Higher Prose – “Sunset Song” Revision



Higher Prose – “Sunset Song” Revision

This document provides an overview of the key ideas, events and themes related to Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s “Sunset Song”. It is not a definitive guide and you should use the notes to assist you in forming an overall impression of the text.

KEY THEMES / CENTRAL CONCERNS

1. The death of a way of living / change in Scottish farming society.

2. The experiences of growing up and reaching maturity as a woman – Chris Guthrie.

3. The experience of dealing with difficulties and change in life.

WAR - Important both for what it does to people and also for its effect on the main themes.

LOVE OF THE LAND - Obviously these are closely related to the main theme.

POLITICS - Although Gibbon does not seem to come down firmly on one side, he obviously approves of the various forms of socialism portrayed in the novel: John Guthrie’s anger at middle class characters, Strachan’s ideas, Long Rob’s ideas, the ploughman’s union etc.

MUTABILITY - The sense that nothing human endures, that it is only the land which survives.

|Chapter |Chris / Kinraddie |World |

|Unfurrowed Field (Prelude) |Sets scene – history of Kinraddie | |

|Ploughing |How Chris (Guthries) came to Kinraddie/Blawearie. |Social change, class structure, change of land |

| |Chris’ desire for education |use. |

| |Jean’s Death |Increased access to education for women. |

|Drilling |Chris becomes a woman – housewife role and |Change in world order. OLD IDEAS are being |

| |sexuality. |abandoned. |

| |John Guthrie’s illness and death. | |

|Seedtime |Chris marries Ewan – pregnancy. |Build up to the war – increased progression |

| |Argument with Ewan – Undermines his masculinity |towards industrialisation of farming. |

|Harvest |Chris & Ewan run the farm |The Great War – Kinraddie’s men go to war. |

| |Ewan (junior) is born |Long Rob objects. |

| |Ewan goes to war – returns and is a changed man – |Impact of war on the land and community – loss of |

| |“brute” |trees. |

| |Ewan is killed – Chris’ reaction | |

|Unfurrowed Field (Epilude) |Memorial to the fallen (including Ewan). Chris |Clear examples of the change in use of the land |

| |marries Rev. Colquhoun |and increased size of farms / reliance on |

| | |livestock and technology. |

The following section includes specific quotes from each chapter which link to the key themes (& sub categories) of the text. There are more examples but those listed are powerful/memorable quotes.

|Chapter / Plot event |Quote |Key Theme(s) |

|Ploughing |“If I ever hear you take your maker’s name in |John acts as a powerful, controlling influence in |

|John’s mistreatment of Will |vain…I’ll lib (castrate) you” |the family. Hints towards importance of religion. |

| | | |

| | |Chris loves the land and community but feels she |

|Chris’ education in Echt – choices |“Chris and her reading and schooling, two Chrisses |would like to progress as a woman and become |

| |there were that fought for her heart” |educated. |

| | | |

| |“What has father to do with it? Will stared… Don’t |Chris’ youth and ignorance is displayed – she will |

|Chris’ ignorance of reality of life – birth of |you know?” |change later. |

|twins. | | |

| |“one was right douce and studious and the |Chris’ choices reflect the choice that women had to|

|Two Chrisses |other…laughed at the antics of the teachers…and |make – commitment to the family and farming or a |

| |minded Blawearie…till she was sick to be home |more self-serving desire for a career. Women |

| |again” |leaving tradition behind. |

| | |The first example of loss that Chris faces. She is |

| |“Mother below would be needing her help…They were |already being identified as the mother figure and |

|Death of Jean Guthrie |crying her name…it sounded like the lowing of |her choices in life will now be restricted. |

| |calves that had lost their mother” | |

|Drilling |“You’ll be leaving the college now…education’s dirt|Chris is now expected to conform to the traditional|

|End of education for Chris |and you’re better clear of it” |female role. |

| | | |

| |Event with tink in the barn. | |

|Chris’s growing awareness of her sexuality and fear|“she didn’t dare sleep…she heard John Guthrie get |There is a suggestion that Chris has become aware |

|of her father. |out of bed…a beast that sniffed and planned and |of her sexuality – a woman, not a girl – this |

| |smelled…she held her breath, near sick with fright”|brings some excitement but also fears. |

| | | |

| |“it was hardly a week before his own rage struck | |

| |down John Guthrie” |Chris’ freedom is further restricted by the need |

|Will leaves home and John’s anger results in his |“half paralysed” |for her to care for John. Ultimately she will |

|stroke and death. | |appreciate her father and will have control of the |

| | |farm. |

|Seed-Time |“You’re my flesh and blood, I can do with you what |The unspoken idea of incest is suggested and shows |

|Further revelations of John’s desires. |I will, come to me Chris” |John’s expectations of power/control. |

| | |Chris is now in sole control – strong woman – new |

|Chris’ reaction to John’s death |“Sleep, she could sleep as she chose now, often and|choices in life. |

| |long…My father’s dead” | |

| | |Gibbon highlights with the death of John comes the |

|John’s funeral |“Oh father, I didn’t KNOW…she minded then…all the |death of the traditional Scottish man who would do|

| |fine things of him…he’d never rested working and |anything to provide for his family. |

| |chaving for them, only God had beaten him…” | |

| | |Chris has matured into a woman and it seems she is |

| |"he took her close to him, and they were one flesh,|meant to be with Ewan. |

|Chris & Ewan Marry |one and together" | |

|Chris & Ewan's confrontation | “living off my meal and my milk, you Highland |Chris still feels in charge of the farm but this |

| |pauper!” |undermines Ewan - Link to him leaving for war? |

| | | |

|Birth of young Ewan |“She took pleasure in being herself…cooking and |Positive relationship contrasts with later |

| |baking and running to the parks with the piece for |behaviour of Ewan |

| |Ewan” | |

| | | |

| |“He’d grown sick of it all, folk laughing and |There is a sense that Ewan feels the need to be a |

|Ewan goes to war |sneering at him for a coward” |true man. |

| | | |

| |“like a beast at a trough”, “strange swaying |The brutalising impact WAR has on humans - men. |

|Ewan's treatment of Chris when he returns on leave |figure”, “beast-like mauling” | |

| | |Chris has matured sexually and in her view of what |

|Chris has sex with Long Rob |"a man to love her, not such a boy as the Ewan that|she values in a man. |

| |had been" | |

| | |Impact of war on family/community. It is not their |

|Death of Ewan - Sadness, regret – Chris |"What have they to do with my Ewan, what was the |concern but their lives are hugely influenced by |

| |King to him, what their damned country" |the events. |

| | | |

|Ewan’s love for Chris – his desertion |“he’d made her that promise that he’d never fail |Even though Ewan knows he has no chance of getting |

| |her…he’d to try to win to her side again, to see |to Chris he feels he must try. He belongs at |

| |her again” |Blawearie. |

|Epilude – The Unfurrowed Field |“In the sunset of an age… they went quiet and brave|Various examples of changes to community and |

|War memorial - Emphasis on the end of an era with |from the lands they loved…though seldom of that |farming life. |

|the loss of Blawearie’s men. |love might they speak” |Grassic Gibbon suggests impact of the war and |

| | |modernisation of farming on the community. |

|Strength of Chris as a character |“Chris Tavendale alone never shed a tear…they’d the| |

| |last of the light with them up there…maybe they |Emphasis of the strength and maturity of Chris |

| |didn’t need it…you can do without the day if you’ve|despite the torment she has faced. There is a sense|

| |a lamp quiet-lighted in your heart.” |that life is uncertain BUT Chris always has hope. |

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