Loneliness of Long Distan :: essays papers

Loneliness of Long DistanBorn in Nottingham in 1928 to a working class family, serving in the AirForce, and going through many struggles, Alan Sillitoe is known as aneffective representative of the English working class. Through his storyThe Loneliness of the Long-Distance R unner and the other storiescontained within the book, Sillitoe effectively criticises the level-headedsystem of England, which deprives individualism from its people, isineffective and interferes with peoples lives. His stories UncleErnest, On Saturday Afternoon, and The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner show these themes. The issues presented still are apposite today. Sillitoeeffectively criticises the legal system in Uncle Ernest. Uncle Ernestis a working-class lonely man who lives an isolated, despondent existence. Joan and Alma, whom he befriends, are very poor and in destiny of a fatherfigure. Ernest has lost all of his old friends. His family has left him. He is need of company. He can no lo nger cover up his solitude like hecovers up the sofas he re-upholsters for a living. Ernest buys food forthem, clothes, and gifts. All three are happy in the rela tionship theyhave with one-another. However, one day, he was told, nowadays look here, wedont want any more trouble from you, but if ever we see you near thosegirls again, youll find yourself up before a magistrate (57). Ernest isdeprived his life, w hat makes him happy. He is deprived the onlyfriendship he has because the spontaneous social code suggests that a mansuch as himself befriending young girls as such means that he is apaedophile. The detectives interfere with his life. Sillitoe shows t helegal system not only makes false assumptions, but goes by an unwrittensocial code that is accusational. The issue of conformity is centralErnest is not a normal member of society, therefore he is furtherostracised. In On Saturday Afternoon, Sillitoes write up is of anaccount of a bloke hanging himself. The man su rvived. When found by acopper, he was told, Its against the law. It aint your life. Andits a crime to take your own life. Its killing your self. Itssuicide. (103). The legal system is ineffective the man proved to thecoppers whose life it was. He jumped out of a hospital window to hisdeath. Furthermore, the legal system is questioned. In this almost unquiet