Divine Ryans the Role of

¶ … Divine Ryans The Role of Aunt Phil and Uncle Reginald in the Divine Ryans In Wayne Johnston's the Divine Ryans, Aunt Phil is the stern matriarch of the family, while Uncle Reginald serves as a sort of ironic patriarchal counterpart. Wayne Johnston's comic novel the Divine Ryans tells the story of Draper Doyle, a young boy growing up in a working-class Canadian Catholic family in the 1960s. Shortly upon the death of his father, Draper Doyle moves with his mother and sister into the home of his Aunt Phil.

If Aunt Phil is the stern matriarch of the family, then Uncle Reginald serves as a sort of ironic patriarchal counterpart. Each is meant to represent two different worlds - Aunt Phil is associated with tradition, religion, and seriousness; while Uncle Reginald represents secular life, joviality, and the intellect. Throughout the novel, Aunt Phil is portrayed as a solemn character, so devoted to the Catholic faith that she is seemingly unable to see the joy and happiness in life.

She is in many ways the exact opposite of Uncle Reginald, a jovial, non-practicing Catholic whose lively sense of humor seems to enliven Draper Doyle and inspire him to endure the hardships of adolescence with lightness and ease.

The contrast between the two characters' innate natures comes to the forefront at such heated moments as the episode when, on the first anniversary of the father's death, Draper Doyle's mother announces she wishes to go back to school: Now don't you start," Aunt Phil said, pointing at him, "don't you start." Why shouldn't a young woman like Linda have an education?" said Uncle Reginald.

More people have ruined their minds by getting an education," Aunt Phil said, "than have gone to hell, and that's saying something." Donald had an education," said Uncle Reginald. For a while, there was silence. Then Aunt Phil turned to Sister Louise. "To think," she said, almost tearfully, her voice breaking, "to think that this man has his father's name." I'd rather have his money," said Uncle Reginald, at which Aunt Phil stood up and pointed at him.

You'll burn," she said, "you'll burn," as if he had already burned, as if there was nothing on the chair across from her but a pile of ashes. Soon after, with Father Seymour and Sister Louise doing their best to keep Aunt Phil and Uncle Reginald apart, the gathering broke up (179).

In many ways, Uncle Reginald is representative not only of secular as opposed to devout life, but to intellectual life as opposed to philistinism (as is obvious in his defense of education in the passage quoted above.) Uncle Reginald "mentors" young Draper Doyle by inviting him to submit to "psycho-oralysis" - the inverse of psychoanalysis, in which he, as the oralyst, lectures Draper Doyle about life - not without his typically sardonic sense of humor, either.

The day after we watched yet another version of a Christmas Carol, Uncle Reginald devoted a full session of oralysis to it. He invented something called the Tiny Timometer, an instrument which measured cuteness, and said that we should take readings from it throughout Christmas, especially when corny movies were playing.

Every night after that, as we sat watching the likes of Hayley Mills and Julie Andrews succumbing to the call of the convent while angels sang and light came breaking through the clouds, Uncle Reginald would consult the Tiny Timometer, take readings and announce them to the living room (93-94). These sessions - and Uncle Reginald's continual presence in the young boy's life - provide him with the father figure he is otherwise lacking.

Uncle Reginald also serves as comic relief for the tenser moments that arise frequently in the course of the novel. Aunt Phil, unlike Uncle Reginald, feels that it is her duty to maintain the family's various traditions - not only in their faith, but in their business dealings, as well. Her worldview is tainted by fear, which is why she feels it necessary to have as much control as possible over the actions of others in the family. Some mornings, I had woken.