Surpassing the Passive Hero in Waverly by Sir Walter Scott - Essay Example

Surpassing the Passive Hero in Waverly by Sir Walter Scott The works of Walter Scott had a profound effect upon the development of the novel as aform, particularly the historical novels. In total he wrote twenty-seven of them, many of which were some of the most popular works of his time. The passage of time has led to many of his ideas seeming to become rather dated and perhaps obsolete, especially regarding the various manifestations of the "hero" that he creates in his novels. In his discussion of the Waverly Novels, Welsh suggests that most of Scott's characters are enduringly passive, rather unsuited for the heroic action that they indulge in. This analysis will suggest that there is more to the heroes within Waverly and its offspring than Welsh gives credit for. Essentially Welsh seems to attempt to debunk the idea that Scott was even a good novelist, let alone a great romantic novelist, within his books. Welsh admits that Waverly is the prototype for the modern novel, but then goes on to argue the various weaknesses within Scott's technique. He suggests that Scott is not a realist, as he seems incapable of drawing a realistic portrayal of life. Neither is he capable of any type of analysis according to Welsh; he argues succinctly that "Scott never criticizes his own society" (Welsh, 1963). Also, Scott is not a very good romantic writer either as he has no full knowledge of the human heart and his characters are "notoriously unemotional" (Welsh, 1963). By way of proving this, Welsh suggests that Waverly's only emotional moment in his very brief attachment to Flora. Further, the hero in Waverly is hardly the stuff of the traditional historical romance. Welsh points out, with a none-too-subtle irony that: . . . . the hero is obviously much more at home as a peacemaker than as a warrior, and it is amusing to watch Waverly racing ahead over the battlefield in order to rescue Hanoverian officers, and then being commended for his distinguished service by the chevalier. (Welsh, 1963) According to Welsh, the hero of Waverly is irredeemably passive and thus incapable of realistically portraying action and an active role within society. The hoer is caught within an intensely moralistic society which essentially stifles him. A true hero, according to Welsh, at least within the modern period, is a man for whom "masculinity meant self-control under the most trying circumstances" (Welsh, 1963). These characteristics he sees more within the insular, inward-looking Talbot rather than in the antics of Fergus rushing around Scotland performing traditionally "heroic" deeds. Part of this passivity, according to Welsh, stems from the fact that Scott's novels often revolve around the relationship between the individual and the state. In Waverly the hero adopts a positively Twentieth Century stance as he paradoxically invites and then resists his own arrest. He is contradictory if incredibly passive, at least in a traditionally "heroic" sense. But does this need to be an "either/or" question or can it be "both/and" Can the hero of Waverly exhibit passivity at one point and action at another and still be believable It would seem that the answer to this is a categorical "yes". Real human beings do not act according to a formulaic design for their character. He is not either a "passive character" or a "hero". He can be passive and active according to the moment. A simple glance at what actually occurs in Waverly belies the simple dichotomies that Welsh sets up in his attempted criticism of the novel. The opening of the novel starts with Waverly taking very real action, both in terms of his physical movements and in his decision making. Waverly is brought up in the family home of his Uncle, near London, but is soon given a commission in the Hanoverian army and is posted to Dundee, in Scotland. If he were purely passive he would not have taken up this commission in the first place. As soon as he arrives in Dundee, Waverly decides to take leave in order to meet the Jacobite friend of his Uncle, Baron Bradwardine, where he meets the beautiful daughter, Rose. This simple plot-line would appear to be the stuff of the traditional historical romance that is now so well known. True, Waverly is not particularly emotional or apparently attached to what he is doing in these various movements and decisions. But neither is he entirely passive, as Welsh would suggest. The mere fact that Waverly does not wear his heart on his sleeve does not necessarily make him totally removed from what is occurring to him. Waverly takes another active decision - both physically and mentally - when he decides to go and see the home life of the rather barbaric Highlanders that visit the Baron's castle. Waverly has thus taken a very long leave from his army duties and is, perhaps predictably, accused of desertion. Again, Scott implies that he must have at least guessed that this would be the probable interpretation of his actions. While Waverly does allow himself to be captured by the Army and then rescued by the Highlanders, he is not merely a passive object being taken from one place to another. He is very much a symbol of something, which is at least part of the reason that the Army and the Highlanders take such an interest in what is, after all, the fate of just one man within a whole war. In a very "modern" manner, Waverly is persuaded to go over to the Jacobite side not for any particular ideological reasons, but because Flora, the Highland Chief's sister, persuades him to. He is caught up with the emotion of the event, rather than any particular rational consideration. In a purely realistic sense, the Hanoverian army has not exactly treated him very fairly or particularly well: it makes sense for Waverly to switch sides. So is are his heroic actions at the Battle of Prestonpans, at the climax of the novel, particularly out of character and thus, as Welsh seems to argue, rather laughable in nature The answer is no. True, Waverly does not gleefully join every fight that is offered to him, but this must be seen as realistic rather than flawed. Soldiers who survive pick their battles carefully, as well as their individual fights. Waverly is merely on e of a type, rather than an irredeemably passive hero. At the end of the novel he chooses to marry the practical, better "wife material" character of Rose rather than the romantic, but far less predictable Flora. Some have suggested that this illustrates a very unheroic action on the part of Waverly, but it can also be argued that this is Scott once again being realistic. Rose would not be a better match for every soldier or hero, but she is the best match for this particular soldier. A formulaic writer would have made Waverly marry Flora, but Scott was far from formulaic. To conclude, while it is true that many of the concerns that are expressed in Waverly are quaint or even irrelevant to modern sensibilities, this does not make the hero necessarily "passive". He does act decisively during the course of the novel, even though he is not always "heroic" in the most traditional sense of the word. ________________________________ Works Cited Welsh, Alexander. The Hero of the Waverly Novels. Princeton University Press, New York: 1963. 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