FREE ESSAY ON CRITICAL REVIEW OF CARN BY PATRICK MCCABE

CRITICAL REVIEW OF CARN BY PATRICK MCCABE

Critical Review: Carn
The novel Carn, by Patrick McCabe, is a thought-provoking tale of people from a town in
Ireland. The town, Carn, goes through economic failure, complete industrialization and
commercial
revival, back to total desolation. As the town changes, so do the main characters, Josie
Keenan and
Sadie Rooney. Although they do not know each other at the beginning of the novel, after
the
indulstrialization of the town, their lives eventually intersect. All they want from life
is to lead normal
lives -- outside of Carn. Even though Carn is now an industrial town, it holds bad
memories and a
sense of imprisonment for Josie and Sadie. Both their lives become tied to the town of
Carn. Sadie
plans to move to England, but when she becomes pregnant she must stay in Carn and raise a
family. 
A lack of options forces Josie to remain in Carn, the only home she knows. Eventually,
Josie's
destructive lifestyle and the political conflicts between England and Ireland result in
tragedy for both
characters. McCabe does an excellent job at developing the characters of Josie, Sadie,
and the
town of Carn itself. He shows the futility of their hopes, which ultimately results in
tragedy and
despair. The reader can relate to the characters, and by the conclusion of the novel, the
reader will
feel as if s/he knows the characters personally.
Josie Keenan lives a life without hope. The author does a good job of providing insight
into
Josie's life by informing the reader of everything that effects Josie from the beginning
of her life, right
until the end. Living with an abusive father has made Josie believe that no one is good,
and everyone
is only looking for what they can gain from others. The only kind words she has ever
received are
from her mother. Even this source of happiness is taken from her though, because her
mother dies
when Josie is young. She moves from an orphanage right into the working world, and into a
world
of men. Because she does not have a strong father figure in her life, she looks for love
else where. 
Men love her body, and she loves the control this gives her. Josie [sees] now that there
[is] nothing
she [can't] do with [men] (49). She takes men's money and does with it as she pleases.
She
[takes] the bus to a town across the border where she [sits] on her own in a cafe
listening to a
jukebox and eating ice-creams (51). Soon, however, this path leads to destruction. Her
whole life
becomes devoted to drinking alcohol and pleasing men. She is disgusted with what she has
become
and tries to blot out her pitiful life with alcohol. She sees how awful her life is when
The protection
of the drink and the drugs [begin] to wear off (145). The only good influence in Josie's
life is her
lone friend Sadie. In the end, though, not even this makes a difference. An overdose of
pills mixed
with alcohol kills Josie before Sadie can reach her. McCabe is very pessimistic, and he
gives this
quality to his characters. Little by little, as the book progresses, Josie looses her
mind. The author
allows the reader to see Josie's thoughts, which aides in understanding a demented
person. The
effects of abuse, sexual exploitation, and alcohol are seen in Josie's character. The
reader feels pity
toward Josie and the outcome of her life. McCabe does an excellent job of characterizing
Josie
Keenan.
The character of Sadie Rooney is also a sad and hopeless one. McCabe relates the reader
to Sadie through stories of Sadie's childhood dreams. When she was a child ...she loved
Elvis
Presley. She would have gone anywhere with him... (23). Readers can identify with Sadie's
love of
movie starrs and desire for a better life. As her life progresses, however, her hopes are
dashed
when she becomes pregnant and must raise a family in the town she hates, Carn. When she
learns
of her pregnancy, she [feels] nothing and says, That's it then (115). She is bitter, yet
resigned to
the fact that nothing she planned ever came to pass. Nothing can affect her any more,
because her
life is already terrible. Eventually, her husband becomes involved in a murder, and she
is hated by
the people of Carn. McCabe gives readers a definite idea of Sadie's views on life. Her
life is awful,
but she knew it would be from the very start. The point that the author is trying to
convey to the
reader is that all of life is bad, and there is nothing that can be done to improve it.
He uses clear
characterization to get this point across to the reader. The character of Sadie vividly
demonstrates
this idea.
Carn itself is a character. Although it is a town, it goes through a life cycle. Life for
Carn
begins with prosperity, changes to ruin, becomes industrialized again, and then finally
returns to dust. 
Carn effects the other characters in tremendous ways. The desolation that the other
characters feel
spawns from the desolation of Carn. McCabe makes the reader feel as if they have actually
visited
this town on the border of Ireland. After the reader travels there, they too can feel the
emptiness
that results. The author characterizes the town through the words of other characters.
Some believe
that Carn is the best wee town in Ireland. I mean, you have everything you want here
(61). That
is the problem for many. They want to experience new and exciting things, yet they are
restricted to
the commonplace in Carn. They can go Nowhere but Carn. Carn--the beginning and the end
(62). Carn is the beginning and the end for both Sadie and Josie. It is Regular as
clockwork
(62). Nothing changes. Carn manages to get rid of the young ones (107). People feel
trapped in
Carn, and yet few can escape. It is analogous to an evil force that has a hold on
everyone living in it. 
Even though Carn is the evil in people's lives, life in general is the ultimate negative
power. Carn
cannot escape the tragedies of life. Its moment of prosperity is ended, and all the
characters return
to the sad, hopeless states that all people are destined to reside in. McCabe is an
extremely talented
author to be able to give an inanimate object its own character, and to do it well. Carn
is an
excellent example of a well-developed character. 
McCabe's views of life are demonstrated by the lives of Sadie and Josie, and the town of
Carn. McCabe's characters' lives are replete with suffering and sorrow, and they all
react with bitter
resignation. Sadie, Josie, and Carn are resigned to accept their fates - Sadie's,
involuntary life in
Carn; Josie's, debauchery and death; and Carn's, economic desolation. Carn is very well
written
and is a wonderful book. However, not everyone will enjoy it. There is a considerable
amount of
history involved in it, so people who enjoy history will benefit from it. It is also very
depressing, so
readers who love happy endings will be disappointed with the conclusion of the story. For
these
reasons I did not enjoy reading this book, however I do understand the literary merit
that is
displayed by McCabe. The story line and characters are well developed, and it is an
interesting
story. I recommend it to anyone who is learning about the conflicts in Ireland, or to
anyone who
likes to get to know fictional characters in a personal way.