The Nature Of Appearance’s Relationship With Reality In Modern English Satire

6 Pages 1491 Words

England, England, a sardonic novel by Julian Barnes, explores the dichotomy of man’s satisfaction with reproductions of authentic experiences. The story draws from the twisted ideas of the enigmatic Sir Jack Pitman, a well-known London entrepreneur who wishes to build a theme park on the Isle of Wight based on stereotypes and clichés associated with England. His company purchases the island and creates an independent country where participants can visit and even live in a manufactured culture and history based on common preconceptions. Pitman rules the new nation as virtual dictator and hires actors posing as English people to inhabit the park. The protagonist Martha Cochrane, who suffers under Pitman’s yoke of influence as a “Special Consultant” (Barnes 45), eventually intervenes and takes control of “England, England” when she feels Jack has overstepped his authority. The author’s underlying philosophy is that humans prefer an idealistic representation of the truth to the truth itself. Barnes employs two- sided characters and a counterfeit England to develop his theme that the world is an illusion.
The private behaviors of Sir Jack Pitman’s character vastly deviate from the commanding personality he projects to his employees. To the public eye, the president of PitCo comes across as a ruthless, strict, and matter-of-fact businessman. Barnes characterizes him as having a bored and condescending tone with his coworkers. Indeed, when his subordinate Mark asks him how he intends to go about solving the problem of birthing a small sovereign nation from scratch, the stern Pitman only responds, “you do it by doing it” (128). A man with an obvious sense of innate encouragement, Pitman believes that the two means of achieving a goal are his way or the highway. One of his traits, however, stands out from the rest. An interesting quirk in the man’s character concerns his affection and loyal, scheduled sessions...