The Theme of Alienation in Paul Scott's Quintet of Novels: A Study of Ronald Merrick

Abstract

<p>If a man does not understand his mistakes, he is doomed to repeat them. Scott saw that this was the case in colonial India where the English, in their myopia, constantly repeated their mistakes over centuries and so alienated the Indian population. However, these same English) in their insularity, also alienated those people from their own country who did not meet the standards of their self-imposed mores, those who were not quite pukka. More than in any other modern novels Paul Scott explores in his quintet of novels, The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion, The Towers of Silence, A Division of the Spoils, and Staying On, this theme of alienation and its tragic results.</p> <p>As none of the characters is more alienated or tragic than Ronald Merrick, I examine in the following pages how and why this happens to him historically, socially and psychologically. Scott's attitude is explored as are the techniques he uses to emphasise his theme of alienation.</p>