The Sea, the Sea By Iris Murdoch

 

The Sea, the Sea

By Iris Murdoch

Charles Arrowby, a once-famous theater director has retired from London to a house by the sea, intending to work on a book about his past love and actress Clement. Once there he is beset by a cadre of past flings, one he scorned, most he strung along, and most he seems to have used to amuse himself. 

And then he sees the love of his life, a woman he was in love with in his youth named Hartley, who is living in the same small town with her husband. Charles, believing his love for her never dwindled, intends to reunite with her and to be with her no matter what. He acts horribly and selfishly to keep Hartley with him against her will. She protests many times that she doesn't want to be with him.

Several other theater friends make appearances, adding to the disarray. Titus, Hartley and her husband's adopted son, also shows up on Charles's doorstep, adding to his master plans of winning Hartley over to get her to leave her husband. Of course, none of this goes his way, and Hartley eventually goes back home to then leave for Australia with her husband. Charles is left behind to figure out what went wrong, what kind of fool he is, and how he is to go one once, one after another, several of the characters die.

This was an odd book. The writing was melodramatic and wrought with Charles's self-delusions. He is one character I may not forget for a while. Selfish, narcissistic, oblivious to the trials of others in the face of his own desires. He is vain and single-minded. He believes his own version of events despite many contradictions that face him. His story is all about the jealousy he feels of those around him, his vanity, and his playacting compassion when what he truly thinks about is himself and his own needs over all else.

All that said, I think Charles Arrowby is a projection of how we, most of us, truly are in the world. We put on a public mask and go about doing, saying, and pretending to believe what is expected of us, when behind it all we are all very much like Charles. We all want to adhere to our own beliefs, we all want to mindlessly go after our desires. We're all envious and vain to some extent. Charles just shows us the icky parts of ourselves that we hide away.

At times this novel was slow going, and it changes tempo and direction out of nowhere. One second it is about finding solitude, then it is about lost love, then a murder mystery, before settling back into a reflection on one's place in the world in the face of loss. And through it all the sea is a reflection of Charles's attitudes and inner struggles. Its surface changes as Charles changes. Its inhabitants also reflecting his emotional states: First a sea monster, then a group of friendly seals.

I don't really know how I feel about The Sea, the Sea. I can only say that parts of it were good, parts of it dragged. The writing was an older prose style which isn't my favorite. Yet, the characters were interesting. They all lacked any sort of depth and were just foils and obstacles for Charles to remark upon and use, but they were fun and funny. All in all, I am glad I read it, but I can't give it any higher than 3.5 stars.