The quotation by Wole Soyinka that "Colonialism bred an innate arrogance, but when you undertake that sort of imperial adventure, that arrogance gives way to a feeling of accommodativeness. You take pride in your openness" seems like a reasonable statement.
Some of the characters, like Kitty and Deputy Commissioner Waddington certainly seem to be arrogant. Waddington, while he knows a lot about Mei-tan-fu, drinks a lot, likes to eat (except salad), and he seems to spend a lot of time with Kitty, rather than the community. I could see him thinking that he is open and accommodating, but he seems more condescending about the local people. Kitty seems like she is developing some understanding and emotions after her visit to the nuns and her awakening to beauty. She wants to help the nuns, but it seems to be about making up for her actions, not true selflessness.
All in all, Soyinka’s statement seems potentially accurate, that Maugham is arrogantly using the idea of the purity and differentness of the colonialial setting to lead to changes in the colonizer, rather than caring about the colonized’s perspective.
Hello Casey,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the novel is starting to portray Kitty as someone who has started to assimilate to Mei-tan-fu. She has begun to develop sympathy for those that were ill and sick in Mei-tan-fu, and respect for those that take care of them. Previous to moving to Mei-tan-fu, Kitty was only to view the Chinese as servants. On the other hand, Waddington does seem to still have the "innate arrogance" that Soyinka describes, compared to the "accommodativeness" and "openness" that Kitty embraces.
Casey,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your perspective on these characters. Kitty certainly seems to have opened up and is starting to think about others for a change and isn't putting herself first. While I also agree that Waddington doesn't spend more time in the community than with Kitty, he does seem quite inviting to everyone he comes across but is definitely weary because he has lost so many friends. As we see from his interaction with the dead body outside of Kitty's home, he is ready to stop regarding them as humans when need be.