PAGE SIX THE MICHIGAN DAILY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1954
More Character Revelations by O'onner
MORE STORlEs, By Frank
O'Connor calls "a saint." He keeps tabs on Ian experience that will make him All this is not to say that O'Con- limits himself is stifling by the
his sins in a notebook and yet has "sadder but wiser" This is the nor is not a careful workman, or time you have finished
By BOB HOLLOWAY managed to be one of the boys. His fate of all of O'Connor's chaact- that his stories are dull. They are Stories. You long to read a
RELAND is a rebellious country, revelation comes when he tried to ers who do not become "happier beautifully put together, and the people who risk more than the loss
and all of its great writers have redeem a very unregenerate friend. and wiser." The possibility of com- play of irony within them pre- of some time on a love affair, nd
The friend makes a valiant ing to a tragic end is as far from vents them from ever being lethar- v:ho risk their souls, as well as
been rebels. Starting with Swift attempt, goes to confession, but them as the possibility of becoming gic or sentimental. But still, the their social acceptability on reli-
and continuing with Joyce and isn't able to keep it up. The hero, neurotic. common-sense world to which he gion.
Shaw, they have rebelled against seeing his friend sink back into
e Cl domination, or the Catho- the mire of sin, gee his reviation: P ICA L 'T U "DY:
Ireland itself; sometimes again s'are his fate. For the first time
the whole shebang together. Frank I realized that the life before me
OConnor, in his atest coliection would have complexities of en- A N e j Lo k at ldd R l t o n h p
haa o plx esr A ew Look at Old Relationship
of stories, aeem.s-superficially to tion that I couldn't even inagine." L o r
adhere to this tradition: most of Sometimes the revelation comes
his stories are about boys who run to an adult, like Anna in "The Cis-
therwamiisdn',prveoodnyflldwtoagetsestfher-Daughter, By a Craftsman
away, or girls who marry men tom of The Country," who is "suid-
their families don't approve of, or denly filled with a great sense ofF
priests who begin to find their Irish liberation and joy. The strain of
Catholic conventions are not lib- being a Henebry-Hayes is some- Christine becomes suspicious but
eral enough. But it is not so much thing you cannot appreciate until then realizes that she suspects her
rebellion O'Connor is interested in it is lifted," so off she goes to join own daughter. She tries to pass
as reconciliation. "People mostly her bigamist husband. the whole incident off as mere ,o-
come back," he says at the end In all of these stories, it is as incidence but it all seems to fit in-
of one story, "but their protest re- if O'Connor saw the world as an to too precise a pattern.
mained to distinguish them rom infinate series of concentric circles The school's mistresses send their
all the others who had never run of awareness. The larger your cir- regrets but find they must release
away," The running away ts im- che is, the more aware you are of Rhoda from their rolls, Demo d-
portant, for him, mostly as proof the significance or insignificance ing an explanation, she is told,
of the vahu of 'hat there is tof life's conventions. In each story, among other things, that during the
come back to. he carefully works out the revela- picnic, Rhoda was continually siyn
With this. predisposition, O'Con- tion by which a character gets following and really persecuting
nor is at his best in light, anecdotal from a smaller circle to a larger the boy-that she was in fact the
stories, where he can assume the one. What is somehow disappoint- last to see him alive.m o
air of a comfortable, happy man ing about O'Connon is his lack of Christine finds the medal among
you'd meet in a pub. Such a story desire to see the entire series as her daughter's things. When faed
is "Orpheus and His Lute," which a whole, or to draw the ultimate with this reality, Rhoda is almost
begins, "There's no music now circle of death or exile around the defiant-almost positive her moth-
like there was in the old days." series. er will not tell anyone.
It's the tale of the Irishtown band, 'HR SPIRIT 'hich otivates WITH HER husband in South
once the best in all Dublin. Their ' America on bosines Christ
prowess as musicians was depend- O'Connor, and which oves his does not know whom turn
ant largely on their ability to out- characters from one circle ofdAsn otriw hotoe urn
drink everybody else in the city. awareness t another, is the spirit 'he believes Christine to be do
of common sense. Probably the
They et their do fall one co greatest implement of common cast. And what can the latter sa
wet, winternightdwhen,dead drk, sense is the rule-of-thumb and Mr. She has no proof, only inklin
and all of thrm dying for a drmnk O'Connor abounds with them, For But then she remembers the
they pawned their intrue instance, "Unapproved Route" be- woman who lived near them
When the word got around, of tins "Bet'een men and womn, Baltimore before they moved West,
course, none of their patrons would gs"Between menhang womeSShe suddenly fell down a flight
given them a penny to red'em the there are approved roads which -Dar-Dick Gask i stairs to her death. The old wo-
instruments in time for the St. visitors must take. Others take AT THE AGE OF INNOCENCE man had something she'd pronis
Patrick's Day parade. The band at their peril, no matter how high- ed Rhoda who wanted the trinket
ateriseer perl, nofmatterhowthighh-_v __verymuch.
erished 'aish a flourish, though. minded their intentions may be." The Bad Seed. By William very much
They wiped up the streets with aTh story that follows is siply a lot of difference in the case of Christine tries talking to a frisd
Theyvalbd supwytheiris'tru h e tr htfalw ssmpya ac;Rhoda Peboke.
rival band, took aay thir str illustration of this rule of co-who write well-conceived murder
ments, and led theyparade. Whenat evr le rom- By HARRY STRAUSS Rhoda is an overtly sweet, po- mysteries about motives, especially
the police arrived, they marched o sense ve es o NE OF THE more anticipated lie, excessively neat little girl in children, but it doesn't help lIe
into Bridewell prison playing "Auldnol sense involves, i dconcern-o podutions of iss roadway with an ethical code all her own. At nor does it solve anything.
Lang Syne." O'Connor handles e r ish values that can be spoken theater sson is Maxwell Andes the tender age of nine, she has Where is the line between reality
this kind of story brilliantly. Like straight out, without recourse to son's adaptation of William March's three murders to her credit. and imagination? Christine begins
tin, rich las u 'ea ofte Irsisglo symbols. All the values that mo- novel, "The Bad Seed," published T HE STORY revolves arousd to search her mind for she had
te rich language of the Irish tivate O'Connor's characters are last spring Christine Penbroke and her at- to know something, yet knew not
er classes. described quite correctly, both as The work was the last by this tempts to o r nd to u how she could find it. She face
N HIS MORE serious stories, to quality and quantity. As a re- writer from New Orleans for he stand her daughter's actions and reality when she surprises Rhoda
OCnnor susullyShowsus clar- sult, they sometimes stems a little died shortly after its publications possible motives. Itrying to throw her new shoes down
armss in thin process s -gettin a r'edestrian His previous writinns 1ud for the The girl had always been stuiet the incinerator. These shoes have
resaation. Snmeties it's a cli;a t semorst that an happen to suost part been critically success- and peculiarly advanced for her metal clips at the heels. The dea
reglaton.Somtims t'sa cil he ors tat an appn t afu, but not commner cially. Two age ( at any ag)t and continually boy had sharp marks on his ha .
in "The Face of Evil," the hero is character who conducts himself oy yuas min roser"sctr Ts- a"' t 's in o ' and forehead. Perhaps he had
a boy who's always been what e rules of common sense is meeting land" which had a fair deree of mood her parents were in, especial - ug on the ledge of the precipice
s-nres. ly her mother. so she could act ac- before drowning.
Most of s readers, and hisy Now Christne is sure about hem
Most ofnlyhissh etesr swas'
rhics, however, agi'ren that March Wien the nve opens, Rhoda is daughter's action (or is it action?)
(real name: William March Camp- furious to discover tt the school and she need only find the reason
hull dd hssbest sursts" in is, puenuusuststmus'ip ',1 sle' hid o con Stunusrnmbrs thatRod had at
A G Bookstore ... lstworkuu .sd to j ns :r o iuiluysts'buen difernt frossotie
"The Bad Seed" is a grimulitle thou i she aa nsly susists "v- gustirls. Her husband and she ha
horror story. 15 is eselent. erYone knows tlt it's rightfullly tris to make her happy and at
WHEN YOU come browsing T i Bob Marshls pehe k eers aroun u mise- i'it- elsss cues cii us their ' pted to understand I' Wh
hops oss' noticed virtuly very tion irs tho year-old girl and her moler. There annual piei, the boy wearie his 'shad they failed? Wer sii
you'ven virtualy every has been a rise in reent tiues of mseudal, Rhoda taunting hi endd ailed, for she is sure
store is carefully alphabetized and organized, that novels with children as the upro-s lessly. Rhodareturnhoes anduas l r tsnf rs-sos methin ehm
tasonsts From J. D. Saliner s to her muother s surprise and joystusir doug ru
just one copy of each tle is on display . . . adole Htolden Caulfield insI she does not memsion tr medal Christine becomes desperae
TIhe Catcher un the Rye " to Davis Listeng to the rdio Cthri in en vauoly she reemobers thu
Gubb's youngster John Hrper inh ars t hby is u is rundse sr sskd hem msottem th
THUS A PERPETUAL, daly inventory is maintained hi t eiht of the Her," the rh rowue t It usm't 1isbe oe lii s se e r adopIed. By chau
thus titles can be reordered quickly, the high stand r ir Is u s the syiia'e-1.5 u IPsss s u ot aue 8
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