Portrayal of The Protagonist in Alan Hollinghurst's 'The Line of Beauty'.
ABSTRACT
Dalam penulisan tugas akhir ini saya menganalisis salah satu novel karya
Alan Hollinghurst yang berjudul The Line of Beauty. Fokus dari tugas akhir ini
adalah untuk menganalisis perubahan karakteristik yang dialami tokoh utama.
Novel The Line of Beauty menceritakan
seorang pemuda bernama
Nicholas Guest (Nick) serta perubahan karakteristik yang dialaminya. Nick pindah ke
sebuah rumah besar milik keluarga Fedden yang kaya raya di London atas ajakan
teman dekatnya di kampus. Nick yang berasal dari keluarga sederhana di desa kecil
Barwick mendapat banyak pengalaman dari lingkungan barunya tersebut. Nick mulai
terbiasa dengan kehidupan keluarga Fedden yang mewah. Hal tersebut membuat Nick
terobsesi untuk meraih kekayaan dan kekuasaan. Sayangnya ia menempuh cara yang
tidak baik.
Hollinghurst menggambarkan perubahan karakteristik Nick secara jelas.
Nick yang pada awalnya adalah seorang yang sederhana, jujur, tidak percaya diri,
tidak berpengalaman dalam hubungan homosexual berubah menjadi seorang yang
materialistis, tidak jujur, penuh rasa percaya diri dan berpengalaman dalam
percintaan dengan laki-laki.
Melalui perubahan karakteristik yang dialami sang tokoh utama,
Hollinghurst menunjukan bahwa seseorang dapat berubah karena pengaruh
lingkungannya. Pengaruh baik atau buruk tersebut sebenarnya tergantung dari cara
iii
Maranatha Christian University
seseorang menyikapinya. Tokoh utama novel ini terobsesi untuk mendapatkan uang
dan kekuasaan dengan menempuh cara yang salah yang berakibat buruk bagi
hidupnya. Tugas akhir ini juga membahas tujuan dari penulis dalam menciptakan
tokoh utama dari novel tersebut.
iv
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………….……i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...…………...……………….…………….…………ii
ABSTRACT…………..……………………………………..…………………….iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study.……..…....…………………………...….…………1
Statement of the Problem …..………………….…………………………..….2
Purpose of the Study …..………………………………………………..….....3
Method of Research ……..………………………………………………..…..3
Organization of the Thesis ………………………………………..…..………3
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST IN
ALAN HOLLINGHURST’S
THE LINE OF BEAUTY …............................................4
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION …………………………..................17
BIBLIOGRAPHY ..……….…….……………...……………….…………..…..21
APPENDICES
Synopsis of The Line of Beauty …….....……..……………….……........…22
Biography of the Author …………..………...…….…..……......………..….23
v
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDICES
SYNOPSIS OF THE LINE OF BEAUTY
This novel is divided into three sections, dated 1983, 1986 and 1987.
The first section opens in the summer of 1983. Nicholas Guest is a twenty-yearold young gay. While waiting for his graduation from Oxford, Nick moves to the
Notting Hill, the mansion of Gerald Fedden, one of Thatcher’s Tory MPs. He
moves there at the request of Gerald’s son, Toby (Nick’s close friend in Oxford).
Gerald’s wife, Rachel, comes from a wealthy Jewish family and his daughter,
Catherine, has a mental disorder. Nick becomes more deeply absorbed in the life
of the Feddens. He enjoys the privilege of this wealthy family. The story is
focused on Nick’s experiences. The first gay lover he has is Leo Charles, who is
promiscuous and takes Nick’s virginity. Through this black civil servant, Nick
discovers the pleasure of metropolitan gay life.
The next section tells about what happens three years afterwards.
Nick’s life becomes more complicated. He starts to reach his dream to have
wealth and authority. He begins an affair with Wani Quradi, a very rich and
handsome Lebanese. Wani has hired Nick as an editorial consultant for his new
high class style magazine. Their relationship becomes closer and Wani introduces
Nick to cocaine. Nick is aware of running too many risks with Wani. Disaster
comes in 1987 when Nick is involved in Gerald’s scandal. At the end of the novel,
something tragic happens to Nick; his HIV test proves to be positive, which
finally makes him feel regretful.
22
Maranatha Christian University
BIOGRAPHY OF ALAN HOLLINGHURST
Alan Hollinghurst was born on May 26, 1954 in Stroud,
Gloucestershire in England. He studied English at Magdalen College, Oxford. In
the late 1970s he became a lecturer at Magdalen, and then at Somerville College
and Corpus Christi College. In 1981 he gave lectures at the University of London.
He joined the Times Literary Supplement in 1981 and from 1982 to 1995 he
became a deputy editor. His novel, The Swimming-Pool Library, which was
published in 1988, won the Somerset Maugham Award. His next novel, The
Folding Star was short listed for the Booker Prize in 1994 and winner of the
James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. He also wrote Spell, a gay comedy
of manners interweaving complex relationships. Alan Hollinghurst's translation of
Racine's play, Bajazet, was first performed in 1990. He was also one of Granta
Best Young British Novelists in 1993. His most recent novel, The Line of Beauty,
which won The Man Booker Prize in 2004, was adapted into a three part
television series by the BBC and aired on BBC2 in May 2006. Alan Hollinghurst
now lives in London.
Source: Alan Hollinghurst: Biography.17 September 2007.
23
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
I have chosen novel as the literary genre for my thesis because compared
to drama or poetry, novel is the most common form of literature read by most people.
According to Murphy, “The novel is the most widely practiced and most widely read
form of literature today.” (127) Novel is also more interesting for me because it is
usually life-like since it contains a description of life; as is stated in Dictionary of
Literary Terms, novel is “an account of life which involves conflicts, plot, characters,
action, setting and theme.” (Shaw 257)
Although there are a lot of well-known British writers, I have chosen Alan
Hollinghurst and his novel, The Line of Beauty, to analyse. Alan Hollinghurst is a
British novelist of the late twentieth century. He has produced great literature works,
for instance, The Swimming Pool Library, which won Somerset Maugham Awards
and The Folding Star, which won James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. He is
also known as one of Granta Best Young British Novelists. His works mostly deal
with general topics considered to be taboo such as homosexuality, troubled
relationships, drugs, isolation and sexism.
1
Maranatha Christian University
Hollinghurst’s novel, The Line of Beauty, is a wonderful and touching
novel. It is actually his best-known novel and it won the Man Booker Prize for
Fiction in 2004. In The Line of Beauty, Hollinghurst presents careful descriptions of
love, passion and beauty. He clearly portrays the protagonist, Nicholas Guest, as a
dynamic character. Nicholas Guest is presented as a young gay who is immature and
inexperienced. However, he undergoes dramatic change under a new condition that
he experiences. Through the novel, the novelist wants the reader to be aware of the
terrible things happening in high class society in London.
I have decided to analyse the portrayal of the protagonist in Alan
Hollinghurst’s The Line of Beauty because characterization is one of the most
important aspects in literary works, besides plot, theme, setting and point of view. As
is stated by M.J. Murphy, characterization is:
. . . how an author conveys to the reader the characters and the
personalities of the people he writes about; in other words, how he
conveys to the readers what sort of people they are, how he makes the
readers get to know and understand them. Characterization technique
consists of personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past
life, conversation of others, reactions, direct comment, thoughts and
mannerisms.(161-173)
To help the reader understand the characters, the author can describe a
character, among others, through his appearance, speech, reaction, direct comment,
and conversation of other characters.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In this study, I would like to state the problems as follows:
2
Maranatha Christian University
1. How does the author portray the protagonist of the novel?
2. What is the purpose of the author in portraying such a character?
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
In line with the statement of the problem, I would like:
1. To show how the author portrays the protagonist of the novel.
2. To show the purpose of the author in portraying such a character.
METHOD OF RESEARCH
In conducting the study, I use the library research method. At first, I read
Alan Hollinghurst’s novel entitled The Line of Beauty as a primary text. I then
choose the most prominent literary aspect of the novel to be analysed. I also search
for the references from the library and electronic websites which can support the
analysis. Finally, I draw some conclusions from my analysis.
ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS
The thesis is divided into three chapters. Chapter One, the Introduction,
contains the Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of
the Study, the Method of Research and the Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two
contains the portrayal of the protagonist of The Line of Beauty. Chapter Three is the
Conclusion of the analysis. The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the
Appendices, which consist of the Biography of the Author and the Synopsis of the
novel.
3
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
Having analysed the portrayal of the protagonist in Alan Hollinghurst’s
The Line of Beauty, I conclude that Alan Hollinghurst succeeds in portraying the
protagonist. Hollinghurst presents a clear portrayal of the protagonist’s characteristics
when the protagonist comes from a small village, Barwick. Hollinghurst also
successfully presents the protagonist’s characteristics when he has just arrived at the
Feddens’ mansion together with the changes that he experiences as he moves into a
new social environment in London.
Hollinghurst succeeds in disclosing the protagonist’s change from a
naive into a manipulative person. The glamour and luxury in the metropolitan city are
too hard for him to resist. Hollinghurst actually suggests that in real life, the
temptation is frequently so great that one is very often tempted to be manipulative in
spite of one’s incapability to achieve his dreams scrupulously. Nick’s homosexual
relationship with the man whom he does not really love provides appropriate
evidence that living in a metropolitan city may make people believe in the principle
that the end must justify the means. In this case, Nick’s manipulates Wani in order to
achieve his goal, namely to make money easily.
17
Maranatha Christian University
Hollinghurst’s portrayal of the protagonist’s honesty is also realistic. It is
generally accepted that people living in small villages are more honest than urban or
metropolitan people. I agree with the novelist that living in a metropolitan city may
frequently change an honest into a dishonest person. This occurs because one often
has to compete very seriously with others in order to be able to survive. Ferdinand
Tonnies, a sociologist states that there are two basic human associations or two
contrasting types of human social life. In his opinion, most people living in rural
areas are “humble, friendly and more honest.” (urban_sociology) He further states
that, “city life is a mechanical aggregate characterized by selfishness.”
(urban_sociology)
Hollinghurst’s description of the protagonist’s inconfidence when he has
just moved into the Feddens’ mansion is also realistic. It is universally true that most
villagers are not confident when they have just come to the civic centre. They may be
hesitant, nervous, and clumsy, especially when they are among upper class people.
Several episodes reveal Nick’s embarrassment when he is together with the members
of the Feddens. So far as the protagonist’s experience in dating with men, I believe
that the novelist has given a realistic picture of this abnormal relationship.
I am of the opinion that the protagonist of the novel is a dynamic
character; he changes from a naive into a manipulative, from an honest into a
dishonest, from an inconfident into a confident man. Nick, who is at first
inexperienced in dating with men, is later described to be experienced in dating with
men.
The protagonist’s original characteristics are revealed mainly through
speech and direct comment. However, thought is also an important technique in the
revelation of those characteristics.
18
Maranatha Christian University
In revealing the protagonist’s later characteristics, the novelist
successfully employs direct comment, conversation of others, and thought, the most
of important of which is speech.
I think Hollinghurst’s purpose in presenting Nick’s characteristic from
being naive into being manipulative is to show the negative influence of urban life,
particularly that of the upper class. Nick dreams to lead a life like those of the
Feddens, who have wealth and great authority. His lust for money and power causes
him to take full advantage of his relationship with Wani, the son of a millionaire.
Through Nick’s change from an honest into a dishonest person,
Hollinghurst criticizes unscrupulous people who force themselves to pursue their
goals by justifying any means whether ‘fair or foul’. In this case, the novelist
develops the protagonist’s naivety into manipulative with a purpose. He obviously
intends to reveal that the lure of materialistic metropolitan life and permissive
affluent environment tends to have a harmful impact; if one is not aware of the
hazard, one may inevitably be led into evil, which finally causes one’s tragic undoing.
Through Nick’s change from an inconfident into a confident man,
Hollinghurst implies that one may feel confident when he feels that he has something
that he can be proud of. The kindness of the Feddens’ family who accept Nick gives
Nick more confidence. Moreover, by having wealth and authority from Wani, Nick
feels that he is accepted in high class society.
Nick’s change from being an inexperienced into an experienced man in
dating is also presented with a purpose. He obviously indicates that people should be
aware of the danger of promiscuity and therefore should avoid promiscuous sexual
intercourse. The disease that finally claims Nick’s life is a concrete example of the
negative impact of promiscuity.
19
Maranatha Christian University
Alan Hollinghurst is a great novelist for he is able to write The Line of
Beauty, which is very touching, informative, daring and enjoyable to read. Through
this novel, Hollinghurst wants to warn the reader against the horrible things that lurk
behind the lure of false pleasure. Hollinghurst has successfully presented a life-like
character, a protagonist who changes from a morally good character into a very
immoral man because of the negative influence of metropolitan life.
20
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
References:
Murphy, M. J. Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English Poetry
and the English Novel for Overseas Students. Oxford: Alden Press,
1972.
Shaw, Harry. Dictionary of Literary Terms. New York: McGraw Hill
Book Company, 1972.
Electronic Publications:
Alan Hollinghurst: Biography. 17 September 2007.
Amazone.com: The Line of Beauty. 2004. Interview with Alan Hollinghurst. 20
July 2007.
Books and Beauty. 2004. An Audience with Alan Hollinghurst. 03 December 2007.
The Line of Beauty. Wikipedia. 15 August 2007.
Man Booker Prize for Fiction: The Line of Beauty. 07 February 2008.
Urban Sociology. 20 April 2008.
Primary text:
Hollinghurst, Alan. The Line of Beauty. London: Picador, 2004.
21
Maranatha Christian University
Dalam penulisan tugas akhir ini saya menganalisis salah satu novel karya
Alan Hollinghurst yang berjudul The Line of Beauty. Fokus dari tugas akhir ini
adalah untuk menganalisis perubahan karakteristik yang dialami tokoh utama.
Novel The Line of Beauty menceritakan
seorang pemuda bernama
Nicholas Guest (Nick) serta perubahan karakteristik yang dialaminya. Nick pindah ke
sebuah rumah besar milik keluarga Fedden yang kaya raya di London atas ajakan
teman dekatnya di kampus. Nick yang berasal dari keluarga sederhana di desa kecil
Barwick mendapat banyak pengalaman dari lingkungan barunya tersebut. Nick mulai
terbiasa dengan kehidupan keluarga Fedden yang mewah. Hal tersebut membuat Nick
terobsesi untuk meraih kekayaan dan kekuasaan. Sayangnya ia menempuh cara yang
tidak baik.
Hollinghurst menggambarkan perubahan karakteristik Nick secara jelas.
Nick yang pada awalnya adalah seorang yang sederhana, jujur, tidak percaya diri,
tidak berpengalaman dalam hubungan homosexual berubah menjadi seorang yang
materialistis, tidak jujur, penuh rasa percaya diri dan berpengalaman dalam
percintaan dengan laki-laki.
Melalui perubahan karakteristik yang dialami sang tokoh utama,
Hollinghurst menunjukan bahwa seseorang dapat berubah karena pengaruh
lingkungannya. Pengaruh baik atau buruk tersebut sebenarnya tergantung dari cara
iii
Maranatha Christian University
seseorang menyikapinya. Tokoh utama novel ini terobsesi untuk mendapatkan uang
dan kekuasaan dengan menempuh cara yang salah yang berakibat buruk bagi
hidupnya. Tugas akhir ini juga membahas tujuan dari penulis dalam menciptakan
tokoh utama dari novel tersebut.
iv
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………….……i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...…………...……………….…………….…………ii
ABSTRACT…………..……………………………………..…………………….iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study.……..…....…………………………...….…………1
Statement of the Problem …..………………….…………………………..….2
Purpose of the Study …..………………………………………………..….....3
Method of Research ……..………………………………………………..…..3
Organization of the Thesis ………………………………………..…..………3
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST IN
ALAN HOLLINGHURST’S
THE LINE OF BEAUTY …............................................4
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION …………………………..................17
BIBLIOGRAPHY ..……….…….……………...……………….…………..…..21
APPENDICES
Synopsis of The Line of Beauty …….....……..……………….……........…22
Biography of the Author …………..………...…….…..……......………..….23
v
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDICES
SYNOPSIS OF THE LINE OF BEAUTY
This novel is divided into three sections, dated 1983, 1986 and 1987.
The first section opens in the summer of 1983. Nicholas Guest is a twenty-yearold young gay. While waiting for his graduation from Oxford, Nick moves to the
Notting Hill, the mansion of Gerald Fedden, one of Thatcher’s Tory MPs. He
moves there at the request of Gerald’s son, Toby (Nick’s close friend in Oxford).
Gerald’s wife, Rachel, comes from a wealthy Jewish family and his daughter,
Catherine, has a mental disorder. Nick becomes more deeply absorbed in the life
of the Feddens. He enjoys the privilege of this wealthy family. The story is
focused on Nick’s experiences. The first gay lover he has is Leo Charles, who is
promiscuous and takes Nick’s virginity. Through this black civil servant, Nick
discovers the pleasure of metropolitan gay life.
The next section tells about what happens three years afterwards.
Nick’s life becomes more complicated. He starts to reach his dream to have
wealth and authority. He begins an affair with Wani Quradi, a very rich and
handsome Lebanese. Wani has hired Nick as an editorial consultant for his new
high class style magazine. Their relationship becomes closer and Wani introduces
Nick to cocaine. Nick is aware of running too many risks with Wani. Disaster
comes in 1987 when Nick is involved in Gerald’s scandal. At the end of the novel,
something tragic happens to Nick; his HIV test proves to be positive, which
finally makes him feel regretful.
22
Maranatha Christian University
BIOGRAPHY OF ALAN HOLLINGHURST
Alan Hollinghurst was born on May 26, 1954 in Stroud,
Gloucestershire in England. He studied English at Magdalen College, Oxford. In
the late 1970s he became a lecturer at Magdalen, and then at Somerville College
and Corpus Christi College. In 1981 he gave lectures at the University of London.
He joined the Times Literary Supplement in 1981 and from 1982 to 1995 he
became a deputy editor. His novel, The Swimming-Pool Library, which was
published in 1988, won the Somerset Maugham Award. His next novel, The
Folding Star was short listed for the Booker Prize in 1994 and winner of the
James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. He also wrote Spell, a gay comedy
of manners interweaving complex relationships. Alan Hollinghurst's translation of
Racine's play, Bajazet, was first performed in 1990. He was also one of Granta
Best Young British Novelists in 1993. His most recent novel, The Line of Beauty,
which won The Man Booker Prize in 2004, was adapted into a three part
television series by the BBC and aired on BBC2 in May 2006. Alan Hollinghurst
now lives in London.
Source: Alan Hollinghurst: Biography.17 September 2007.
23
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
I have chosen novel as the literary genre for my thesis because compared
to drama or poetry, novel is the most common form of literature read by most people.
According to Murphy, “The novel is the most widely practiced and most widely read
form of literature today.” (127) Novel is also more interesting for me because it is
usually life-like since it contains a description of life; as is stated in Dictionary of
Literary Terms, novel is “an account of life which involves conflicts, plot, characters,
action, setting and theme.” (Shaw 257)
Although there are a lot of well-known British writers, I have chosen Alan
Hollinghurst and his novel, The Line of Beauty, to analyse. Alan Hollinghurst is a
British novelist of the late twentieth century. He has produced great literature works,
for instance, The Swimming Pool Library, which won Somerset Maugham Awards
and The Folding Star, which won James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. He is
also known as one of Granta Best Young British Novelists. His works mostly deal
with general topics considered to be taboo such as homosexuality, troubled
relationships, drugs, isolation and sexism.
1
Maranatha Christian University
Hollinghurst’s novel, The Line of Beauty, is a wonderful and touching
novel. It is actually his best-known novel and it won the Man Booker Prize for
Fiction in 2004. In The Line of Beauty, Hollinghurst presents careful descriptions of
love, passion and beauty. He clearly portrays the protagonist, Nicholas Guest, as a
dynamic character. Nicholas Guest is presented as a young gay who is immature and
inexperienced. However, he undergoes dramatic change under a new condition that
he experiences. Through the novel, the novelist wants the reader to be aware of the
terrible things happening in high class society in London.
I have decided to analyse the portrayal of the protagonist in Alan
Hollinghurst’s The Line of Beauty because characterization is one of the most
important aspects in literary works, besides plot, theme, setting and point of view. As
is stated by M.J. Murphy, characterization is:
. . . how an author conveys to the reader the characters and the
personalities of the people he writes about; in other words, how he
conveys to the readers what sort of people they are, how he makes the
readers get to know and understand them. Characterization technique
consists of personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past
life, conversation of others, reactions, direct comment, thoughts and
mannerisms.(161-173)
To help the reader understand the characters, the author can describe a
character, among others, through his appearance, speech, reaction, direct comment,
and conversation of other characters.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In this study, I would like to state the problems as follows:
2
Maranatha Christian University
1. How does the author portray the protagonist of the novel?
2. What is the purpose of the author in portraying such a character?
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
In line with the statement of the problem, I would like:
1. To show how the author portrays the protagonist of the novel.
2. To show the purpose of the author in portraying such a character.
METHOD OF RESEARCH
In conducting the study, I use the library research method. At first, I read
Alan Hollinghurst’s novel entitled The Line of Beauty as a primary text. I then
choose the most prominent literary aspect of the novel to be analysed. I also search
for the references from the library and electronic websites which can support the
analysis. Finally, I draw some conclusions from my analysis.
ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS
The thesis is divided into three chapters. Chapter One, the Introduction,
contains the Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of
the Study, the Method of Research and the Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two
contains the portrayal of the protagonist of The Line of Beauty. Chapter Three is the
Conclusion of the analysis. The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the
Appendices, which consist of the Biography of the Author and the Synopsis of the
novel.
3
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
Having analysed the portrayal of the protagonist in Alan Hollinghurst’s
The Line of Beauty, I conclude that Alan Hollinghurst succeeds in portraying the
protagonist. Hollinghurst presents a clear portrayal of the protagonist’s characteristics
when the protagonist comes from a small village, Barwick. Hollinghurst also
successfully presents the protagonist’s characteristics when he has just arrived at the
Feddens’ mansion together with the changes that he experiences as he moves into a
new social environment in London.
Hollinghurst succeeds in disclosing the protagonist’s change from a
naive into a manipulative person. The glamour and luxury in the metropolitan city are
too hard for him to resist. Hollinghurst actually suggests that in real life, the
temptation is frequently so great that one is very often tempted to be manipulative in
spite of one’s incapability to achieve his dreams scrupulously. Nick’s homosexual
relationship with the man whom he does not really love provides appropriate
evidence that living in a metropolitan city may make people believe in the principle
that the end must justify the means. In this case, Nick’s manipulates Wani in order to
achieve his goal, namely to make money easily.
17
Maranatha Christian University
Hollinghurst’s portrayal of the protagonist’s honesty is also realistic. It is
generally accepted that people living in small villages are more honest than urban or
metropolitan people. I agree with the novelist that living in a metropolitan city may
frequently change an honest into a dishonest person. This occurs because one often
has to compete very seriously with others in order to be able to survive. Ferdinand
Tonnies, a sociologist states that there are two basic human associations or two
contrasting types of human social life. In his opinion, most people living in rural
areas are “humble, friendly and more honest.” (urban_sociology) He further states
that, “city life is a mechanical aggregate characterized by selfishness.”
(urban_sociology)
Hollinghurst’s description of the protagonist’s inconfidence when he has
just moved into the Feddens’ mansion is also realistic. It is universally true that most
villagers are not confident when they have just come to the civic centre. They may be
hesitant, nervous, and clumsy, especially when they are among upper class people.
Several episodes reveal Nick’s embarrassment when he is together with the members
of the Feddens. So far as the protagonist’s experience in dating with men, I believe
that the novelist has given a realistic picture of this abnormal relationship.
I am of the opinion that the protagonist of the novel is a dynamic
character; he changes from a naive into a manipulative, from an honest into a
dishonest, from an inconfident into a confident man. Nick, who is at first
inexperienced in dating with men, is later described to be experienced in dating with
men.
The protagonist’s original characteristics are revealed mainly through
speech and direct comment. However, thought is also an important technique in the
revelation of those characteristics.
18
Maranatha Christian University
In revealing the protagonist’s later characteristics, the novelist
successfully employs direct comment, conversation of others, and thought, the most
of important of which is speech.
I think Hollinghurst’s purpose in presenting Nick’s characteristic from
being naive into being manipulative is to show the negative influence of urban life,
particularly that of the upper class. Nick dreams to lead a life like those of the
Feddens, who have wealth and great authority. His lust for money and power causes
him to take full advantage of his relationship with Wani, the son of a millionaire.
Through Nick’s change from an honest into a dishonest person,
Hollinghurst criticizes unscrupulous people who force themselves to pursue their
goals by justifying any means whether ‘fair or foul’. In this case, the novelist
develops the protagonist’s naivety into manipulative with a purpose. He obviously
intends to reveal that the lure of materialistic metropolitan life and permissive
affluent environment tends to have a harmful impact; if one is not aware of the
hazard, one may inevitably be led into evil, which finally causes one’s tragic undoing.
Through Nick’s change from an inconfident into a confident man,
Hollinghurst implies that one may feel confident when he feels that he has something
that he can be proud of. The kindness of the Feddens’ family who accept Nick gives
Nick more confidence. Moreover, by having wealth and authority from Wani, Nick
feels that he is accepted in high class society.
Nick’s change from being an inexperienced into an experienced man in
dating is also presented with a purpose. He obviously indicates that people should be
aware of the danger of promiscuity and therefore should avoid promiscuous sexual
intercourse. The disease that finally claims Nick’s life is a concrete example of the
negative impact of promiscuity.
19
Maranatha Christian University
Alan Hollinghurst is a great novelist for he is able to write The Line of
Beauty, which is very touching, informative, daring and enjoyable to read. Through
this novel, Hollinghurst wants to warn the reader against the horrible things that lurk
behind the lure of false pleasure. Hollinghurst has successfully presented a life-like
character, a protagonist who changes from a morally good character into a very
immoral man because of the negative influence of metropolitan life.
20
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
References:
Murphy, M. J. Understanding Unseens: An Introduction to English Poetry
and the English Novel for Overseas Students. Oxford: Alden Press,
1972.
Shaw, Harry. Dictionary of Literary Terms. New York: McGraw Hill
Book Company, 1972.
Electronic Publications:
Alan Hollinghurst: Biography. 17 September 2007.
Amazone.com: The Line of Beauty. 2004. Interview with Alan Hollinghurst. 20
July 2007.
Books and Beauty. 2004. An Audience with Alan Hollinghurst. 03 December 2007.
The Line of Beauty. Wikipedia. 15 August 2007.
Man Booker Prize for Fiction: The Line of Beauty. 07 February 2008.
Urban Sociology. 20 April 2008.
Primary text:
Hollinghurst, Alan. The Line of Beauty. London: Picador, 2004.
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Maranatha Christian University