Society and Nature in J.M. Synge’s ‘The Aran Islands’

By Liam Loftus

During his time on the Aran Islands Synge gained a new understanding of man’s relationship with

nature. By living with the natives he came to recognise the intimate and complex interaction that

exists between human beings and their environment. In The Aran Islands he shows how a primitive

and ancient culture had developed in response to a unique set of challenging conditions.

Synge’s first experience of Inismaan is the poverty of the people and the harsh conditions

they face on a daily basis. He asserts that he has “seen nothing so desolate” as this “dreary rock”

that slopes “from the sea into the fog” (p.5). The cold and rain of the island, and the deprivation of

the people, leaves him in a state of utter despondency. However, as time passes Synge begins to see

that the lives of the islanders are perfectly suited to their environment. All aspects of their lives are

in direct contact with nature, so that even the everyday objects they use are part of “a natural link

between the people and the world that is about them.” These objects are “made from materials that

are common [yet] peculiar to the island” (p.14) and as such, they are as much a part of nature as

rocks and trees. In witnessing the daily lives of the natives Synge comes to recognise a ‘sympathy’

which exists “between man and nature” (p.31) and in this way he comes to admire the ability of the

islanders to adapt to the challenging conditions of daily life.

On the Aran Islands the forces of nature dictate all aspects of island life. Even the natives’

perception of time is dictated by the weather. Without any clocks, the rhythm of their lives is

shaped by the daily changes in the weather. The direction of the wind indicates the time of day for

the islanders, so that “the moment the wind changes,” (p.22) so too must the islanders change in

response. For Synge, the continuous change in weather creates “an affinity between the moods of

these people and the moods of varying rapture and dismay that are frequent in artists” (p.30). Nature

too has the ability to transform the island, from a tranquil place with seas and skies of the “radiance

of blue light” (p.29) into a hostile and dangerous environment that “wars on [the islanders] with

wind and seas” (p.31). Subject to a primal nature, that gives life and takes life with an equal

indifference, they must live with a constant threat of destruction and for the islanders, life is a

constant battle against the “endless change and struggle of the sea” (p.63).

The challenging conditions of island life also dictate the character of the people. The

continual danger that they face each day has a strong influence on “the local character” of the

natives, since it is impossible “for clumsy, foolhardy, or timid men to live on these islands” (p.49).

Likewise, their isolation on the margins of the western world has played a huge role in their

development. On such a remote place the “wide development of each individual” is a necessity, and

“varied knowledge and skill necessitates a considerable activity of mind” (p.84). Synge senses the

exile and desolation of the people as they view the world with the same “external despondency” as

the clouds and sea (p.67). Beyond the margins of the western world, they seem to live “forgotten in

these worlds of mist” (p.29).

For the islanders who live “in a world of grey,” with “wild rains and mists every week in the

year,” (p.45) the harsh conditions of existence serve to unify their community. Isolated and alone,

on the edge of oblivion, they stand together against the elemental forces of nature underlying their

daily lives. They are subjected to the same forces that shape the rocks and the stones of the island.

As Synge looks out “over the black limestone through the driving rain to the gulf of struggling

waves,” (p.70) he can see only the all-pervasive force of nature; a force that is driven by no higher

purpose or meaning.

During his time on the Aran Islands, Synge comes to recognise the importance of the people

within this environment. Through their customs and practices the islanders give meaning to their

environment and create a ‘human’ world. Their folklore and beliefs provide them with a framework

for action in an unpredictable world, while their storytelling allows them to construct a code by

which to live their lives. For Synge, the sociability of the islanders brings a “liveliness of colour”

(p.82-3) to the otherwise bleak landscape and ultimately, it is their resilience that Synge comes to

admire. Without human society, the island would be nothing more than a cold and desolate rock

surrounded by a cruel, uncaring sea.

Bibliography

Synge, J.M., (1992), The Aran Islands. Penguin Books, London.