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Transcript of RussellSmith_Childhood_Portora.pdf
7/29/2019 RussellSmith_Childhood_Portora.pdf
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BeckettinContext
2
aretwoexamplesthatscholarsoftencommenton(seeS.E.Gontarski’s
‘Introduction’toNohowOn,xvii-xx).OneisascenewhereBeckett’sfathertookhimtotheFortyFoot,aswimmingholenearDublin,andtaughthimtoswimby
orderinghimtodiveintothewater.ThesceneisrepeatedinvariousformsthroughoutBeckett’swritinglife,fromtheuncollectedpoem‘ForFuture
Reference’(1930),throughWatt andEleutheriatoCompany ,writtenwhenBeckettwasinhisseventies.Thethematic‘core’ofthesceneinvolvesthechild’sfearandthefather’ssterncommandto‘Beabraveboy’(NohowOn12).Asecond
exampleinvolvesasmallboyoutwalkingwithhismother,askingacurious
questionandreceivingacuttingretort,whichistreatedwithsignificantvariationsin‘TheEnd’,MaloneDiesandonceagaininCompany .Thethematic
corehere,amidsttheshiftinglacunaeandvariationsofdetail,isafeelingofapparenttogethernesssuddenlyrupturedbythemother’sangryresponse.Aswe
shallsee,Beckett’smemoriesofhisschooldaysatPortoraareofthistype,for
whiletherearefewconcretedetails,scenesofmindlessrotelearningenforcedbypunishmentarearecurrenttheme,especiallyinTheUnnamable.
Thefourthcategoryisthemostdifficult:thequestionofgeneralisedthemesthatarenotablyabsentfromBeckett’swriting.Beckettalwaysinsistedthathehada
happychildhood;whatcanitmean,then,thatchildrenarealmostentirelyabsentascharactersinBeckett’soeuvre?Thatis,therearenoimaginative
reconstructionsoftheexperienceofchildhoodandschooldaysaswesee,for
instance,intheopeningchaptersofJoyce’sPortrait .ThestoriesofSaposcatinMaloneDies,forinstance,areself-consciouslypresentedasfictional,withMalone
evenwarningthereader‘Nothingislesslikemethanthispatient,reasonablechild’(Trilogy193).Anotherwayofputtingthismightbetosaythatthereisno
implicitBildungsromanorchildhoodback-storyinBeckett’smaturewriting;childhoodexistsinaseparateuniverse,radicallydivorcedfromthepresent.Seenfromtheestrangedvantagepointofadulthood,itappearscomplicatedand
compromisedbythegaps,distortions,interpolationsandembellishmentsof
memoryanditsvicissitudes.
AbriefwordisinorderonBeckett’sbiographers.DeirdreBair,Beckett’sfirstbiographer,makesitclearinherPrefacethatshefounditdifficultworkingwith
Beckett,andthroughoutthebookonecandiscernanunderlyinghostilitytoher
subject,bynomeansa primafaciefaultinabiographer.Her1978biographywasrelentlesslycriticisedinBeckettstudies,bothforitsfactualerrorsandmore
pointedlyforitsnegativeportrayalofBeckettasadeeplydisturbedmanhauntedbyatormentedchildhoodandalifelongguilt-riddenrelationshipwithhis
domineeringandneuroticmother.JamesKnowlson’sauthorisedbiography
(1996)canbeseenasacorrectivetoBair’saccount,emphasisingBeckett’semotionalresilience,generosityandcompassion,andconsistentlyinterpreting
thenegativeaspectsofhisearlyyearsintheredeeminglightoffuturity.But
Bair’sbiographywasbegunin1971,anditsdepictionofBeckett’searlyyearsdrewonmanysourceswhohaddiedbeforeKnowlsonbeganhisaccount;
Beckett’sandhiscontemporaries’viewsoftheirearlyyearswouldhavemellowedinthemeantime.Knowlson’sbiographyisfaithfultothemature
Beckett,whileBair’smoretendentiousaccountgivesaglimpseoftheintense
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RussellSmith:ChildhoodandPortora
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sensibilitythatproducedworkslikeTheUnnamable.Thetruthprobablylies,as
truthiswonttolie,somewhereinbetween(ornowhereinparticular).
LoisGordon’sunjustlyoverlookedTheWorldofSamuelBeckett (1996)concentratesonBeckett’sfirstfortyyears,andisparticularlygoodonhistorical
context,whileAnthonyCronin’sSamuelBeckett:TheLastModernist (1997),isastuteandengaginglywritten,especiallyinitsevocationoftheDublinofBeckett’schildhood.Finally,EoinO’Brien’sTheBeckettCountry (1986)
meticulouslydocumentsinphotographstheactualpeopleandplacesmentioned
oralludedtoinBeckett’swork,butisguiltyofoccasionalsolecismssuchas,writingoftheancientgraveyardatTullynearBeckett’schildhoodhome,‘Itwas
thisgraveyardthatMoranchoseforhisfinalrestingplace’(O’Brien26).TosuggestthattheplacesinBeckett’sfictioncanbevisitedbyatouristwithamap
seemsaradicalmisreadingofBeckett’sprojectasawhole.
Foxrock
Tobeginatthebeginningisneversimple,andinBeckett’scasetherearetwo
difficulties.Thefirst,thankfully,hasbeensettorest:SamuelBeckettwasborninthefrontroomofhisfamilyhomeonGoodFriday,13April1906.However,his
birthwasnotregistereduntiltwomonthslater,on14June,withthebirthcertificategivinghisbirth-dateas13May,leadingBairtospeculatewhetherthis
uncannyconjunctionofGoodFridayandFridaythethirteenthwasmyth-making
onBeckett’spart(Bair1-2).ThebirthnoticeintheIrishTimesof16April1906(reproducedinDukes5)provesthatBeckett’sversioniscorrect.
Thesecondproblemismoredifficult,forBeckettrepeatedlyclaimedtohavememoriesofhispre-natalexistence.‘Mymemoirsbeginunderthetable,onthe
eveofmybirth,whenmyfathergaveadinnerparty&mymotherpresided’,hewrotetoArlandUssherin1937(Letters474).HetoldJohnGruenin1970:‘Ihave
aclearmemoryofmyownfoetalexistence.Itwasanexistencewherenovoice,
nopossiblemovementcouldfreemefromtheagonyanddarknessIwassubjectedto’(qtdinCronin2,seealsoKnowlsonandKnowlson68).
ItseemsthatBecketttooktheseclaimsseriously.Prenatalmemoriesofthiskindare,however,impossible.Whilethefoetushasamemoryandundergoesvarious
kindsoflearninginutero,‘autobiographicalmemories’—thatis,explicit
recollectionsofeventsorepisodes—donotbeginuntiltheageofthreeorolder.Such‘falsememories’arewellknowninpsychoanalysis,whereanalysands
producememories—inwhichtheygenuinelybelieve—inanefforttopleasethe
analystandadvancetheanalysis.Moreover,manyearlychildhoodmemoriesarelikelytoinvolve‘confabulation’,whereindividualsconfuseactualmemoriesand
knowledgeofeventsgainedfromothers.Indeed,theUnnamablerecognisesthecreativeandcollaborativenatureofchildhoodmemory:‘Enoughofactingthe
infantwhohasbeentoldsooftenhowhewasfoundunderacabbagethatinthe
endherememberstheexactspotinthegardenandthekindoflifeheledtherebeforejoiningthefamilycircle’(Trilogy326).Thoughit’sappealingtoimagine
Beckettinuteroscowlingbehindhisspectaclesattheinanityofdinner-party
chitchat,itisafantasyonBeckett’spart,andtellsusmoreabouttheadultBeckettthantheunbornchild.Initsrejectionoftheideaofthewombasalost
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BeckettinContext
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Eden,itshowsBeckett’sinsistenceonunderstandingsufferingasanontological
given,notapsychologicalcontingency.
Beckett’sfather,WilliamFrankBeckett(1871-1933)wasasuccessfulquantitysurveyor,aman’smanofpracticalgoodsenseandrobustenergy,witha‘ready
wit’,butalsoa‘fierytemper’(Knowlson10).Hewasanexcellentswimmerandkeengolfer,buthisgreatestlovewasoflongwalksthroughthehillsaroundDublin,especiallyonSundaymorningswhen,whileMayattendedTullowParish
Church,Billwould‘gotochurchwiththebirdsupinthemountains’(Knowlson
24).Hisearlydeathplungedhisyoungersonintoprofounddepression,andBeckett’swritingisrepeatedlyhauntedbythewordlesscompanionshipoftheir
walkstogether;‘theywereabsolutelytunedin’rememberedBeckett’scousinSheilaRoe(Knowlson12).MemoriesofthesewalksintheDublinhillsprovide
theonlymomentsofquasi-spiritualexperienceinBeckett’swriting.
ButBillBeckettwas,inhisson’swords,‘absolutelynon-intellectual’(Knowlson
10).Thoughhewouldhaveimpresseduponhissonthetraditionalmanlyvirtues
ofcourage,resilienceandemotionalself-restraint,therewasanothersidetoBillBeckett.Inhislatetwenties,asthesonofaprosperousProtestantfamily,Billhad
falleninlovewithEvaMurphy,thedaughterofaprominentCatholicbusinessman.Bothfamilieswereappalledattheprospectofamarriage,andthe
girlwasforcedtorenounceherloverathermother’sdeathbedandhastily
marriedofftoanelderlyCatholicsurgeon(seeCronin6).BilllapsedintowhatwouldnowbecalleddepressionandwasadmittedtotheAdelaideHospitalwith
pneumonia,wherehewasnursedbyatall,thin,seriousandpracticalgirl,MariaRoe,knownasMay,andtheyweremarriedwithinayear.ButaccordingtoMary
Manning,aclosechildhoodfriendofBeckett’s,Bill‘nevergotover’hisfirstlove(Knowlson13).Bycontrastwiththemorefamiliarimageofhismanlybonhomie,thisstorywouldhaveleftaprofoundimpressionofmasculinevulnerabilityand
lastinghurt,thoughitisneverdirectlyevokedinBeckett’swriting.
MayBeckett(1871-1950)camefromaonce-wealthyCountyKildarefamilythat
fellonhardtimes,andwhenherfather,SamuelRobinsonRoe,diedwhenMaywasfifteen,thefamilywasinsuchfinancialstraitsthatshehad‘gonenursing’to
easetheburden.Thoughanill-sortedcouple,Billwasseenasagoodmatchand
theyweremarriedon31August1901.ThehouseBillBeckettbuiltforhisnewbride,Cooldrinagh,inthefashionablesuburbofFoxrock,wasathree-storey
Tudorhomewithtenniscourt,croquetlawn,summerhouse,stablesandextensivelawnsandgardens.Maywasofapuritanicalbutalsorather‘mercurial’
temperament,‘extremelystrictanddemanding’,witharigidsenseofdecorum
andafiercetemper,butalsocapableof‘acerbicwit’,andevenmomentsofelationthatcontrastedforciblywithherperiodsof‘darkdepression’andself-
imposedisolation(Knowlson5).Shewasthreatenedwithexpulsionduringher
conventschooldaysfortalkingtoaboyoverthebackwall,anepisodeshesometimesreferredtoasamarriedwoman,andofwhichsheseemedrather
proud(Cronin8).Inhermarriedlife,however,shedisplayedtheintolerantperfectionismofthereligioustemperament,and,asCroninobserves,despite
Beckett’sclaimtohavelittlesympathywiththisoutlook,hewould‘inheritthisextremismratherthanhisfather’sadaptabilityandmoderation’(Cronin13).
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Beckett’srelationshipwithhismother—‘Iamwhathersavagelovinghasmademe’heconfidedtohisfriendTomMcGreevy(Letters552)—isasourceof
constantdisputeinBeckettstudies.‘YoumightsayIhadahappychildhood’,Beckettoncesaid,‘althoughIhadlittletalentforhappiness.Myparentsdid
everythingthattheycouldtomakeachildhappy.ButIwasoftenlonely.WewerebroughtuplikeQuakers.Myfatherdidnotbeatme,nordidmymotherrunawayfromhome’(Reid64;qtdinBair13).Bairastutelydetectsaslymessage
here:forasthemarriageprogressed,Beckett’sfatherwasincreasinglyaway
fromhome,spendinghiseveningsintheclubandhisweekendswalkinginthehills,whilehismotheralmostcertainlybeathim,thoughhowfiercelyandhow
oftenisasignificantpointofvariancebetweenBair’sandKnowlson’saccounts(Bair13;Knowlson19-20).Whateverformtheytook,May’sfrequent
punishmentsseemonlytohaveingrainedmoredeeplyherson’srebelliousand
risk-takingtemperament(Knowlson21-2).However,althoughshesternlydisapprovedofherson’sartisticambitionsandbohemianlifestyle,andtheyhad
blazingrowswheneverduringhisadultlifehestayedatCooldrinagh,she
supportedhimfinanciallyandpaidforhistwo-yearcourseofintensivepsychoanalysis,agenerousactforsomeoneofherreligiousconvictionsand
socialmores.
Nevertheless,goingbythe primafacieevidenceofBeckett’swork,motherfigures
areoftentreatedwithhostilityandaggression,sometimesofanextraordinarilyviolentnature.Thoughitwouldbewrongtoreadthisasstraightforwardly
autobiographical,itwouldbeequallydisingenuoussimplytofollowMolloy’sadvice‘ifyoudon’tmindwe’llleavemymotheroutofallthis’(Trilogy 56).This
phraseisofcourseanallusiontoFreud’sfamousformulationinhisessay,‘Negation’:‘“Youaskwhothispersoninthedreamcanbe.It’snot mymother”.Weemendthisto:“Soitishismother”’(Freud437).
PhilBaker’swonderfulstudyBeckettandtheMythologyofPsychoanalysis(1997)convincinglyshowed,beforeBeckett’snotesbecameavailabletoscholars,how
wellinformedBeckettwasaboutpsychoanalytictheory.Inparticular,Beckett’suseofthemessuchasbirthtraumaandtheOedipuscomplexaresoovertthat
theybecome‘notunconscioussymbolswhichneedtobedeciphered,but
quotationsof“unconscioussymbols”whichoperateonaconsciousthematiclevelandneedtoberecognised’(xvi).Thisknowingnesspresentsenormous
problemsforautobiographicalandespeciallypsychoanalyticreadingsofBeckett’swork.ForBaker,Beckett’s‘hostiledialoguewithpsychoanalysis’(4)
focuses‘particularaggressionononespecifictenet:theformativeeffectof
childhoodontheadult’(18).So,intermsofmaternalaggression,therepressedmaterialispresentedinplainview,withnoattemptatdenial,‘turningthetext
insideoutinawaywhich,farfrombeinghelpfultotheFreudianreader,pre-
emptsthiskindofpsychoanalyticreading’(16-7).IninterpretingtheinfluenceofBeckett’schildhoodcontextonhiswork,weshouldbeconsciousthatBeckett’s
treatmentofchildhoodofteninvolvessignificantexaggeration,distortion,inversionandirony.Intermsoftheschemaoutlinedabove,whatispresented
mostovertlyisoftencarefullycraftedtomisleadandfrustratethepsycho-biographicalreader.
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BeckettinContext
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Bair’sbiographyrelatedachildhoodincident(toldbyBeckett’scousinMollieRoe)whereBecketttormentedhismotherbyclimbingtothetopofafirtreeand
throwinghimselfofftobecaughtbythelowerbranches.ThesceneisreproducedinCompany (NohowOn14-15),writtenafewyearsafterBair’s
biographywaspublished,leadingBairtowonder‘iftheworkhadtrulysprungfromBeckett’screativevisionorifhemighthavebeenplayingajokeonhisbiographerandhervisionofhislife’(Bair,‘Preface’,xiii).Thisdichotomyseemsa
falseone,however;thestructureofCompanyinsiststhatmemoriesare
ultimatelynomorethanstories,andwhetherone’sownorothers’isultimatelyundecidable:‘Repeatedlywithonlyminorvariantsthesamebygone.Asifwilling
himbythisdinttomakeithis.Toconfess.Yes,Iremember’(NohowOn10).
Fromtheageoffiveuntilnine,BeckettattendedakindergartennearFoxrockrun
bytheElsnersisters;memoriesofthesisters,theircookHannahandtheirdogZulureappearinMolloy(Knowlson24-5).FromageninetothirteenBeckett
caughtthe‘DublinSlowandEasy’fromFoxrocktoHarcourtStreetStationin
Dublin,whereheattendedalargerschoolatEarlsfortHouse(Knowlson30-36);detailsofthistrainjourneyandthetwostationsrecurmanytimesinBeckett’s
works,mostnotablyin AllThatFall andWatt (seeKnowlson30-1).
Portora
BeckettattendedPortoraRoyalSchool,Enniskillen,fromEasterterm1920,whenhewasfourteen,untilthelatterhalfof1923,whenheenteredTrinity
College,Dublin.AprimaryreasonforsendingfirstFrankandthenSamto
boardingschoolwas,inBeckett’sownwords,‘togetusawayfromtheTroubles’(KnowlsonandKnowlson21).Beckettrememberedbeingtakenbyhisfather,
onenightduringtheEasterRisingin1916,uptheGlencullenroadtoaspotwheretheycouldseetheflames,aneventBeckettlaterrecalledwithhorror.
Overtheensuingweeks,listsofrebelsexecutedinsecretbytheBritishappeared
dailyintheDublinpapers(seeGordon12-22);inJamesStephens’memorablewords,‘itwaslikewatchingbloodseepingfromunderalockeddoor’(Cronin
36).GerryDukesnotesthattherewere23separateholdupsbyRepublicanirregularsorcriminalsontheDublin‘SlowandEasy’lineinthecourseofthe
Troubles(Dukes18).
PortorawasaschoolontheEnglishpublicschoolmodel,renownedas‘tough’,
andoffering‘thepredictablepackageofdiscipline,prayers,bullying,and
appallingfood,butalsoasoundeducation’(AckerleyandGontarski450).Oftenreferredtoasthe‘EtonofIreland’,theschool’ssongwasFloreatPortora,sungto
thesametuneasFloreatEtona.Atthetimeitwasaschoolof120pupils,mostlyboarders,whoresidedintheschool’simposing,square-setGeorgianbuildings,
highonahilloverlookingEnniskillenandLoughErne.
PortoraRoyalSchoolwasfoundedunderthetermsofadecreeissuedbyJamesI
ofEnglandin1608,accordingtowhich‘thereshallbeafreeschoolatleastin
eachcounty,appointedfortheeducationofyouthinlearningandreligion’(Portora).Portora’swebsitewrylynotesthat,althoughthedecreeintended
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RussellSmith:ChildhoodandPortora
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RoyalSchoolstobebuiltinthe‘countytowns’,‘atthetimeoftheproclamation
CountyFermanaghhadnotowntowhichthedescription“county”couldbeapplied,infactitcouldbesaidthatthecountyhadnosettlementstowhichthe
description“town”couldbeapplied’(Portora).Theoriginalschoolwasthereforeestablishedin1618atthevillageofBallybalfour,15milesfromEnniskillen.
Ballybalfour’sawkwardroleinservingasa‘countytown’,withoutanyclaimtoeitherofthesetitles,cannotbutrecallMoran’sdescriptionofthe‘Molloycountry’centredonBally(fromtheGaelicbailefor‘town’or‘village’),
comprising‘asettlement,dignifiedbysomewiththenameofmarket-town,by
othersregardedasnomorethanavillage,andthesurroundingcountry’(Trilogy 134).MorangoesonexplainthesystemwherebythetermsBally,Ballyba,and
Ballybabadesignate,respectively,thetown,thetownincludingitsenvirons,andtheenvironsexclusiveofthetown.IntransformingBallybalfourintoBallybaba,
BeckettseemstohavedrawnonthisfragmentofPortoranfolklore.
Beckettexcelledattheschoolinsportingpursuits—cricket,rugby,swimming
andboxing—butasPortora’sarchivistDavidRobertsonnotes,his‘academic
attainmentatPortorawasbelowhistruepotential’,notingthatwhenheleftforTrinityin1923,fourofhiscontemporarieshadwonawards,butnotBeckett
(Robertson).Hisnamedoesnotfeatureonthescrollofacademicprize-winnerswiththenow-restorednameofOscarWilde,boarderfrom1864to1872,whose
namewasremovedafterhisconvictionforhomosexualoffencesin1895(Cronin
40).
Beckett’sconcentrationonsportingratherthanacademicachievementwasnotatypical.A1910reportbytheIntermediateEducationBoardnotedthat
‘Attentiontosportingactivitiesappearedtohavebeentothedetrimentofacademicinterests’(Portora).Beckettmadetheschool’scricketFirstXIinhisfirstyear,distinguishinghimself,accordingtotheschoolmagazine,as‘an
attractivebatsman’,‘goodfield’,anda‘verygoodmedium-pacedbowlerwitha
sharpbreak-back’.Heplayedhalfbackintherugbysidefromhisfirstyearandin1923wascaptainoftheFirstXV,‘blindwithouthisspectacles,butboldasalion
inthescrum’asrecalledbyDouglasGraham,acontemporaryandlaterheadmasteroftheschool(Peterkin).Hewasalsoamemberoftheschool’s
swimmingteamandtheschool’slight-heavyweightboxingchampion.Thereare
almostnoreferencestocricket,rugby,boxingorswimminginBeckett’swriting.
Beckettappearstohavefittedinreasonablywellattheschool.Asaboarder(ratherthanoneofthedespised‘daydogs’),asuccessfulsportsman,andwithan
olderbrotherwhowasaprefectandcaptainofthecricketFirstXI,Beckett’s
socialstatusintheschoolhierarchywouldhavebeensecure.Nevertheless,Beckett’sschoolmatesrememberhimasmoodyandwithdrawn;photographs
typicallyshowhimwithhisheadslightlyloweredinadisdainfulscowl,
gloweringbehindhisspectacles.Knowlsonreportsthatduringhisfirstterm,BeckettwasbulliedinthelibrarybyagangledbyaboycalledClark;Beckett,
whohadaviolenttemper,lashedoutattheringleader;havinglearntboxingatEarlsfortHouseandbeingslightlyheavierthanClark,Beckettgavehimasavage
beating.Afterthathewasleftalone(Knowlson38).
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Althoughtheschoolwasmoreinclinedtoreward‘physicaldistinctiononthe
playingfieldandknightlinessexpressedthroughtheconceptof“fairplay”’(Cronin40),italsoaccordedacertainprestigetointellectualachievement.The
thenheadmasterE.G.Sealeawardedagoldmedaleachyeartothewinnerofanessaycompetition,anhonourwhichBeckettwonthreetimes.Itisnotknown
whetherBeckettcontributedtotheschoolmagazinePortora,althoughasonnetaboutaschoolperformanceofHaydn’sToySymphony,signed‘JohnPeel’,showssomefeaturesofBeckett’sstyleandevenincludesareferencetoDante
(reproducedinO’Brien119).BothSamandhisbrotherFrankwereunusual
amongtheirschoolfellowsintakingpianolessons,andSamwasrememberedforbeingword-perfectacrosstherangeofGilbertandSullivanoperas.Hewasalsoa
keenchessandbridgeplayer,participatedintheschooldebatingsocietyandwasanassistanttotheschoollibrarian.Inshort,heseemstohaveparticipatedacross
therangeofactivitiesonoffer.
Althoughneverinserioustrouble,Beckettwasrebelliousbyinclinationandwas
aringleaderinseveralpranks.Glimpsesofthisappearinthecharacterisationof
SapoinMaloneDies:‘Heboxedandwrestledwell,wasfleetoffoot,sneeredathisteachersandsometimesevengavethemimpertinentanswers’(190).Oneofthe
teacherswholeftalastingimpressionwasthescienceandmathematicsmasterW.N.Tetley,whomBeckettparticularlyloathed.GeoffreyThompsonremembers
BeckettdrawinglewdcaricaturesofTetley,hisfacepeeringrightsideupfrom
betweenhisbuttocks,andcasuallyallowingTetleytodiscoverthem,astreakofmaliciousdaringthatshockedhisclassmates(seeBair32-4).Tetleyisthe
primarysubjectofthe1930poem‘ForFutureReference’—‘thatlittlebullet-headedbristle-cropped/red-facedratofapuremathematician’—(quotedin
Harvey299-301),indicatingthatBeckett’santagonismwelloutlivedPortora(seeCronin45-7).EoinO’Brienevenspeculates(116)thatTetleymayhavecontributedtothecreationofBasilinTheUnnamable:‘Oneinparticular,BasilI
thinkhewascalled,filledmewithhatred.Withoutopeninghismouth,fastening
onmehiseyeslikecinderswithalltheirseeing,hechangedmealittlemoreeachtimeintowhathewantedmetobe’(Trilogy 300).
AnothermemorableepisodeconcernedThomasTackaberry,ahopeless
disciplinarianwho,thoughinhisfifties,wasstillajuniormaster.Oneevening,
whenitwasTackaberry’sturntosupervisetheevening‘prep’inthestudyhall,Beckettandafellowstudentorchestratedaconcertof‘TheSingularSing-Song
Singers’.Havingdistributedasong-listbeforehand,onasignalfromBecketttheassembly‘spontaneously’burstintoaseriesofsongs.Tackaberry,spotting
Beckettastheringleader,descendedonhimandbegantorainblowsonhishead
withhisfists.Beckettputuphisguarduntilthebeatingstoppedandthenretorted:‘Whydon’tyouhitsomeoneyourownsize!’Theeffectwasdevastating:
Tackaberrywalkedbacktohisdais,puthisheadinhishandsandstartedto
weep.‘TothinkI’vecometothis’,hemoaned,‘aconvenientpiss-potforthewholeschool!’(Knowlson44-5).Alongwithhisaloofnessandsenseof
superiority,therewasastreakofaggressionandevencrueltyintheyoungerBeckettthatoccasionallyfindsexpressioninhiswriting,especiallyinearly
workssuchasDreamandMurphy .
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ThoughheoftensaidhistimeatPortorawasthelastperiodofhappinessfor
yearstocome,Beckettretainednoaffectionfortheschool.Thoughoneschoolmate,GeoffreyThompson,becamealifelongfriend,Beckettdroppedall
tieswiththeschool,andlateroverturesforrecognitionwereignored.EoinO’Brien’smeticulousdocumentationofBeckett’sIrishbackgroundisforcedto
concedethat‘therearefewreferencesinSamuelBeckett’swritingstotheinstitutesinwhichhereceivedhiseducation’(O’Brien111).IndeedtheprincipalliterarylegacyofPortoraseemstohavebeenahandfulofnames;G.T.Bor
becamesurgeonBorin‘ACaseinaThousand’;E.P.Mahoodlenthisnametothe
unfortunatepupilinTheUnnamable,whilebothMercierandCamierdrewtheirnamesfromOldPortorans.
WhatBeckettseemstohaveretainedfromPortora(whetherornothehadit
before)isself-discipline,physicaltoughness,self-reliance,andamanlycodeof
‘truth-telling,trustworthinessandfairplay’(Cronin40).Whathedidnotretain,ashisbrotherFrankdidandashismotherwouldhavewished,wasreligious
faith:‘Mymotherandbrothergotnovaluefromtheirreligionwhentheydied’,
Beckettlatercommented.‘Atthemomentofcrisisithadnomoredepththananoldschooltie’(Driver244).
ThelegacyofPortora,thoughshortondetail,coalescesintwoimportantthemes
inBeckett’swork:ahatredofmindlesseducationalmethodsbasedoncoercion,
andarejectionoftheconventionalvaluestheyuphold.AccordingtoD.B.McNeill,acontemporaryofBeckett’s,theboyslearntlargeslabsofLatinbyOvid,Cicero
andVirgilbyheart,mainlytakenfromKennedy’sLatinPrimer ,thebookfavouredbythethenheadmasterE.G.Seale(Green).‘Andoutitallpoursunchanged,’says
theUnnamable,‘Ihaveonlytobelchtobesureofhearingthem,thesameoldsourteachingsIcan’tchangeatittleof.Aparrot,that’swhatthey’reupagainst’(Trilogy338).Anespeciallyimportantthemeisthatofthepensum,‘apieceof
schoolworkimposedasapunishment’(OED):‘ifIhaveapensumtoperformitis
becauseIcouldnotsaymylesson,and…whenIhavefinishedmypensumIshallstillhavemylessontosay,beforeIhavetherighttostayquietinmycorner’
(Trilogy 313).
Thedisreputablebehaviouroftheinsubordinatesonandpupilwhoinsistson
thinkingandactingforhimselfbecomesacentralfigureinsomeofBeckett’smostmemorablewriting(seeforinstanceTrilogy 25).Oneshouldnotexpect,
therefore,tofindMolloy’snameamongthelistsofOldPortorans;‘thedanger’,asBeckettwroteinhisfirstpieceofliterarycriticism,‘isintheneatnessof
identifications’(Disjecta19).Itisratherinthediffuseresonances,theghostly
after-imagesandpointedlacunae,notthedetails,thatthecontoursofBeckett’schildhoodandschooldaysaretobediscerned.
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