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INTRODUCTION TO JOHN GALSWORTHY: JUSTICE

UNIT STRUCTURE 1. Learning Objectives 2. Introduction 3. John Galsworthy 1. His Life 2. His Works 4. Background of the play 1. The action of the play and Significance of the Title 2. Characters in the play

7. Let Us Sum Up 8. Further Readings 10. Possible Question

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After going through this unit, you will be able to: discuss and explain the play-Justice, discribe the action of the play, discuss the role of the characters in the play and their contribution to the plot. value the play in its totality.

INTRODUCTION

This unit introduces you to the play Justice by John Galsworthy. He was a late- Victorian English playwright who was writing at a time when the society was witnessing many problems as a result of the growing division between the rich and the poor . Being an advocate, Galsworthy had a deep understanding of the process of law-making and of dispensing justice. Have you ever read any play or novel which deals with law and the criminals who violate these laws? In the play Justice, Galsworthy presents the life of a convict named Falder who had to suffer a lot because of a crime which was not so serious as to deserve that punishment.

Galsworthy engages with the issues of crime and punishment and views it in the light of the prevailing social situation in England. He writes in the genre of „problem plays‟ and accordingly, takes up a social, economic or legal problem under consideration.You may have heard about the playwright named George Bernard Shaw. Both Shaw and Galsworthy were deeply concerned with the prominent social issues of the day. We would do well to read the play Justice in the light of these issues. In this unit, you will get a general view of the life and works of John Galsworthy and a discussion of the background as well as the action of the play. You will also be provided with character analysis.

JOHN GALSWORTHY- HIS LIFE AND WORKS

John Galsworthy was born at Kingston near London on 14th August 1867. The son of a wealthy London solicitor and property owner, he was educated at Harrow and at New College, Oxford, where he studied law. He went on to Lincoln„s Inn and in 1890 was called t o the Bar .This legal training strengthened his natural tendency to judicious impartiality. For example , in Justice we note how he takes up the problem of the justness of criminal justice , in the way it is administered in the law courts of modern civilized societies . In spite of his sound legal training , Galsworthy hardly practised law and preferred to travel round the world and gathered a rich experience of life . He fell in love with his cousin‟s exceptionally beautiful wife Ada, with whom he maintained a warm relationship. They were married in 1905 and he remained devoted to her all his life. He died at Grave Lodge, Hampstead in North London on January 31st, 1933. Works: Galsworthy„s literary career began with a collection of short stories „From the Four Winds‟ (1897). This was a failure in every way. But his reputation as a novelist rose with the publication of the Forsyte Saga sequence (1906-1921) and A Modern Comedy, (The White Monkey , 1924 ;The Silver Spoon 1926; Swan Song , 1928 ). After World War I , Galsworthy faced bitter criticism by novelists of the new generation notably Virginia Woolf and D. H. Lawrence for his severe limitation of vision and for attending only to the social problems human beings . These criticisms had hardly affected his reputation and popularity as a conscious artist. As a dramatist , Galsworthy was one of those in the first decade of the 20th century who restored to the English theatre a substantiality of subject-matter which had long been absent from it. His plays dramatized ethical problems arising from social issues. In 1906 appeared The Silver Box , and with this play Galsworthy immediately established himself as a dramatic force in England. In Galsworthy we are confronted with a play which strives to gain dramatic effect from social

situations rather than from character. This experiment of Galsworthy „s was followed by Strife (1909), Justice (1910); The Pigeon (1912); The Eldest Son (1912); The Fugitive (1913); The Mot (1914) : The Skin Game (1920) and Loyalties (1922). Allardyce Nicoll observes of these plays that Galsworthy possessed certain sterling qualities. He had a profound humanitarian outlook upon life and strove to the best of his abilities to adopt an objective attitude. Indeed, though his emphasis did not rest upon individuals, he had the power to give a living quality to the persons with whom he dealt . Each of his plays had a profound impact on the contemporary society. Sir Winston Churchill, then Home Secretary, was so moved with the human suffering represented in Justice that he abolished solitary confinement in prisons. This is one of the many instances how his plays exercised his strongest influence for social reforms. Nevertheless Galsworthy is essentially more an artist than a social reformer. Besides his novels and plays, Galsworthy is credited with a number of excellent prose works which include Essays : The Inns Of Tranquility (1912), A Sheaf – 2 vols (1916-19) and Glimpses and Reflections (1937). As his fame and popularity grew, accolades and awards came to him. He refused a knighthood but accepted the highest British honour, the Order of Merit in 1929, honorary doctorates from several universities and the Nobel Prize for literature in 1932. Characteristically, he gave the prize- money to the P.E.N., the international fellowship of writers of which he was the first president . LET US KNOW Tragedy is a kind of play with a sad ending, usually with the death of the central character. These types of play existed long back in Greece and were known as classical tragedies. In the period during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Marlowe and Shakespeare, and later Webster wrote tragedies which have been known as Elizabethan tragedies. These tragedies invariably depict the fall of a great man- a king or a general or a leader- from a high social position due to a fatal flaw in his character. In the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the character of tragedy has undergone great changes by introducing real problems of the present- day world that confront individual men and women. These plays are known as modern social tragedies. Justice belongs to this category of tragedy.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Say whether the following statements are true or false. a) John Galsworthy began as a successful lawyer for a number of years before he started writing poetry. (T/F) b) With the Forsyte Saga, Galsworthy started his career as a dramatist. (T\ F) c) The Silver Box is Galsworthy„s first play that established his reputation as a playwright. d) Galsworthy draws his subject matter for his plays from British History. (T\F) e) Galsworthy attempted to dramatize ethical issues of his contemporary society. (T/F)

BACKGROUND OF THE PLAY

John Galsworthy „s play Justice belongs to the great tradition of the realistic social drama that was to exercise a deep impact during the early twentieth century . What characterized these realistic social plays is their intense preoccupation with social and moral issues. A theme of equal social impact that had received thoughtful considerationby social playwrights in general and Galsworthy in particular is the theme of crime and punishment . There developed a new awareness towards one of the gravest of social issues notably the rightness of legal justice. Plays that deal with social, moral and ethical themes are referred to as “problem plays”. The concern for rightness of legal justice is the central concern of the play John Galsworthy‟s play Justice and that makes it a “problem play”. Galsworthy wished to produce the natural spectacle of life with all its problems and moralizing undertones in a language that belongs to the common level of understanding and experience of the public.

The Action of the Play and the Significance of the Title

The play opens in the office of the managing clerk at the firm of James and Walter How. Robert Cokeson, the managing clerk is sitting at his table adding up figures in a pass- book when Sweedle, the office boy appears to inform that a lady wants to see Falder, a junior clerk in the office. The lady is called in. Introducing herself as Ruth Honeywell, she tells Cokeson that she wants to see Falder on personal business. Cokeson replies that it is against rules to allow private callers in the office, but when she insists that it is a matter of life and death, he reluctantly allows her to meet Falder who has just come in. Ruth informs Falder that her husband in a drunken state had tried to kill her and she fled with the children while her husband was asleep. As Falder reveals his plan to go away from England, they must pretend to be husband and wife. Ruth needs some money to make some purchases. Thinking that Falder is hesitant to go away with her, she offers to stay back with her husband and be killed rather than go away with him against his will. But Falder assures her that they will go and tells her to be at the booking office at 11:45 that night. But meanwhile James How, the senior partner, points out a discrepancy in the balance amount in the pass- book and soon it is found that a cheque drawn for nine pounds has been cashed for ninety pounds. Walter says that he had given the cheque to Cokeson. But as it was his lunch time, Cokeson had given the cheque to Davis, a junior clerk to cash it. Cokeson is upset and draws the conclusion that Davis who has just left for Australia had forged the cheque. Meanwhile, Cowley, the cashier of the bank who had encashed the cheque is called in so that he will be able to identify the person who had encashed the cheque. The cashier identifies Falder who has just come to James How‟s room as the person who had encashed the cheque for ninety pounds. When the cashier leaves, James calls in Falder and asks him about the cheque. Falder admits that Davis gave him the cheque to encash it. He did encash it but it was for ninety pounds. Falder suggests that possibly Davis altered the cheque before giving it to him. But James How tells him that the counterfoil of the cheque was with Walter till Tuesday and hence it was not possible for Davis to alter the figures in the counterfoil as he had already left for Australia on Monday. Being thus cornered, Falder admits his guilt and begs to be excused, pleading that he has committed the offence in a fit of madness. Besides, he even promises to return the money. Both Walter and Cokeson request James How to be lenient as this is his first offence. Walter would like to give Falder a chance for the sake of his future. But James is of the view that such persons are to be kept in prison. Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant Wister arrives and Falder is taken away on the charge of felony. Act II opens in the Court of Justice. The Court-room is crowded with barristers, reporters, ushers and jurymen. The trial of Falder is in progress. Falder is seen at the dock with a warden on either side of him. He is being tried for an offence he had committed on 7th July. On that day, he had forged a cheque. The offence was discovered on the 18th of July. He was arrested on the same day and was taken away to prison. He remained as an under-trial prisoner till October when the trial took place. In the trial, Falder is represented by Hector Frome, a tall young man in a very white wig. Harold Cleaver, the counsel for the Crown, is a dried, yellowish man, of more than middle-age in a yellowing wig.

Falder‟s counsel Frome does not dispute the fact of forgery of the cheque but takes up the plea that he had committed the offence “in a moment of aberration, amounting to temporary insanity” caused by violent distress under which he was labouring. He presents to the court the circumstances of his love for a woman married to a brutal drunkard and how he had planned to rescue her. He appeals to the jury to consider the fact that the unfortunate woman has no other means to save herself and her children, except by escaping with Falder to a foreign country. For that they require money. Driven by a desperate impulse to obtain the much- needed money, Falder altered the figures in the cheque. Frome argued that as Falder was not in a sane state of mind, he could not be held responsible for his action and to prove his contention, he cites the evidence, first of Cokeson, and next of Honeywill. After Frome, the defence counsel had examined both Cokeson and Ruth. Cleaver, the prosecution counsel, cross- examines Falder. In his evidence, Falder had taken the plea that he was off his mind when he forged the cheque and for four minutes, he knew nothing except that he ran to the bank. Cleaver‟s contention is that since Falder knew that he ran, he could not by any means have been unconscious of what he did or did not do when altering the cheque. Cleaver‟s view is summed up in this extract: Cleaver: Divested of the romantic glamour which my friend is casting over the case, is this anything but an ordinary forgery? Come. Falder: I was half frantic all that morning, sir. Cleaver: Now, now! You don‟t deny that the „ty‟ and the „nought‟ were so like the rest of the handwriting as to thoroughly deceive the cashier? Falder: It was an accident. Cleaver: (cheerfully) Queer sort of accident, wasn‟t it?...... Cleaver attempted to prove that Falder was not at all off his mind but had done everything deliberately in a planned way including going back to work in the afternoon after encashing the cheque and depositing nine pounds and changing the figures in the counterfoil five days later. Frome, the defence counsel, next addresses the jury by expressing his belief that the jury has already been convinced that the offence was committed in “a moment of mental and moral avcuity” arising from intense emotional excitement. He appealed to the jury that his objective was not to invest the case with “romantic glamour” but to show the background of “life” that had led to the offence. The act of forging the cheque was the work of four mad moments during which this weak and nervous young man had slipped into the cage of the Law. He had already passed two months in the prison as an under-trial prisoner and that had been punishment enough for him. However, Cleaver, the prosecution counsel, crushes Frome‟s plea of temporary insanity by quoting the managing clerk and the woman‟s statements that the accused was not mad, however excited or “jumpy” he might have been. Besides the seriousness of the offence, two other points needed consideration to prosecute Falder: his action that would shift the suspicion to Davis, the clerk who was on tour and his relations with a married woman. At the direction of the judge, the jury who had left the court room for a private discussion returns and announces that they have found Falder guilty. The judge agrees with the verdict of the jury

that Falder is guilty of forgery. While agreeing that Falder was overcome by emotions, the judge clarified the immoral nature of the emotions for which any plea for mercy could not be considered. He observed: “The Law is what it is- a majestic edifice, sheltering all of us, each stone of which rests on another. I am concerned only with its administration………You will go to penal servitude for three years”. Act III opens in the prison Governor‟s room. The date is 24th December. We recall that Falder was arrested on 18th July, was tried in October and sentenced to three years of penal servitude. The chief jail-warder, Wooder, has discovered a small, rough, handmade saw made by a prisoner named Moaney and who has cut his window bar with it. Moaney is an old jail- bird serving his fourth term. The warder reports to the governor that there is a general unrest among the prisoners, though they are in separate cells. The prisoner named O‟ Cleary began banging on his door that morning. The governor is worried at the discontentment of the prisoners. However, the prison chaplain is all for breaking the will power of these prisoners. Presently Cokeson, the managing clerk of the solicitors‟ firm where Falder worked, enters and meets the governor. He tells the governor that he has come to talk about Falder who was his junior clerk. Falder‟s sister had requested him to enquire about Falder. But the governor explains to him that as Falder is on a month‟s separate confinement, he is not allowed any visitors. Cokeson is upset to hear this and remembers how it had affected Falder‟s mind when he was an under-trial prisoner. Cokeson relates to the governor Falder‟s love with a married woman whose husband was a nasty and spiteful fellow. He refers to her desire to wait for him till he comes out. He tells the governor: “He‟s got three years to serve. I want things to be pleasant with him. He sees no good in solitary imprisonment.” The Chaplain however doesn‟t seem to agree with Cokeson‟s views. Meanwhile, the jail-doctor arrives and reports that solitary confinement is doing him no harm. But Cokeson refers to the great mental suffering of the young man. He then asks if the woman could be permitted to see Falder; that would do well to both of them. However, the governor tells him that such visits are against rules. Cokeson turns back sadly. Scene ii of Act III presents a vivid picture of the effect of solitary imprisonment on the prisoners by bringing out the episode of the inspection of the prison governor of the prisoners undergoing solitary confinement. First, the governor sees Moaney, inquires of him about the saw that he has made and whether he would give him his word not to try it again. But when Moaney does not wish to give his word, he is given two days‟ cell with bread and water. Next, the governor sees Clipton who is suffering from age complaints and is a nervous wreck for whom sleep is the only comfort. He complains about the noise from the adjacent cell. The governor then sees O‟ Cleary, the Irish prisoner who banged on the door in the morning. Being asked why he banged on the door, he says that the impulse to make noise seizes him; he cannot be steady. The noise that he makes with his hands will be conversation to him. The governor then goes to Falder‟s cell. He asks Falder to settle down to prison life calmly and not break down in nervousness. Falder says that he cannot sleep in the early hours of the morning and has the apprehension that he will not be able to come out of prison. The governor asks him to strengthen his mind and not to think of private troubles. Meanwhile, when the prison-doctor arrives, the governor asks him to examine

Falder‟s health. After examining Falder, the doctor reports that there is nothing wrong with him except his nervousness. Scene iii of Act III takes us to Falder‟s cell, a whitewashed space thirteen feet broad by seven deep- and nine feet high, with a rounded ceiling. His bedding lies rolled up in a corner. On a shelf above, lie several books. The novel Lorna Doone lies open on a small table. Above the table is hanging a shirt from a nail, his set work being to make button- holes in the shirt. There is a gas jet in a corner by the window covered by a thick glass. Falder is seen standing motionless trying hard to hear something, any little sound outside the silent prison cell. He paces the cell like an animal in a cage. There is a sharp tap and a click. A sound from far away terrifies him at first. But when the banging sound travels from cell to cell, his weak brain is overpowered. He swings his hand in a sort of unconscious response to the sound and at last begins to beat the door. Act IV opens in Cokeson‟s room on a March evening two years later. This point is interesting. We know that Falder was imprisoned in October for three years. But now we see that he has been released in about two years. Obviously, he has got partial remission of the three year term as we understand from Ruth Honeywill‟s discussion with Cokeson. She tells Cokeson that she met Falder the day before; he is all skin and bone. Falder had got a job but he could keep it for only three weeks. Cokeson asks her if she can do something for him, till he finds his feet. But she tells Cokeson of her difficulty in that matter as the money she earns is not enough for the two children. Then her employer kept her as his mistress and treated her well. But now that she has seen Falder released from prison, she will no more return to her employer and asks Cokeson if Falder could be employed back by the firm. Cokeson does not promise anything but tells her that he will speak to the partners. Then Ruth goes out. Presently, Falder enters the room. Cokeson shakes hands with him and tells him that he intends to speak to the partners about him. Falder then relates to him how, after his release, he found employment but when the other clerks came to know of his past, he gave up the job in shame. He then got another job, but could not stick to it. He did something wrong by giving false references and being afraid he left the job. He also tells Cokeson about his ill- treatment at the hands of his sister‟s husband who wanted to pay him twenty- five pounds to see that he left for Canada for good. Cokeson too wanted to offer him the money but Falder declines the offer. Falder next relates his meeting with Ruth and his love for her inspite of the fact that it has caused him so much misery. Falder remarks with bitter irony that everyone seems to be sorry for him but all are afraid to associate with him. Presently, when the partners of the firm, James and Walter How, arrive Cokeson sends Falder to retire into the clerk‟s office in order to talk about him to the partners. Cokeson pleads with James on behalf of Falder by saying that he is quite repentant. He requests the partners to take him to fill a vacancy which happens to exist in the firm. James, the senior partner, is rather unwilling to have an ex- convict in the office. But Walter feels that they ought

to

help

Falder.

James tells Falder that he may have a chance in the office, but he must guard against two things. First, he must get rid of the notion that he is unjustly treated. But Falder states that if first offenders like him are treated differently and somebody could take care of them instead of sending them to prison, most of the confirmed jail- birds would not have been in jail at all. James, however, has his doubts about so much goodness in human nature. He tells Falder that he must put all his past behind him and build himself up a steady reputation. Secondly, James asks Falder to give up his connections with Ruth. Unless he does so, he would not be able to keep straight. But to Falder, his love for Ruth is the only thing that he looks forward to all the time. James thinks that the reputation of the firm cannot allow him to have a clerk who is not morally strong. If Falder agrees to give up Ruth, he can come, otherwise not. However, Falder declares that they cannot give up each other. James adds that he might overlook if Falder had any chance of marrying her. Walter offers to see if their firm can manage a divorce. With James‟ permission, Falder beckons Ruth to come up. Ruth comes in and stands calmly by Falder. James tells her about Falder and wants her to have courage enough to give him up if she wants Falder to be taken in the office again. But Falder is not prepared to give her up. However, at James‟ insistence, Ruth agrees to leave Falder alone. At that moment, Falder realizes that Ruth had behaved immorally during his absence. He almost breaks down in despair. At that moment, the detective sergeant, Wister, comes in and says that he is looking for the clerk named Falder whom he wants arrested here. He tells James and the others present that Falder has failed to report himself regularly to the police and lately he is wanted in connection with a forged reference with which he secured an employment. Cokeson tries to put him off by asking him to come some other time. James too does not show his inclination to help out Wister. But when Wister notices Falder‟s cap left behind on the table, he makes towards the room where Ruth and Falder are waiting. Wister catches hold of Falder and as they go downstairs together, Falder throws himself down. His neck is broken and the dull thud of the fall is heard by James and others in the room. Ruth is about to fall in a faint and as Walter and Cokeson take care of Ruth, Sweadle rushes out and with Wister‟s help, brings in Falder‟s body to the outer office. Ruth breaks down but Cokeson holds out his hand to Ruth saying that no one would touch Falder now; he is safe with gentle Jesus. A close look at the subject-matter is necessary in order to decide whether the title „Justice‟ is appropriate for the play. The play can be seen as a commentary upon the administration of criminal law in England during Galsworthy‟s time. The basic issues raised are: 1.Even if the law is justly administered, does it do real justice to the criminal? 2.While the law aspires to be just to all, is a person given the deserved justice? 3.Does Falder, who is sent to prison for a period of three years, suffer more than he deserves at the hands of the harsh and unimaginative prison administration? The solitary imprisonment administered to Falder for committing the offence of tempering a cheque is an important angle in our attempt to find an answer to the question whether Falder was

dispensed the deserved justice. This whole effort is as the chaplain says, “to break the perverted will of the prisoners”. After his release from the prison, he finds that he has not been able to escape the mental agony that he suffered during his solitary imprisonment. Justice was done to him by sending him to jail. But “the rolling of the chariot wheels of justice” crushes him and along with him, his beloved Ruth. Galsworthy brings out the social system of contemporary England which is so indifferent to the individual. In the name of giving protection to them, the system administers a kind of justice which lies at the root of the tragedy. Hence, the title is quite justified in its implications of irony concerning the mechanisms of the legal system. LET US KNOW In the discussion of Justice, the term „social problem‟ has been used on several occasions. Social problems are the themes of modern social tragedies. Because of their preoccupation with social problems, these plays are known as “problem plays”. In these plays, the individual is pitted against the big forces of society, suffers and perishes. Falder in Justice is pitted against the force of the law and is crushed at the end. The cause of his suffering and tragedy is rooted in social ills and errors from which he could not come out.

ACTIVITY

1. Make a list of the characters that we meet in Act 2. Find out the time span between Falder‟s arrest in Act I and his trial in Act II.

I.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

1. What is the offence committed by Falder? Why did he commit the offence? 2. Who were Falder‟s defence and prosecution lawyers? 3. Why, according to Falder‟s lawyer, Falder should not be pros ecuted? 4. What was the decision of the jury? What was the verdict of the judge? 5. What is the cause of Cokeson‟s worry about Falder‟s solitary confinement? 6. What did the prison doctor say about Falder‟s health? 7. James agrees to re- employ Falder in the firm on two conditions. What are they? 8. Galsworthy‟s Justice is developed around the fall of a great p er son named Falder. (True/ False) 9. The central character of the play is the force of the law. (True/ False)

Characters in the Play

Galsworthy, in his plays, was always concerned more with institutions and conventions than with people. The most striking example is Justice wherein Galsworthy is more concerned with the administration of this law in the name of justice than with the presentation of human characters. The force of the Law itself is the central character of the play. The working of this force is felt by the harassed soul of Falder like a net in the meshes in which he is caught. Yet, it would be interesting to see how Galsworthy presents his range of characters in the play. A few of his characters are outlined below: Falder: Falder is the most important character in the play around whom is woven the problem of justice. Unlike the heroes of Elizabethan tragedies, Falder is not a towering personality. He is just an ordinary, commonplace junior clerk in the solicitor‟s office of James and Walter How. The most striking aspect of Falder‟s character is his weak, easily excitable nervous nature. In his first conversation with Ruth in Act I, his nervous nature becomes apparent. We note that he has “rather scared eyes”. When we meet him in the opening Act, Falder was never a habitual criminal. The offence that he had committed was due to extreme pressure. His easily excitable, nervous nature had seen the act of altering the cheque as the simplest way of obtaining the muchneeded cash. He wanted the money so badly in order to save a distressed woman from the hands of her brutal husband. It is possible to accept that Falder is sincere in his love for Ruth. He becomes upset to hear about her husband‟s brutality on her and becomes all the more desperate to rescue her. But the way he tries to do so reveals the approach of a weak mind. His plans involve : a) forging the cheque and b) running away with her to South America where they would live as man and wife. The decision to forge the cheque may be taken on the spur of the moment but the circumstances point to an elaborate plan. Hence, the plea of temporary insanity raised by his defence counsel, Hector Frome, was torn apart by Harold Cleaver, the counsel for the crown . Besides this weakness in his character, Falder appears to be extremely impulsive. His crime, done quite consciously and intentionally, was indeed the impulse of a moment. Walter is of the view that “it must have been the temptation of a moment”. Even Cokeson stated to the court that he did not think Falder was “quite compose when he did it “. Falder‟s own version as to the circumstances that had prompted him to alter the cheque also reveals this point . He states , “ it just flashed across me that if I put the –ty and the nought there would be the money to take her away “.Even his act of committing suicide in all probability is the outcome of his impulsive nature . Like the decision to alter the cheque, the decision to end his life was taken on the spur of the moment. There is something pathetic in Falder all through the play. The way he tries to rescue a woman in distress, the way he tortures himself in his solitary confinement , the way he tries to start all over again by forging references , the way he was treated by his relatives and acquaintances in his past

convict life, bring out a pathetic side of his character . When he comes to know of Ruth‟s relationship with her employer, we feel that with his love lost, it is all over with him. The suicide is inevitable in his case. Ruth: Ruth is the only woman character in Galsworthy‟s play Justice. Married to a drunken, inhuman person, life for her has been a nightmare. The conventions and shackles of social morality make her a helpless victim. But she does not appear as helpless as the weak-minded Falder. She has the courage to ask Falder to tell her frankly if he repents his decision to run away with a married woman . In that case , she would stay on with her husband and even get killed by him rather than force herself on the unwilling Falder . Thereby, she presents herself as a strong-willed , determined woman who is conscious of her position in relation to the society but not willing to submit to it tamely . She is determined to run away with Falder rather than live with a brutal husband. But when Falder is arrested on the charge of forging the cheque, she has to fend for herself. She leaves her husband by taking the children with her and finds an employment. However, though she got involved with her employer, her love for Falder was alive in her. Hence, in the court scene when Frome asked her if he still loved Falder, she made no hesitation in replying that he had ruined himself for her. A little later she told the jury “I would have done the same for him; I would indeed.” Even when Falder was in prison she felt that Falder was the only thing in her life. It is this love for Falder and her own stern dignified manner that is the most striking side of her character. However , at the end of the play when Ruth confronts the dead body of Falder in the outer office of the solicitors‟ firm , her passions for Falder become fairly revealing . Her heart - broken whisper, „my dear ‟ , „ my pretty ‟ are indeed the revelations of a lovelorn heart . Outwardly she has poise and self-control , but, in fact, her passion for Falder does surface now and then . She suffers much indeed and undoubtedly this is largely due to her love for a person with a weak will and nervousness . Cokeson: Robert Cokeson is introduced in Galsworthy‟s play Justice as the managing clerk of the solicitor‟s firm of James and Walter How Unlike the other characters of the play, Cokeson displays different perspectives of his character in his dealings with the other characters of the play . The first striking feature that we notice in Cokeson‟s character is his innate good nature. When Ruth visited the office to see Falder, a junior clerk, he was a little taken aback. He suggested that she should go to his private address as it was rather unusual to have private meetings in the office . But being a good natured man and noting that she was in some distress, he allowed her a minute. He would like everything in the office to be in proper order, to be “jolly together”. But when Falder confessed his guilt of forging the cheque he was greatly disturbed. All he could say was, “Dear, dear! What a thing to do! However such a thing could have come into your head!” He was startled that someone who was working in the office could break the law like that.

Cokeson has great affection for Falder and is full of appreciation for his sincerity in work. So he is rather puzzled when Falder commits the offence. Nevertheless, his affection for Falder has not been affected. In fact , he not only gives the court positive evidence in support of his good behaviour but also visits the prison to see him during the period of his solitary confinement. He is rather disappointed that the prison Governor didn‟t allow the meeting. At the end of two years, when Ruth visits him in the office with a request to employ Falder in his former position he, out of his good nature and affection for Falder, talks to James How, the partner of the firm . He pleads with James saying that Falder is quite repentant. He has had his lesson and the partner might take him in to fill up a vacancy which happened to exist at the time . James is unwilling to take an ex-convict in the office. It is largely due to Cokeson and the support from Walter , the junior partner that James agrees to re- employ Falder . All would have gone well but for the arrival of the Detective Sergeant Wister when things take a wrong turn culminating in the suicide of Falder . Cokeson stands out as the embodiment of middle-class conventional social morality. He has a high regard for the court of law and gives his testimony with all impartiality, giving full credit to the honesty of Falder . Because of his love for conventional social morality he does not see any reason to contradict James when the latter decides to prosecute Falder for the offence . He does not take sides with Walter who is all for the acquittal of Falder. Finally, we note that Cokeson is essentially a kind-hearted man. He is critical of the views of the prison Chaplain: “I keep dogs ….. I wouldn‟t shut one of them up all by himself, week after week, not if he bit me all over”. He is pained to hear that Falder wanted to bang his head against the wall. He is all sympathy for Ruth and is disturbed by her immoral act. Yet he holds forth his hand to lend support to the fallen woman as if she were one of his own people. These traits in Cokeson‟s character make him endearing to us. LET US KNOW The professed aim of the modern dramatist is to bring the language of his drama to the level of common understanding and experience. Instead of high rhetorical expressions, there is the use of day- to- day language. Such language is the best vehicle to express social reality of the modern tragedy.

ACTIVITY

1. Between James and Walter, who seems to you to be sympathetic to Falder? 2. From the reading of the play what idea do you form about the system of justice in

general? Does the system need some reform?

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

1) Which aspect of Falder‟s character appears to you to be the most striking? 2) Does Ruth appear to be a helpless victim of society? 3) How can you say that Cokeson is an essentially kind hearted man?

FURTHER READINGS

1. Evans, B. Ifor. A Short History of English Drama, 1948. 2. Ford, Boris. Ed. Pelican Guide to English Literature-The Modern Age. Second Edition, 1963. 3. Hampend, John. ed. JusticeJohn Galsworthy. New Delhi: S. Chand & Company Ltd. 4. Schalit, Leon. John Galsworthy, A Survey, 1929.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

1. What is a problem play? What social problems does Galsworthy bring out in Justice? 2. Why does Galsworthy call his play Justice? 3. Explain briefly the circumstances that had led Falder to forge the cheque. 4. What is the basic argument of Hector Frome, in the trial of Falder? 5. What is the argument of Harold Cleaver, the Counsel for the Crown, in the trial of Falder? 6. Describe the effect of solitary confinement on (a) Moaney, (b) Clipton, (c) O‟ Cleary and (d) Falder. 7. Sketch the character of Falder. 8. Sketch the character of Ruth Honeywill. 9. Sketch the character of Cokeson. 10. Discuss the views of James How on the offence committed by Falder. TOP About Us | Career | Feedback | Sitemap | KKHSOU Faculty | Alumni Registration | Telephone Directory | Staff Corner | Grievances Redressal | Tender Notices I KKHSOU Audio Programmes | KKHSOU Audio/Video Programmes | JNAN Taranga | Studyl Centres | Contact us © Copyright 2011 KKHSOU . All Rights Reserved | Site Designed & Developed by RBS

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