Appearance
Excerpt
Excerpt from Tales and Fantasies, by Robert Louis Stevenson
CHAPTER I—IN WHICH JOHN SOWS THE WIND
JOHN VAREY NICHOLSON was stupid; yet, stupider men than he are now
sprawling in Parliament, and lauding themselves as the authors of their
own distinction. He was of a fat habit, even from boyhood, and inclined
to a cheerful and cursory reading of the face of life; and possibly this
attitude of mind was the original cause of his misfortunes. Beyond this
hint philosophy is silent on his career, and superstition steps in with
the more ready explanation that he was detested of the gods.
His father—that iron gentleman—had long ago enthroned himself on the
heights of the Disruption Principles. What these are (and in spite of
their grim name they are quite innocent) no array of terms would render
thinkable to the merely English intelligence; but to the Scot they often
prove unctuously nourishing, and Mr. Nicholson found in them the milk of
lions. About the period when the churches convene at Edinburgh in their
annual assemblies, he was to be seen descending the Mound in the company
of divers red-headed clergymen: these voluble, he only contributing
oracular nods, brief negatives, and the austere spectacle of his
stretched upper lip. The names of Candlish and Begg were frequent in
these interviews, and occasionally the talk ran on the Residuary
Establishment and the doings of one Lee. A stranger to the tight little
theological kingdom of Scotland might have listened and gathered
literally nothing. And Mr. Nicholson (who was not a dull man) knew this,
and raged at it. He knew there was a vast world outside, to whom
Disruption Principles were as the chatter of tree-top apes; the paper
brought him chill whiffs from it; he had met Englishmen who had asked
lightly if he did not belong to the Church of Scotland, and then had
failed to be much interested by his elucidation of that nice point; it
was an evil, wild, rebellious world, lying sunk in dozenedness, for
nothing short of a Scots word will paint this Scotsman’s feelings. And
when he entered into his own house in Randolph Crescent (south side), and
shut the door behind him, his heart swelled with security. Here, at
least, was a citadel impregnable by right-hand defections or left-hand
extremes. Here was a family where prayers came at the same hour, where
the Sabbath literature was unimpeachably selected, where the guest who
should have leaned to any false opinion was instantly set down, and over
which there reigned all week, and grew denser on Sundays, a silence that
was agreeable to his ear, and a gloom that he found comfortable.
Explanation
Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Tales and Fantasies by Robert Louis Stevenson
This passage is the opening chapter of "The Misadventures of John Nicholson" (sometimes titled "The Sire de Malétroit’s Door"), a short story from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1882 collection New Arabian Nights, later republished in Tales and Fantasies. The story is a darkly comic, satirical, and morally ambiguous tale about a foolish young man whose recklessness leads to dire consequences. The excerpt introduces John Varey Nicholson, a naive and complacent young Scotsman whose father is a rigid Presbyterian, setting the stage for John’s eventual downfall.
Context & Background
Historical & Religious Context
- The "Disruption Principles" refer to the Great Disruption of 1843, when the Free Church of Scotland broke away from the Church of Scotland over issues of state control and theological purity. Figures like Dr. James Begg and Robert Smith Candlish were prominent leaders in this movement.
- Stevenson, a Scotsman himself, often critiqued the hypocrisy and dogmatism of Scottish Presbyterianism, which he saw as stifling and self-righteous. His father and grandfather were lighthouse engineers, but his family had strong religious ties, and Stevenson frequently satirized the rigid morality of his upbringing.
- The "Residuary Establishment" and "doings of one Lee" likely refer to legal and theological disputes of the time, which would have been well-known to Scottish readers but obscure to outsiders—highlighting the insularity of this religious world.
Literary Context
- Stevenson was a master of Gothic fiction, adventure, and psychological realism. This story blends satire, moral fable, and dark humor, foreshadowing his later works like The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886), where duality and self-destruction are central themes.
- The title of the chapter, "In Which John Sows the Wind", is a biblical allusion to Hosea 8:7 ("They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind"), suggesting that John’s foolishness will lead to disaster.
Themes in the Excerpt
Stupidity & Self-Deception
- John is introduced as "stupid," yet Stevenson immediately undercuts this by noting that "stupider men than he are now sprawling in Parliament"—a satirical jab at political incompetence.
- His "cheerful and cursory reading of the face of life" suggests willful ignorance, a refusal to engage deeply with reality. This sets up his later reckless behavior (he gets drunk, loses his way, and stumbles into a deadly situation).
Religious Hypocrisy & Dogmatism
- John’s father is a stern, unyielding Presbyterian, representing the oppressive morality of Scottish Calvinism.
- The "Disruption Principles" are described as "the milk of lions"—nourishing to believers but incomprehensible and absurd to outsiders. This highlights the insularity and self-righteousness of the movement.
- The father’s rage at the outside world (which he sees as **"dozened"—a Scots term meaning stupor or bewilderment) shows his contempt for those who don’t share his beliefs.
Isolation & Control
- The Nicholson household is a "citadel"—a fortress of rigid rules, where prayers are timed, Sabbath literature is censored, and dissent is crushed.
- The "silence" and "gloom" that grow denser on Sundays suggest a joyless, oppressive environment, where fear and conformity replace genuine faith.
- This stifling atmosphere may explain John’s later rebellion—his foolishness is partly a reaction against his father’s tyranny.
Fate vs. Free Will
- The narrator suggests two explanations for John’s misfortunes:
- Philosophy (his own cheerful ignorance led to his downfall).
- Superstition ("he was detested of the gods").
- This duality (human folly vs. divine displeasure) sets up the story’s moral ambiguity—is John a victim of bad luck or his own poor choices?
- The narrator suggests two explanations for John’s misfortunes:
Literary Devices & Stylistic Analysis
Irony & Satire
- "Stupider men than he are now sprawling in Parliament"—a biting satire on political incompetence.
- The "milk of lions"—an oxymoron (nourishing yet fierce) that mocks the self-importance of religious dogma.
- The father’s "oracular nods" and "austere spectacle of his stretched upper lip" paint him as a comically stern figure, more concerned with appearances than true piety.
Imagery & Atmosphere
- The gloomy, silent household is described with sensory details ("silence that was agreeable to his ear, and a gloom that he found comfortable"), creating a cloying, oppressive mood.
- The "chill whiffs" from the outside world contrast with the false security of the home, foreshadowing John’s eventual exposure to danger.
Scots Dialect & Cultural Specificity
- Words like "dozenedness" (a Scots term for stupor) and references to Edinburgh’s Mound and Randolph Crescent ground the story in Scottish culture, making the religious disputes feel hyper-local and exclusionary.
- The obscure theological references (Candlish, Begg, Lee) would be meaningless to outsiders, reinforcing the insularity of this world.
Foreshadowing
- The title ("Sows the Wind") hints at future consequences.
- The father’s rage at the outside world foreshadows John’s own reckless venture into that world, where he will face real danger (in the full story, he stumbles into a duel to the death).
Significance of the Passage
Critique of Religious Dogmatism
- Stevenson mockingly exposes the hypocrisy of strict Presbyterianism, showing how it stifles individuality and breeds resentment.
- The father’s obsession with control contrasts with John’s careless freedom, setting up a generational conflict.
Exploration of Folly & Consequence
- John’s naivety is not just personal but cultural—he represents a young Scotland breaking free from old traditions, but without wisdom or direction.
- The story warns against recklessness, suggesting that ignoring reality (whether through religious dogma or hedonism) leads to disaster.
Stevenson’s Style & Influence
- The blend of humor, satire, and dark foreboding is classic Stevenson, influencing later writers like Jorge Luis Borges and Neil Gaiman.
- The psychological depth (John’s complacency vs. his father’s rigidity) foreshadows Jekyll and Hyde’s exploration of duality.
Conclusion: What the Text Reveals About John’s Fate
This opening establishes John as a tragicomic figure—neither a hero nor a villain, but a fool whose downfall is inevitable. His father’s oppressive piety has failed to guide him, leaving him ill-prepared for the real world. The satirical tone suggests that both extremes (rigid dogmatism and careless hedonism) are dangerous, and John’s lack of balance will lead to his undoing.
In the full story, John gets drunk, loses his way, and is forced into a duel—a literal "reaping the whirlwind" for his sowing the wind. The excerpt sets up this irony perfectly: his cheerful ignorance is no match for the harsh realities outside his father’s false citadel of safety.
Stevenson’s mastery lies in making John both pitiable and ridiculous, a cautionary tale about the dangers of extremism—whether in religion or recklessness.