Dissertation on "Narration and Setting in Markheim by Robert Louis Stevenson"

Dissertation 11 pages (4582 words) Sources: 11 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Stevenson

Narration and setting in 'Markheim' by Robert Louis Stevenson

Markheim

Narration and setting in 'Markheim' by Robert Louis Stevenson

Markheim was written in 1885 and is widely recognized as one of Robert Louis Stevenson's most successful short stories. It was initially published in a Christmas-time annual and later appeared in Stevenson's the Merry Men and Other Tales and Fables (1887).

The plot of the story revolves around the events that occurred in a dealer's shop where the protagonist, Markheim, ostensibly wished to buy a gift for his female friend. In fact this is just a ruse and he is intent on robbing the shop. He brutally kills the owner and proceeds to look for the money. However, what he encounters in the house is a stranger who could be a supernatural entity, the devil, or a manifestation of his one deeper conscience and sense of right and wrong. He realizes his true nature in his conversation with the stranger and eventually gives himself up to the police.

On the surface the plot of the story is about little more a rather shabby and cruel murder with the aim of theft. However, in actuality the story is much more than this and can be interpreted on a number of levels. It is a moral and psychological drama as well as a supernatural horror story. The story is also about the strange and the bizarre in the midst of ordinary life.

Furthermore, as will be discussed in the sections below, the central themes of this story explore the nature of human being and the constant battle between good and evil in human existence. The true 'action' and setting of this study takes place after the murder, when the protagonist sees images of himself in various mirrors in the house and the strange figure appears to him. This vision interrogates his own sense of who he is and the story becomes an introspective journey into his own identity and a view of the human psyche. As one commentator on this work states;

Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Markheim' is a macabre and philosophical short story depicting a journey through the psyche of an 'unwilling sinner', in which telling and essential decisions are made by the eponymous character. These decisions, I believe, are undertaken on a journey through Markheim's self, battling with his inner devils for a morally acceptable life.

The story therefore has elements of the horror and the supernatural genre. However, a number of critics have also interpreted it in a more philosophical light as a work that is intended to question and investigate the way that human beings understand like and reality.

Central to this story is a theme that can be found in many works by Robert Louis Stevenson; namely, the theme of human duality and the mixture of good and bad in the individual. The use of language and metaphor in the opening paragraphs of the story emphasizes this theme; for example the phrase, "…with the mingled shine and darkness in the shop" suggests the theme of light and dark good and evil.

The Critical reception to this short story has been in the main extremely positive over the years. Many critics view Stevenson as a "pioneer" in the development of the modern short story.

Matthews (1907) states the following: "Stevenson was one of the earliest of British writers to perceive the artistic possibilities of the true short-story."

A number of critics have seen the influence of the works of the horror and supernatural writer, Edgar Allen Poe, in this story. As one study notes; "Markheim" is foremost among Stevenson's tales of horror and the supernatural, and shows the strong influence of Edgar Allan Poe. The story is also often compared to Fedor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment (1866) due to its exploration of benevolence and iniquity within the conscience of the individual.

1.1. What experiences of the author are reflected in the stories?

As has been noted in many different studies of Stevenson and his work, he was deeply concerned not only with the strange and bizarre events that disrupt normal life but also with the duality and dichotomies that he perceived to exist within human nature. These experiences and insights into life can be seen to be reflected in this story.

Stevenson was aware of the propensity for both good and evil within human nature and that there was often a conflict in people between these opposing tendencies. We see this clearly in the character of Markheim and his struggle to reconcile and come to terms with the evil aspects of his identity

There is also a certain philosophical tendency that should be considered in an analysis of this short story, and which relates to the issue of the author's experience reflected in the story. As one critic notes, the story has a great deal to do with the author's personal life. The theme of the fleeting quality of life -- that we are on this earth for a short time and what we do morally or ethically has an external dimension. This is a theme that concerned the author in his personal life and which we find hidden in the narrative of this story.

Barry Menikoff states that the "capriciousness of life" is one of the central themes of the short story.

He notes that, "Stevenson was an intensely driven man: the thought that he might die and leave nothing behind, that his name would have been "writ in water" only, that it would disappear unremembered into the oblivion of time, this was the spur that impelled him to write wherever he was…."

We can also see this sense of questioning desperation in the text.

"Where is the hurry?" returned Markheim. "It is very pleasant to stand here talking; and life is so short and insecure that I would not hurry away from any pleasure - no, not even from so mild a one as this. We should rather cling, cling to what little we can get, like a man at a cliff's edge. Every second is a cliff, if you think upon it - a cliff a mile high - high enough, if we fall, to dash us out of every feature of humanity. Hence it is best to talk pleasantly. Let us talk of each other: why should we wear this mask? Let us be confidential. Who knows, we might become friends?"

This sense of desperation and tension takes the form of philosophical questions that relate to the meaning and value of life. The image and reality of death and the possibility that life may be meaningless is continually referred to in the short story; for example, when the protagonist observes the dead body of the dealer; "In these poor, miserly clothes, in that ungainly attitude, the dealer lay like so much sawdust."

This questioning of the purpose and meaning of life and identity is also found in the dialogue between the protagonist and the stranger.

"Know me!" cried Markheim. "Who can do so? My life is but a travesty and slander on myself. I have lived to belie my nature. All men do; all men are better than this disguise that grows about and stifles them. You see each dragged away by life, like one whom bravos have seized and muffled in a cloak. If they had their own control - if you could see their faces, they would be altogether different, they would shine out for heroes and saints!

1.2. Construction of the work (what I want to write about)

The following sections will explore the views and themes discussed above in terms of the way that they apply to narrator, narration and setting. The purpose of this analysis is to show how each of these elements adds to a deeper understanding of the work in question.

2. Narrator

2.1. 1st or 3rd person narrator, his point-of-view on the world in the stories

This story is in effect written in the third person and, through the narrator we observe the actions, emotions and feelings of the main character from the outside looking in, as it were. The narrator's point-of-view is descriptive and although we also encounter the feelings and thoughts of the main character, there is still a distance between the narrator and the main as well as secondary characters.

2.2. Types of narrator, omniscient or limited? How much does the narrator know? Is the narrator reliable or unreliable? Is the narrator telling you everything he/she knows?

The third-person omniscient narrative mode is a mode of writing in which the narrative is presented from an overarching perspective. We observe rather than directly encounter the thoughts, feelings and emotions of the characters. A useful definition is as follows:

…the omniscient perspective is a narrative mode in which a story is presented by a narrator with an overarching point-of-view, seeing and knowing everything that happens within the world of the story, including what each of the characters is thinking and feeling.

The narrative style used… READ MORE

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