Brendan Behan: Nationalism, Human Nature, and Literary Legacy

Introduction

Brendan Behan contributed much to the literary genre, though his literary achievements are often overshadowed by his public recognition as a drunk, disorderly, and frequently entertaining member of society. Many literary critics fail to recognize Behan for the serious contributions he made to writing, choosing instead to focus on the controversy surrounding his work ethic and personal habits.

This paper asserts, however, that Behan used his writing to voice his disagreement with the notion of cultural nationalism that prevailed in Ireland during his lifetime. Brannigan (2002) supports this claim, arguing that Behan's writing allowed him to "articulate dissent" and contributed to the emergence of revisionist and other critiques of nationalism.

This paper also explores the idea that Behan wrote from a strictly humanistic standpoint, attempting to enlighten his audience with amusing anecdotes about human nature and sharing the notion that all humans are subjected to the same living conditions and torments. His implicit argument is that freedom from life's constraints lies in the ability of people to overcome their differences and recognize their similarities. His writing suggests a preoccupation with — and even a love for — the diverse nature of humankind.

Brendan Behan: Biography and Background

Brendan Behan was an Irish author known for his strong political writing and satire (Jasto, 2000). Behan contributed to the literary genre by "colorfully depicting the life of ordinary people" in a manner that prompted readers to question their own behaviors and preoccupations (Jasto, 2000). Many of his literary works were banned, and Behan himself spent much of the period between 1939 and 1946 in penitentiaries as a result of political charges (Jasto, 2000).

Behan was born to working-class parents with strong connections to the socialist Irish Republican movement as well as to the Dublin theatre (Demastes & Schrank, 1997). His mother was married to a union leader and Irish Republican Army (IRA) member who first encountered Brendan through prison cell bars due to his IRA activity (Demastes & Schrank, 1997).

Behan began his writing career with attempts at "patriotic poetry and prose" while still in school; his first real job was that of housepainter (Demastes & Schrank, 1997). His early life was characterized by intense political involvement. He was arrested in 1941 for political activity and sentenced to fourteen years of penal servitude, of which he served only five (Demastes & Schrank, 1997). He was arrested again in 1947 for assisting an IRA prison escape, and twice more after that — each time in England, where he was subsequently deported back to Ireland (Demastes & Schrank, 1997).

Many critics have described his writings as lively and full of humor, rather than laden with the political satire often attributed to him. Nevertheless, Behan was known for expressing his political views throughout his work, as evidenced in Borstal Boy, where he writes:

"It was not really the length of the sentence that worried me… For I had always believed that if a fellow went into the I.R.A. at all he should be prepared to throw the handle after the hatchet, die dog or lose the license… But that I'd sooner be with Charlie and Ginger and Browny than with my own comrades… that I should prefer to be with boys from English cities than with my own countrymen from Ireland's hills" (Borstal Boy, 1958; cited in Jasto, 2000).

This short excerpt illustrates how Behan weaves autobiographical experience and personal commentary into his writing on human nature and politics.

Behan grew up in the slums of Dublin (Jasto, 2000), but he did not succumb to the hardships poverty brought; rather, he used his intelligence to pursue a proper education (Jasto, 2000). He primarily attended Catholic schools, becoming well educated and widely read, and developing "strong Republican sympathies" (Jasto, 2000).

Behan is noted for writing dramas that utilize music, song, and dance to address the audience directly, suggesting the influence of Bertolt Brecht (Jasto, 2000). He acquired widespread fame in the mid-1950s.

Brendan's life and contributions have been described as full of "nationalism and betrayal, commitment and compromise, militancy and recalcitrance, violence and writing" (Brannigan, 2002, p. 39). Many criticized his writing, claiming that he was a typical Republican who deserted his political commitments "for the attractions of literary fame in England" (Brannigan, 2002, p. 39). Still others claimed he abandoned his cultural nationalism in favor of a more anonymous existence, and that his writing served as mere Irish entertainment (Brannigan, 2002).

Behan on Human Nature

Behan's early works centered on a desire to "satirize the conventions that make life so difficult and demanding" (Gonzales, 1997). His themes were therefore directed at mocking conventional wisdom through the use of flawed, morally ambiguous characters making recognizably human mistakes. Behan consistently questions human nature and behavior in his work, and his characters are often portrayed as apathetic toward improving society as a whole (Gonzales, 1997). Most are concerned with laughing at their circumstances rather than improving their condition, suggesting that Behan's primary emphasis may have been a discourse on the limited control individuals have over their environment (Gonzales, 1997).

Behan spent a brief period writing for the Irish Press, where he contributed a column collection entitled Hold Your Hour and Have Another. These pieces were written to entertain and to investigate the manner in which people converse and communicate, "often with disastrous results" (Gonzales, 1997).

From these works and others, it appears that Behan devoted much of his creative energy to commenting on human beings and their behavior, perhaps out of genuine respect and affection for the human race (Gonzales, 1997). In The Quare Fellow, Behan explores how humans react to the presence of death, and also considers themes of sex, politics, and religion (Gonzales, 1997). He suggests that prisoners are no worse than their captors, implying that all people share the same fundamental plight and that the penal system is hypocritical at best (Gonzales, 1997). It is in this work that his political sentiments are first clearly expressed.

In Borstal Boy, Behan tells the story of two young men attempting to retain their humanity despite inhuman treatment, while also exploring the capacity of two people to transcend their cultural differences and form a genuine friendship (Gonzales, 1997). He further suggests that there may be no institution where two such people can find authentic human connection — except, perhaps, within the prison itself (Gonzales, 1997).

Behan wrote his first play, The Landlady, while imprisoned for political activities (Demastes & Schrank, 1997). He spent a large portion of his life in prison and was initially better known for his personal behavior — particularly public drunkenness — than for his literary output (Demastes & Schrank, 1997). Behan struggled with alcoholism, which ultimately led to his self-destruction and what some describe as an "international career as a media figure" (Demastes & Schrank, 1997).

References

Behan, B. (1958). Borstal Boy. London: Hutchinson.

Brannigan, J. (2002). Belated Behan: Brendan Behan and the cultural politics of memory. Éire-Ireland: A Journal of Irish Studies, p. 39.

Demastes, W. W., & Schrank, B. (1997). Irish playwrights, 1880–1995: A research and production sourcebook. Westport: Greenwood Press.

Gonzales, A. G. (1997). Modern Irish writers: A bio-critical sourcebook. Westport: Greenwood.

Jasto, K. (2000). Brendan Behan. Retrieved October 10, 2004, from

Silltoe, A. (1959, August). Proletarian novelists. Books and Bookmen, 13. Cited in Brannigan, J. (2002). Belated Behan: Brendan Behan and the cultural politics of memory. Éire-Ireland: A Journal of Irish Studies.