MAJOR TOPICS
River represents life. It is the central theme of the novel.
The entire series of events in the novel either takes place on the river or
revolve around it. The three men decide to take up a boating holiday up the
river Thames considering that they would have “fresh air, exercise and quiet”.
Human life
flows like a river, going through various beautiful as well as vile stages.
Similarly, their trip up the river serves as a frame for the novel that calls
for numerous anecdotes, funny incidents and misadventures. The river holds and
binds all these together providing unity to the novel.
HISTORY
The book was initially intended to be a serious travel
guide; and, the numerous references to the places of historical importance
indicate the same. The narrator also makes tongue-in-cheek comments with
reference to Queen Elizabeth, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
The
narrator muses on the chivalrous days of the knights and the maidens. He
speculates over the numerous historical figures associated with the towns and
villages that they pass through. He comments on the history of Kingston and
Marlow, considers Caesar to be a respectable man and ridicules the public
behaviour of Queen Elizabeth. The author even brings in the context of the
famous Hampton Court which became the palace of the Tudors and the Stuarts.
Long passages have been devoted to the descriptions of King John. He speaks of
the town of Staines where barons assembled before they met King John at
Runningmede in 1215.
Thus, the
novel becomes a form of historical guide that builds up in the course of the
three friends sailing through the Thames.
NATURE
The
narrator is fond of natural beauty. There are a number of philosophic and
sentimental passages where J muses on the beauty of nature. The novel gives
long descriptions of the scenic beauty of Kingston. The scenes of Kingston are
described in a picturesque manner as “so bright but calm, so full of life and
yet so peaceful.”
He
considers sailing a task that makes one a part of Nature. He says, “Your spirit
is at one with hers; your limbs grow light! The voices of the air are singing
to you.”
In a very
arresting tone, he praises the natural beauty of the night that one could feel
while camping out. He finds solace in the calm of the night as “Night’s heart
is full of pity for us.”
HUMOUR
With the
turning of the most casual and ordinary instances of life into funny
incidences, humour becomes the essence of the novel. The human weaknesses have
been ridiculed in a very light hearted and amusing way.
The jokes
seem still as fresh, amusing and topical as they were in the Victorian age.
They manage to raise a laugh because of their universal appeal to the readers.
In fact, the novel was meant to be a serious travel guide; however, its
humorous element turned it into a well-written comic novel.
The added
incidents, comic set-pieces, experiences and anecdotes from the three friends
make the reader laugh louder. The agony of putting up a tent in bad weather
conditions, the craving for mustard, uncle Podger’s episode, description of the
unreliability of the barometers, the story of the two drunken men sliding into
the same bed in the dark, the making of the Irish stew, the story about the
trout etc are things that the common man can easily relate to. All the
misadventures that they go through are depicted in an extremely funny manner.
FRIENDSHIP
The book is all about the three friends. The three men totally differ in
their approaches, attitudes and opinion. Still, they manage to make the best of
the trip. The book depicts a solid rapport between the three even though, at
most of the times, they disagree with each other. Unity in diversity is also
hinted throughout the novel as the three go through their journey on the river
representing that of life.
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