How Many Miles to Babylon - Theme/Issue: Relationships in

General:

What do we learn of friendship in the novel?

separation needn't destroy friendship: (they reunite after Alec returns from Europe - this separation was designed to destroy the relationship.

shared interests cement relationship: (their interest in swimming, horseriding, talking)

friendship can be built up over a long period: (esp. in HMB because it follows the relationship over a relatively long period)

friendship can transcend class (and rank) barriers: (efforts are made to break up this "unsuitable relationship", but do not succeed.

friendship involves difficult choices: as when Alec is ordered to organise the execution of Jerry.

friendship can be liberating (gives Alec something to enjoy, freeing him from the oppressive home environment)

friendship is seen as a protective thing - at the end of each text a friend does what he does to protect a friend (e.g. from the authorities and humiliation in HMB, )

Other aspects of relationship:

relationships can be manipulative, restrictive: (as we see from the mother's behaviour,)

relationships can be cold, emotionless: (as between Mrs Moore and Alec and between her and the husband,).

unsatisfactory relationships can have negative results: (Alec goes to war, with tragic consequences because of the unpleasant situation at home. Initially he didn't feel like going).

relationships can be loving but unsentimental: (Mr Moore seems to love Alec, but isn't very demonstrative e.g. in the farewell scene).

The Key Moments:

Opening Scene: The main relationship is not yet revealed. There is an early indication of the fragmented relationship he has with his parents: "I have not communicated with either my father or mother ... it may kill him... but .. he may be better off dead. My heart doesn't bleed for her". Alec, in fact, seems to be distant and detached from everyone on sight - "Major Glendinning has not been near me, a blessing for which I am duly grateful"; neither does he respond to the efforts of the "Padre": "I was not ... in the mood for soul wrestling". Alec also says “I love no living person”, suggesting that a person he loved is dead. He implies that without relationship he would be “better off dead”.

Alec’s Education: This extract confirms that there is not a close relationship between Alec and his parents: "Breakfast and high tea I munched alone ... Even with them I was alone" (6); the mother doesn't let Alec answer for himself when the father suggests that for his own benefit he go away to boarding school. There is a formal stiffness in the parent/child relationship: "You may be excused, Alexander", though the father seems more friendly: "Hey then, boy". Between the parents there is considerable frostiness: "Their conversations were ... like some terrible game ... the words dropped malevolent and cool from their well-bred mouths." (7). It's as if they have nothing to say to each other except in relation to Alec: "Their only meeting place was the child". (6). We see further signs of Alec’s attitude to relationships: “I never minded being alone” (6); “I will admit to being rather short on team spirit” (8). The “miles of floor” image (8) conveys the emotional distyance between Alec and the parents.

First Meeting of Alec and Jerry: Up to now Alec has been very much of a loner on his own admission, even paradoxically when he's with his parents. Despite this, or perhaps because of it he takes to the new friendship with enthusiasm - "It was more fun swimming with someone else ... I had a friend. A private and secret friend" (11,13), even though it starts with a slight conflict over the trespassing issue. This becomes a mock, playful conflict over the hidden clothes. and shortly the new relationships cemented by a handshake ("He held out his hand to me and I clasped it"), The relationship seems to be an equal one though there is much joking about slaves and masters (an issue raised by Alec in a more serious context in the opening scene - top of page 2). Alec’s new relationship gives him confidence to free himself from some of the mother’s more fussy rules - e.g. about catching cold.

Breaking up the friendship: Here we have an effort, primarily by the mother, to break up the friendship between Alec and Jerry: “Well, no more Jerry. No Jeremiah. End to that. Yes.”. (24). The father half heartedly agrees: “In a way, my boy, your mother’s right. It’s an unsuitable relationship.” (29). As the mother brings Alec for a walk to bring up the subject we see how difficult the relationship is between Alec and herself: “She was difficult to talk to, always, either abstracted or else wanting ore than you could give.”, “ ... snapped her fingers at me, rather as if I were a dog”, (23), “Her fingers bit into my arm, like angry little teeth”, (25). Perhaps partly to try and prevent the planned trip abroad (which the mother is using to separate Alec and Jerry) the father tries to improve his relationship with Alec: “Perhaps the time has come for us to get to know each other a little”, but it’s an awkward moment: “My face was stiff with embarrassment”. (27). Later there is a tender moment when Alec touches the father’s knee after another of the mother’s insults: “It was a brief gesture, as ineffective as one he might have made himself”. (30). In this scene there is more evidence of the unpleasant relationship between the mother and father with her again being bossy and dismissive of him: “Why do you ask such silly questions?” (27), “Frederick, you do become so boring” (28), “You have always been an ineffective man” (30). In this scene the father is largely compliant, accepting what the mother orders: “You do what your mother tells you, my boy” (30). The trip to Europe doesn’t end the Alec/Jerry relationship, showing that separation doesn’t necessarily end a relationship - this is true of all three texts.

Alec and Jerry Reunited: Alec and Jerry get together again after a long separation, but like many strong relationships they take up where they left off, casually. ("Is it yourself" says Jerry to Alex). (49). The closeness of the relationship is shown when Alec reveals to Jerry what the mother has said: "My mother says I'm not my father's son." (53) They now share an intention of going to war - Jerry for cash, and Alec apparently because of what the mother told him. Up that he was not keen to go. The last swim shows that even though they are now young adults there is still fun in the relationship: "we laughed and splashed each other with handfuls of star-silvered water". (59).

Leaving for War: The distorted relationship between Alec and the mother is seen again - "I find it impossible to discuss with you" (66). She had wanted him to go to war but as it's a manipulative relationship she wanted it on her terms, not on his. She finds his standing up for himself to be "extremely insolent" His decision to go is probably a way to break out of this relationship, and is one of the few decisive things he does, but it has tragic consequences making the point that manipulative relationships do have potentially dangerous consequences. She is proud of him (67) but there's also "a feeling of triumph" (66). Her efforts to be nice to Alec are rebuffed: "She touched my face with a cool finger. I shook it off as I would a fly. (66). His farewell with the father is warmer, the father gives him a special watch (the emotional warmth is reflected in the physical warmth of the watch: "It was warm in my hand with the warmth of his body" - 68), they shakes hands. The father doesn't want it to be a sentimental occasion: "Sentimentality doesn't suit either of us" (68).

The Horse Riding Episodes: We see the easy relationships between Jerry Alec and Bennett, regardless of class and rank differences. The common interest in horses bonds them together. Jerry and Bennett also share an interest in politics.

The Suffering Soldier: Alec and Glendinning get on marginally better in this scene than before or later (when he strikes Alec in the face), but there is tension also: “He gave me a ferocious little smile” (115); “You are a dismal creature, Moore” (119). Alec even gets personal: “I was supposed to be a delicate child” (120), but is not convinced there was much real communication: “The conversation, if that was what it had been” (121).

The Last Long Chat: The personal closeness of Alec and Jerry is conveyed by the their physical closeness as Alec warms Jerry up (“Get into my bed, it’s warm” -139). The physical closeness can be seen as part of the relationship, not just conveying it. There’s a strong emphasis on warmth through this extract, the physical warmth conveying the emotional warmth: “His mouth had made the bottle-mouth warm”; “He was trying to steal my warmth” (140); “My warmth was spreading through him” (141); “Jerry’s warmth lay lightly on my shoulder” (146). This one of their more deadly serious conversations - Jerry says: “I’m frightened ... I can smell it off myself” (143). Jerry puts his faith in Alec in this predicament, but Alec isn’t too sure what to do: “Oh God, see us through this one” (144). He in turn takes O’Keefe’s advice on what to do. O’Keefe: “Would you have a plan, sir?”; Alec: “No, O’Keefe I’m afraid I wouldn’t”. (145). Alec and Jerry discuss their now precarious future - Jerry opts for more in the line of relationship: he wants a “Vast” wife, but Alec shys away from relationship: “I will live alone” (141), and gives his reason, based on his own experience: “I’m only afraid when I’m with other people” (141).

The End: Alec stands up for Jerry to - when Glendinning suggests that Jerry might have been a traitor Alec says: “Rubbish”, showing how Alec is standing up to Glendinning, not allowing himself to be bullied. Despite his efforts he is ineffective at saving Jerry. At the end Alec and Jerry discuss their friendship - Jerry: “We’ve been friends”, Alec: “Right”, Jerry: “That was good”, Alec: “Very”, Jerry: “It mightn’t have gone on as we expected”, Alec: “It would”, Jerry: “I’d like to think so”. (154). They chat their way to the end, and there’s the apparent approval Jerry gives to Alec for what he is about to do: “He smiled at me” (155). Thus the relationship ends in destruction.

*page numbers, Penguin Edition.