can corrupt even the most ‘traditional’ of men. Tony’s inability to cope with the obscure situation, puts a ‘new demand on his understanding’ (‘How Beastly The Bourgeois Is’) and makes him travel abroad to try and escape his anguish.
He travels to Brazil with ‘Dr Messinger’ to explore the ironically uncivilised areas of the South American jungle. Waugh uses Brazil as a location to examine a proposition that there are startling similarities between life in London and the dark depths of the rain forest. The Jungle is used as a model to foreshadow what could arise out of the hedonism of London. Waugh appears to believe that civilisation is cyclical, demonstrated by his observation some areas of jungle were: “choked and overrun with wild growth, that had once been a farm”. This pessimistic view shows that desolation and wilderness can arise out of order. This is reinforced by the quote referring to the jungle is: “all gross now, and reverting to an earlier type”. It also seems apparent that the trivial lifestyles led by those in London were also being executed in Brazil, with no particular point:
“All day Tony and Dr Messinger sprawled amidships among their stores… sometimes in the hot hours of the afternoon they fell asleep”
This relaxed lifestyle, however, did not seem to make Tony more comfortable about his problems. Waugh appears to show this by accentuating Tony’s physical, rather that mental, discomfort. Tony’s body ‘was never wholly at ease’ in the jungle, with a constant barrage of bats and insects abusing him. Tony’s “skin was bitten by cabouri fly and they were crawling and burrowing under his skin”. Waugh’s treatment here is metaphoric, relating to the trauma he suffered in England, at the hands of his wife and Beaver, as a parasitic attack. Brenda ‘charms’ her way into getting Tony to attain a London flat and Beaver enjoys her monthly allowance, paid for by Tony.
It is not only Tony and Dr Messinger’s experiences that draw attention to a particular perception of ‘civilisation’, the natives also display startling similarities to those of the self indulging socialites in London. “Men all go hunting. You give me cigarette”. In England (with the exception of Mrs Beaver and her son) the women are seen to live off the men. The quote also shows the selfish nature of the jungle people in the less that subtle imperative ‘you give me cigarette’. People in London are selfish in a more underhand way, for example; Beaver and Brenda’s treatment of Tony. The ‘Machushi people’ and ‘Pie-wies’ are also said by Dr Messinger to have gone to excesses when socialising, with the natives apparently getting drunk for days on end: “It will take them a week to get sober”.
Tony is held captive by ‘Mr Todd’. This seems wholly ironic as Tony has voluntarily isolated himself when back in England, and ‘cocooned’ himself within Hetton. His cowardice and lack of initiative in dealing with Brenda’s appalling behaviour is also demonstrated in the jungle, as no attempt is made to free himself from the restraint of ‘Mr Todd’. Tony does not seem to have changed and certainly has not escaped his worries and fears about Brenda.
Different settings are certainly selected to highlight Waugh’s fears. London is seen to be the hedonistic capital of England, whilst Hetton represents the decline of the landed gentry and traditionalist values. Waugh is seen to sympathise with Tony’s situation, suggesting pity towards the fading aristocracy. Brazil is a very outrageous location, but frighteningly it exposes some pessimistic possibilities. The characters in the novel are seen to be ignorant of the imminent downfall of their dangerously insular society. The scant mention of any 1930s politics (apart from the measurement of Japanese pigs!) emphasises this ignorance. I believe an element of tragedy arises from the Tony’s failure to learn or change. Brenda also remains the same and is soon seen to get bored with Beaver and ends up marrying Jock Grant-Menzies, allowing her to live the ultimately dangerous life that she yearned for when with Tony. This tragic lack of reaction to usually heart-breaking events shows Waugh’s utter concern about a society that seems to have a reluctance to amend.