Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
By Helen Simonton

I think this is a "novel of manners," like Jane Austen's books. Nothing terribly earth-shaking occurs, and yet to the protagonist, it is everything. The concerns are about relationships and appropriate behaviour in life's various circumstances. The themes are domestic and yet universal. The setting is the English countryside, as it always has been, overlaid by as it is now.

The charm of the book lies in the character of Major Pettigrew, a 68 year old widower, most English of the English, who finds himself attracted to a Pakistani widow, the shopkeeper in the village. Major Pettigrew has many flaws and an overwhelming virtue: he is introspective and tries to do the right thing. It is impossible not to like Major Pettigrew.

The Major has pretensions to aspire above his station and an immoderate helping of self- respect. He has not kept in touch with his brother, and something has gone very wrong in the upbringing of his only child, Roger. He clings to his military title, even though he spent most of his career teaching little boys. But he is thoroughly decent, and humble enough to reflect on his situation and realize his weaknesses.

This is Simonton's first novel but it does not read like one. There is a village-full of varied and believable characters, a strong main plot, the growing love for Mrs. Ali, and several minor plots, all of which are well integrated with foreshadowing, symbolism, and satisfying conclusions and adhere well together.

One element carries through the entire book: the twin Churchill guns which were presented to the Major's grandfather as a reward for valour in India. The guns are introduced at the beginning of the book and fired at the end, as they should be. They represent the Major's false pride and one is lost at the end as he confirms his true values to himself. The lost gun represented covetousness and had stained his relationship with his brother. The family pride which the guns represented had led to a debacle at a village dance which had almost lost him his chance to find happiness with Mrs. Ali. In the process of losing the gun, the Major shows that he is a true hero, ready to sacrifice for his love and for the future of the country's immigrant youth.

The book has several themes of universal interest:
~ How inheritance corrupts families.
We see how the older son was thoughtless as he accepted his birthright, and the resentment of his younger brother, Bertie and his family resented. We also have the younger generation, Roger and Bertie's daughter, Jemima, ready to inherit before the older generation have gone.
~ The urge of communities to define themselves by excluding outsiders.
We also consider who is an outsider. Although he has lived all his life in the same village, the Major has kept his tastes and values independent. His open mind makes him an outsider in his own community.
~What family really means and what are family obligations.
When family is unreasonable like Roger and Jemima, how far should we support them? How vulnerable should we be when children hurt us? We feel for the Major when Roger is so unredeemingly selfish.

~What we might really be prepared to give up for our principles.
The Major knows that a showdown is looming between the Lord who has a plan to turn his property into a housing estate, and the villagers who are opposed to development. He knows that he is going to have to give up the esteem which he has with the lord and support the villagers.
~Parents and their adult children.
Roger feels a grudging responsibility, highly tinged with irritability, towards his father. The Major has to cope with disappointment in the character failures of his only child.
~The agelessness of love.
At one point, the Major is tempted to settle down with the village spinster, but then he realizes that passion is worth sacrifice.

The plot centers around the growing love between the Major and Mrs. Ali, and the complications of a cross-cultural romance in rural England. The irony is that Mrs. Ali was born in England, and is more learned in English history and literature than the other people in the village. She also has family obligations, and in them we do see cultural differences. Much of the plot concerns a young Pakistani couple torn apart by family authority. Neither of these young people are particularly attractive, and I did not find myself very interested in the resolution of their problems, pivotal as they were to the novel's climax.

Another subplot centres around the Major's involvement in a shooting party where he hopes to show off his guns. The party is spoiled by demonstrators and the whole plot demonstrates the emerging new values in England, with the difficulties of the old landowners to adapt to changing times and tax structures.

Another subplot is the relationship between Roger and his girlfriend. It's deterioration shows the wretchedness and insensitivity of the Major's son, and the necessity for the Major to find his own happiness where he can.

Other action centers around the golf club with its pettiness and snobbery. The Major gets involved in the planning for a dance with an Indian theme. It is a fisticuff disaster and the Major realizes that he has been drawn into it by his pride in his famous ancestor, his love for the guns and his insensitivity to cultural differences.

Although it has a light touch, the book has been carefully structured. The narration of the first tea party which the Major has with Mrs. Ali illustrates Simonton's craft. They admire the view from the bottom of the garden and she says that it has been the same for a thousand years. Later in the book, when the proposal to build on the land arises, the groundwork has been laid for us to appreciate the impact on the community. At the same tea party, during a conversation about escapism, the Major imagines being with Mrs. Ali at the cottage of his friend, the Colonel. Of course, when the couple later flee Mrs. Ali's brother-in-law, that is where thy end up. As Mrs. Ali leaves the tea party, the talk turns to plans for the upcoming dance, and the Major reflects to himself that Daisy Green, the troublesome rector's wife, "might represent a greater menace to the Mughal empire that the conquering Rajput princes and the East India Company combined." Later, Daisy proves to be a considerable menace in her own community.

This book is a fine light summer read. But it is more than that. It is thought-provoking and intelligent, with universal themes, a thrill of romance, a picturesque setting and a fully-developed character, Major Pettigrew, who in the end makes his last stand for the things he believes in, including living life to the full.







Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
By Helen Simonton

I think this is a "novel of manners," like Jane Austen's books. Nothing terribly earth-shaking occurs, and yet to the protagonist, it is everything. The concerns are about relationships and appropriate behaviour in life's various circumstances. The themes are domestic and yet universal. The setting is the English countryside, as it always has been, overlaid by as it is now.

The charm of the book lies in the character of Major Pettigrew, a 68 year old widower, most English of the English, who finds himself attracted to a Pakistani widow, the shopkeeper in the village. Major Pettigrew has many flaws and an overwhelming virtue: he is introspective and tries to do the right thing. It is impossible not to like Major Pettigrew.

The Major has pretensions to aspire above his station and an immoderate helping of self- respect. He has not kept in touch with his brother, and something has gone very wrong in the upbringing of his only child, Roger. He clings to his military title, even though he spent most of his career teaching little boys. But he is thoroughly decent, and humble enough to reflect on his situation and realize his weaknesses.

This is Simonton's first novel but it does not read like one. There is a village-full of varied and believable characters, a strong main plot, the growing love for Mrs. Ali, and several minor plots, all of which are well integrated with foreshadowing, symbolism, and satisfying conclusions and adhere well together.

One element carries through the entire book: the twin Churchill guns which were presented to the Major's grandfather as a reward for valour in India. The guns are introduced at the beginning of the book and fired at the end, as they should be. They represent the Major's false pride and one is lost at the end as he confirms his true values to himself. The lost gun represented covetousness and had stained his relationship with his brother. The family pride which the guns represented had led to a debacle at a village dance which had almost lost him his chance to find happiness with Mrs. Ali. In the process of losing the gun, the Major shows that he is a true hero, ready to sacrifice for his love and for the future of the country's immigrant youth.

The book has several themes of universal interest:
~ How inheritance corrupts families.
We see how the older son was thoughtless as he accepted his birthright, and the resentment of his younger brother, Bertie and his family resented. We also have the younger generation, Roger and Bertie's daughter, Jemima, ready to inherit before the older generation have gone.
~ The urge of communities to define themselves by excluding outsiders.
We also consider who is an outsider. Although he has lived all his life in the same village, the Major has kept his tastes and values independent. His open mind makes him an outsider in his own community.
~What family really means and what are family obligations.
When family is unreasonable like Roger and Jemima, how far should we support them? How vulnerable should we be when children hurt us? We feel for the Major when Roger is so unredeemingly selfish.

~What we might really be prepared to give up for our principles.
The Major knows that a showdown is looming between the Lord who has a plan to turn his property into a housing estate, and the villagers who are opposed to development. He knows that he is going to have to give up the esteem which he has with the lord and support the villagers.
~Parents and their adult children.
Roger feels a grudging responsibility, highly tinged with irritability, towards his father. The Major has to cope with disappointment in the character failures of his only child.
~The agelessness of love.
At one point, the Major is tempted to settle down with the village spinster, but then he realizes that passion is worth sacrifice.

The plot centers around the growing love between the Major and Mrs. Ali, and the complications of a cross-cultural romance in rural England. The irony is that Mrs. Ali was born in England, and is more learned in English history and literature than the other people in the village. She also has family obligations, and in them we do see cultural differences. Much of the plot concerns a young Pakistani couple torn apart by family authority. Neither of these young people are particularly attractive, and I did not find myself very interested in the resolution of their problems, pivotal as they were to the novel's climax.

Another subplot centres around the Major's involvement in a shooting party where he hopes to show off his guns. The party is spoiled by demonstrators and the whole plot demonstrates the emerging new values in England, with the difficulties of the old landowners to adapt to changing times and tax structures.

Another subplot is the relationship between Roger and his girlfriend. It's deterioration shows the wretchedness and insensitivity of the Major's son, and the necessity for the Major to find his own happiness where he can.

Other action centers around the golf club with its pettiness and snobbery. The Major gets involved in the planning for a dance with an Indian theme. It is a fisticuff disaster and the Major realizes that he has been drawn into it by his pride in his famous ancestor, his love for the guns and his insensitivity to cultural differences.

Although it has a light touch, the book has been carefully structured. The narration of the first tea party which the Major has with Mrs. Ali illustrates Simonton's craft. They admire the view from the bottom of the garden and she says that it has been the same for a thousand years. Later in the book, when the proposal to build on the land arises, the groundwork has been laid for us to appreciate the impact on the community. At the same tea party, during a conversation about escapism, the Major imagines being with Mrs. Ali at the cottage of his friend, the Colonel. Of course, when the couple later flee Mrs. Ali's brother-in-law, that is where thy end up. As Mrs. Ali leaves the tea party, the talk turns to plans for the upcoming dance, and the Major reflects to himself that Daisy Green, the troublesome rector's wife, "might represent a greater menace to the Mughal empire that the conquering Rajput princes and the East India Company combined." Later, Daisy proves to be a considerable menace in her own community.

This book is a fine light summer read. But it is more than that. It is thought-provoking and intelligent, with universal themes, a thrill of romance, a picturesque setting and a fully-developed character, Major Pettigrew, who in the end makes his last stand for the things he believes in, including living life to the full.