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What happened? - Literature Notes
Austin C. Clarke was a Barbadian novelist, essayist and short story writer. He received his early education at Anglican schools in Barbados, and attended the University of Toronto's Trinity College.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Clarke_(novelist)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Clarke_(novelist)
SUMMARY
This is the story of Henry, who has recently gotten married to Agatha Barbara Sellman-White. She is a white, educated, and Jewish woman, while he is a black West Indian immigrant. They reside in Canada and the reader is made aware of Henry's journey to get used to being married to a woman who is his polar opposite, whom he does not seem to understand. The story opens with Henry's friend, Boysie, wondering what has happened. He realizes that Henry's room is filled with books, which leads to Henry expounding on the frustrations of trying to get used to a different life. Agatha, Henry's wife, awakens him, culturally and intellectually, which is uncomfortable for him, coupled with living in a society that (www.bulbsoup.com) does not allow him to stretch to his potential. He is frustrated and angry with this awakening. He is particularly fixated on the fact that Canada is a country of immigrants, but that some immigrants, the white ones, are accepted while the black ones, like himself, are subjected to discriminatory treatment on a daily basis. His wedding was disrupted due to race and he and his wife cannot get good housing, based on that same issue of race. The story ends with a poem that Henry wrote to his wife, one that identifies time as the major problematic issue in his marriage.
SETTING
CHARACTERS
Henry
Boysie
Agatha
THEMES
Friendship
Boysie is a good friend to Henry. He listens to Henry complain about his wife and his new life and then highlights the positives in a non-judgmental way. He looks out for his friend's happiness and well-being, which is the mark of a good friend.
Racism
The reader observes Henry's extreme frustration at not being able to find an apartment for himself and his spouse. The issue is that they keep getting rejected, based on the colour of Henry's skin. He explains that the first thing that greets him is a change in the person's expression, followed by excuses and explanations, culminating in him not setting foot in the person's house. He gets so frustrated, at one point, that he painted a Nazi sign on a white woman's door. Henry is particularly peeved at the fact that he is in a country of immigrants, yet the white immigrants are treated better than the black immigrants.
TECHNIQUES
Juxtaposition - Henry and Agatha are diametrical opposites. He is a black, uneducated male from the Caribbean and she is white, Jewish, and educated. In Canada, in 1959, the odds of this union existing were low. From what Henry says, they have absolutely nothing in common and everything about her annoys him; her book, her education, her art, and her fellowship. This juxtaposition highlights am irony. This is because, despite Henry's complaints, he appears to love and value his wife.
Situational Irony - It is ironic that Henry faces racism from his fellow immigrants. He points out that 'all the doors that won't open, all the names were mostly European immigrant names' (Clarke, 149). Another irony can be seen in the fact that Henry curses and complains about his wife for most of the short story, yet writes her a beautiful poem at the end of the story.
Contributor: Leisa Samuels-Thomas
Clarke, Austin C, 'What Happened?' in A World of Prose, edited by David Williams and Hazel Simmons-McDonald. (Harlow, Essex) Pearson Education, 2005.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Clarke_
This is the story of Henry, who has recently gotten married to Agatha Barbara Sellman-White. She is a white, educated, and Jewish woman, while he is a black West Indian immigrant. They reside in Canada and the reader is made aware of Henry's journey to get used to being married to a woman who is his polar opposite, whom he does not seem to understand. The story opens with Henry's friend, Boysie, wondering what has happened. He realizes that Henry's room is filled with books, which leads to Henry expounding on the frustrations of trying to get used to a different life. Agatha, Henry's wife, awakens him, culturally and intellectually, which is uncomfortable for him, coupled with living in a society that (www.bulbsoup.com) does not allow him to stretch to his potential. He is frustrated and angry with this awakening. He is particularly fixated on the fact that Canada is a country of immigrants, but that some immigrants, the white ones, are accepted while the black ones, like himself, are subjected to discriminatory treatment on a daily basis. His wedding was disrupted due to race and he and his wife cannot get good housing, based on that same issue of race. The story ends with a poem that Henry wrote to his wife, one that identifies time as the major problematic issue in his marriage.
SETTING
- The story is set in Canada, in 1959.
- The atmosphere is tense, due to Henry's frustration.
CHARACTERS
Henry
- A West Indian immigrant, from Barbados.
- He does not understand, or appreciate, his wife's seeming obsession with books
- He does not understand her obsession with black culture and seems to be embarrassed by it, at least initially.
- He appreciates his wife's resourcefulness.
- He is angry at the discrimination that he faces daily, from getting his wedding shut down, to difficulties in finding an apartment.
- Despite the fact that Henry complains about his wife, he loves her, as seen in the poem that he writes for her.
- Henry is creative, as seen in his poem.
Boysie
- Henry's best friend who pays him a visit after his wedding.
- Boysie is also from Barbados.
- He appreciates Henry's new life and the changes that his wife has made, both physically (to the room) and intellectually (to his friend).
- He is a good listener who gives his friend time to talk.
Agatha
- Henry's wife.
- She is white and Jewish.
- Her family was unsupportive of the union between herself and Henry.
- She attends the University of Toronto and has been granted a fellowship.
- Her siblings are educated professionals, one is a corporate lawyer and the other is a professor.
- Agatha is also an artist.
THEMES
Friendship
Boysie is a good friend to Henry. He listens to Henry complain about his wife and his new life and then highlights the positives in a non-judgmental way. He looks out for his friend's happiness and well-being, which is the mark of a good friend.
Racism
The reader observes Henry's extreme frustration at not being able to find an apartment for himself and his spouse. The issue is that they keep getting rejected, based on the colour of Henry's skin. He explains that the first thing that greets him is a change in the person's expression, followed by excuses and explanations, culminating in him not setting foot in the person's house. He gets so frustrated, at one point, that he painted a Nazi sign on a white woman's door. Henry is particularly peeved at the fact that he is in a country of immigrants, yet the white immigrants are treated better than the black immigrants.
TECHNIQUES
Juxtaposition - Henry and Agatha are diametrical opposites. He is a black, uneducated male from the Caribbean and she is white, Jewish, and educated. In Canada, in 1959, the odds of this union existing were low. From what Henry says, they have absolutely nothing in common and everything about her annoys him; her book, her education, her art, and her fellowship. This juxtaposition highlights am irony. This is because, despite Henry's complaints, he appears to love and value his wife.
Situational Irony - It is ironic that Henry faces racism from his fellow immigrants. He points out that 'all the doors that won't open, all the names were mostly European immigrant names' (Clarke, 149). Another irony can be seen in the fact that Henry curses and complains about his wife for most of the short story, yet writes her a beautiful poem at the end of the story.
Contributor: Leisa Samuels-Thomas
Clarke, Austin C, 'What Happened?' in A World of Prose, edited by David Williams and Hazel Simmons-McDonald. (Harlow, Essex) Pearson Education, 2005.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Clarke_
