:... THE CAVE is Robert Penn War- ren's sixth and best novel. An ambitious work, it is, in every sense,a big novel. Starting with a quotation from The Republic, Warren proceeds to investigate the implications of Plato's com- ment on shadows and reality. The reality here springs from the discovery of an abandoned guitar and a pair of Monkey- Ward boots, meaningful symbols. A man is trapped in a cave. "At- tention must be paid." We meet the big cast of char- acters slowly; they move onto the scene two by two and generally in terms of sexual involvement or frustration. Coupling is, for Mr. Warren, the essence of the hu- man social condition. Only Jasper Harrick, the man in the cave, is alone. But as the novel progresses, we discover its theme: the isolation of every individual. Each man and every woman is ultimately alone in his own cave, the deep recess of the human heart where single destinies must be worked out. (II New Novel Depicts THE CAVC Isolation of Man THE ARCHITECTURE of this' novel is impressive. The open- ing half is deliberately slow-mov- ing; the characters are involved in explaining themselves and their needs, to each other as well as to themselves. But as the tension grows, the tempo speeds up. The second half of the book' moves with a speed that is ,more than exciting; true, there is the actual man in the cave presumably strug- gling for life, and^ there is, the question whether the rescuers will be able to reach him. But the amazing feat of the author is that as we move more deeply into the life of each character, we are also exposed to the larger social pictire as well. For the central event of the book is no isolated occurrence. Hun- --_. THE CAVE by Robert Penn War- ren, Random House, New York, 1959, 403 pp., $4.95. dreds, thousands of -people are drawn by curiosity- and concern to 'the site. The whole raucous contemporary world moves in: the church, the law, the communica- tions media, the enterprizing busi- ness men. Tensions develop and the inevitable hysteria both clari- fies individual problems and il- luminates the social scene. Mr. Warren has discovered a won- derful device, a means of isolating a situation and a group of char- acters so that we can see into the motives and passions of individ- uals as well as observe the social mass. Inevitably; our view be- comes satirical as we watch the forces at work: evangelical fervor side by side with greed, the at-. tempts at order trying to reconcile exposure and the rights of privacy, compassion at war with curiosity. I N THIE MIND of Mr. Bingham, banker,frustrated husband, f a- ther of a misunderstood but much loved (too much?) daughter, man unaccustomed to think, occur these thoughts: "Thousands of people, he didn't know how many, had come here because a poor boy had got caught in the ground, and had lain there dying. They, had wept, and prayed, and boozed, and sung and fought, and fornicated, and in all ways possible had strived to break through to the heart of the mystery which was themselves. No, he thought, remembering Brother Sumpter with his armsa uplifted under the floodlights, to break out of the dark mystery which was themselves." This seems to me to be a sum- mary of what the book is all about: man's desire to know;shimself and then his need. for compassion. Although I find The Cave afirst- rate novel, it is not a flawless piece of work. The opening chap..- ters tend to be somewhat diffuse. And Mr. Warren's style on oc- casion raises certain difficulties. One has the feeling that as aa Southerner writing,. about the South, he sometimes strains after' a kind of rhetoric which doesn't come off. For example, this para- graph: "So she had married him, him, John T.-who, however, remained Jack in the saluta- tion of Johntown and in the tales told, gradually becoming Old Jack in the tales, but -re- maining Jack, not John T. or Old Jack, ,1n his own thoughts, except now and then when, 'm she called him John T., some vague half-humorous but dis- comfiting wonderment started up as to where Jack Harrick had gone, or worse, who he had been,' after all." T IS DIFFICULT, perhaps im. possible, to achieve the Faulk- nerian manner which seems to me the intent of this passage; what emerges is parody rather than imitation. Mr. Warren writes well enough not to need to do this kind of thing.k However, these are minor flaws in a fine piece of work. Mr. War- ren has learned his craft well. I must admit that I have not pre- viously been an admirer of his fiction, which has struck me as being overblown and somewhat too dependent upon tricks. But in The Cave, Robert Penn Warren has given us a mature and a satis- fying novel. Certainly by compari- son with other curfrent "best sell- ers," I should rank it high. --Marvin Felheim Associate Professor English Department DISTINCT sense of identity binds the integration-minded American Negro with his African counterparts. As long as skin color makes a difference, the Negro will be drawn to. those of his race' who suffer from the effects of segregation and white supremacy. The idea that Bantus in the Union of South Africa are held in check by a government sworn to the harsh apartheid policy of ab- solute separatism tightens a bond between two culturally different peoples. Natives in Rhodesia and the Belgian Congo who are re- belling against the idea of Euro- pean superiority further strength- ens this identity. F While the Negro in America ultimately hopes to be totally as- similated to the mainstream of American social and cultural life, African and Ar Aim- Towr By CHARLES KOZ The American Negro strives for assimilation in a white society through integration of the schools. For Tricks ,6bimilation or Vi or Treats Studio Cards or Eats *- MAGAZINE hey realizes that this submersion isn't within the near future. He recognizes that now and perhaps for some time to come, he will be the "bottom- man" in this country and throughout other parts of the world. In this country, a minority of the supposed intellectual Negro elite will hasten to absolve any bonds of racial fraternalism. This hierarchy's rationale claims that the quickest means of losing "col- ored identity" is to sever connec- tion with areas of the world that are often regarded as uncivilized. BUT THE majority of American Negroes-the lower classes and up through the educated sectors- hopethe linkbetween the two groups will never be dissolved. Emotions control the attitude of the lower - income, uneducated groups while the intelligentsia re- lies on rational judgement to assess their African perspective. The situations in these two different areas can be most easily viewed in terms of the universal concept of progress. American Negroes seek to develop within a society which may eventually in- tegrate them into the economic, political and social spheres. This society is constructed to accommodate white elements and must stretch its acceptance pat- tern to admit those of another color as equals. Equality here is applied in the sense of being part Vol. VI, No. 3 Sunday, October 18, 1959 come to BRUTNDAGE GIFTS. 3 07 South State Content s THE CAVE-MAN'S ISOLATION By Marvin Felheim. NEO-HIPSTERISM. I P Page Two By Al Young. r P BATTLE OF THE BULGE Page Three Page Four By Karl Reichenbach. South African women I protest government restrictions against travel by non-whites. The African colored person strives for nationalistic goao, F R E E THE BIRTH OF JAZZ I By Dave Giltrow. f Page Five JAZZ PHOTO FEATURE Page Six THE UNIQUE ELEMENTS By Richard Pollinger. Page Nine ASSIMILATION OR IDENTITY? By Charles Kozoll_ Page Eleven THIS FABULOUS FIAT -Gets over 52 miles on a Gallon of Gas! SNAPSHOTS are valued possessions often treasured in years to come. Make sure your next roll of film gets the expert attention and care to preserve it. Have your films developed and printed, color or black and white, at The Quarry where film is a full-time business. WE INVITE YOU to stop in and see our latest shipment of the newest and most wanted cameras and related equipment. All competitively priced and fully guaranteed. While You Are In Our Store ASK FOR PARTICULARS -ON-, THE FIAT CONTEST or Phone NO 3-1991 MAGAZINE EDITOR-Joan Kaatz PHOTOS: Cover: Dave Giltrow; Page Three: Daily-Dave Cornwell; Page tour: Daily-Jim Richman; Page Five, Six, Seven and Eight: Dave Giltrow; Page Nine: Richard Pollinger; Page Eleven: Asso- ciated Press. ONLY for those seeking o - Art in Jewelry, Ebony, Jade r*0 0 Carvings and Sckture =-Imported Gifts O . at jQ * 209 SOUTH STATE STREETo 0 (Below Marshall's Book Store)a NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO IN STYLE, WITH SHIRTS S sfef Y Re -4-. dLet Before you close that brg, be sure you have plenty of Enro shirts. They will assure your posi- lion in the Campus fashion parade . . . for, Enro Shirts are style leaders. Oxford or broad- cloth, button-down . . eyelet or what have you. Our stock is filled with styles that are ahead-of- the-times. A New and unusual stylings in Knit Sport Shrts. Unique collar treatments .., novel textures ... smart color combinations. Wearing these you'll look your handsomest and experience comfort you have never known before. STATE STREET SA1FFELL 3 10 SOUTH Street 8:30 A.M. to P.M.