PLURALITY OF MEANING
IN OLIVER GOLDSMITH’S THE DESERTED VILLAGE
To pick up a pen and grab a sheet of paper is not all that is needed for writing, one could argue that that important factors are; the right surroundings or ‘ambiance’, and then there is this indescribable mental indisposition or ‘inspiration’ which, be it present in only small trickles or that its floodgates are opened to their fullest, is, in my view, pivotal to any kind of writing, regardless of it being either academic or social writing, either successful or more humble. At times, it can appear as if even the tiniest thimbleful of inspiration that had previously appeared to be present promptly ebbs away on first encountering the medium intended to carry the results of the creational exercise. Now, when facing a dead–line this lack of inspiration becomes increasingly frustrating.
Imagine an ambitious young man sitting in his room faced with just this dilemma. His knowing that, strictly speaking, he is already late in turning in his essay and, that for the past two weeks he has been attempting to commit thought to paper or perhaps to the computer screen and apparently all to no avail. Right now, after rereading the passage he means to analyse and then first staring at a blank screen for a while and, following that, rereading a number of old essays, it comes to him that, since nothing appears to be working, he might as well experiment. So the experiment commences, let us observe.
He had thought that a nice title for the essay would be something like ‘THE PLURALITY OF MEANING IN OLIVER GOLDSMITH'S THE DESERTED VILLAGE’. Quite a new thing for him, to have a title before the finishing at least most of the work, but that, as they say, is beside the point. This topic had occurred to him when, while studying The Deserted Village by Oliver Goldsmith, he had noticed the recurrence of the word “train” and had observed that, due to its context, the word had come to carry a meaning that was quite distinctly different in each case.[1] On top of that, the echo of the previous meaning helped carry the contrast further than a synonym would have done. As stated before, the context plays an important role in this process. Take, for example, the sequences found in lines 63 and 81; “But times are altered; Trade’s unfeeling train”, and “Remembrance wakes with all her busy train”, respectively. Now, these two examples not only overflow with meaning themselves but also suffuse the following lines with the consequences of those meanings. Therefore, it can be stated that they work to achieve either one or both of the following ends.
Firstly, there is the introducing quality that “But times are altered; Trade’s unfeeling train” carries with it. In this introducing capacity, it not only informs the reader of a change in focus from a succinct enumeration of the country joys that precedes it to the changes that time and progress have wrought. It also hands a pointer as to the feelings the persona holds towards those changes in saying that Trade’s train is “unfeeling”. In so doing, these words effectively introduce a new thread of reasoning as well as let the reader know the gist of that reasoning. The second end achieved is one having to deal with the closing off of a section made more effective by the echo that is present in it. Now, the neutrality of the word “train” by itself was first changed by the addition of the adjective “unfeeling” into a pejorative sequence of words. Further on, however, the “busy train” brings “pain” but, this pain is a result of the events brought about by “Trade’s … train” not one by remembrance itself.[2] This, therefore, leads to a contrast that depends strongly on the echo that is presented; it shows the reader in an indirect way the lost riches of the past by means of the sadness the persona experiences and reminds of the perpetrator by means of the choice of the word “train”.
Other, similar, instances of such a usage of words quickly sprang from the text to meet our young man’s eye. Some of them using the same principle, that of the context influencing the connotation a single word carried, and others created using the already present ambiguity in meaning of those words. One example of the latter can be found in the word “Just” in line 60. It carries two meanings which both reinforce the contrast of the goodness of the farmer’s life on the one side and the exuberance of the emerging moneyed classes on the other. On the one hand there is the word “Just” as meaning that the farmer’s labour earned him exactly the riches he needed, not the least of which is “ignorance of wealth” (l. 61). This meaning strengthens the argument the persona is supporting that no more is needed than the simple country joys have to offer. The second reading, however, goes a bit further than this. When “Just” is read as meaning that which is morally right, or, possibly, that which is lawful, the argument takes on a different tone. Namely, one which not only states that labour’s reward is sufficient to live on and that more is not necessary but, also, that it is what is rightly given in return for this labour. Following this line of thought leads to the conclusion that anything more than this reward is unjust. Thus, the argument takes on a more aggressive stance towards “luxury” as it is implying that it has no right for existing (l. 385).
Somehow, words eluded him whenever he was trying to put these, and other, thoughts to paper. How, for example, would it be possible to make clear that the village mirrored the moral condition of the countryside as well as the social degeneration of those hungering for wealth, and that the plurality of meaning entered on that subject as well? Inside his mind, things were lined up as neatly as could be expected, and his little experiment appeared to be working up to most of his expectations. Still, he worried that, possibly, people would find it an elusive cure rather than an actual one, never mind that, he was committed and determined to see it through. His mind turned back to the setting of the village.
At the beginning of the poem, the word “bowers” can be observed in three lines in short succession, in each case it serves a different purpose.[3] Firstly, there are the bowers as the centre around which the “cheerful influence” is shed (l. 33). In this guise, the bowers act as a reassuring and homely symbol of rest and pleasure. Secondly, though, the bowers are presented as a menacing abode for the “tyrant’s hand” (l. 37). The reader is left wondering whether the fact that this hand can be seen is because of the deplorable state of the bowers and that therefore it could have been hiding there for much longer, working its malice slowly and unbeknownst to the villagers. Or, possibly, that it had only appeared after bringing about the withdrawing of the village’s “sports” and “charms”, effectively claiming the village by defiling one of the important gathering places (l. 34). The decision depends greatly on the scepticism of the reader. Lastly in this particular sequence, the word bowers occurs in line 47, yet now they are “sunk” and “in shapeless ruin”. This string of events that observes the degeneration of the village viewed from the condition of the bowers directly undermines any arguments in favour of the “tyrant’s hand” because it clearly states; how can mankind survive under the thoughtless accumulation of wealth when even nature fails under its oppression (l. 37)?
All these things put together could possibly form an acceptable essay. So were the more torturous corners of his mind telling him. All that would be needed is a conclusion. Searching his mind for just that he soon discovered that some thoughts appeared to be coalescing. For one thing, it is worth stating that Oliver Goldsmith’s manipulation of words adds another level to the argument the poem is carrying by introducing word sequences that allow several interpretations. A number of different approaches have been used to this end. Firstly, there is the echoing of a word in order to help strengthen a contrast that is presented. Secondly, there is the usage of an ambiguous word to offer multiple readings to a part of the poem in order to strengthen the reasoning presented. Thirdly, there is the observation of a certain succession of events pertaining to the same object from which follows an implied conclusion. This, then, leads to the formation of a poem that is understandable both on a superficial as well as on a more complex level. The superficial level appearing as a lament for the loss of the many charms of rural life lost to the avarice of humanity whereas a sting directed against this avarice can be found when analysing the poem further.
18 Dec. 00
[1] O. Goldsmith, “The Deserted Village”, in The Norton Anthology of English Literature (1962), gen. ed. M. H. Abrams, 6th edn, New York and London, 1993, I, pp. 2484–93 (henceforth referred to as “Des. Vill.”).
[2] “Des. Vill.”, ll. 81, 82, 63, respectively.
[3] Ibid., ll. 33, 37, 47.
