Analysis of the short story "Pornography" by Ian McEwan
“Pornography,” by Ian McEwan, is a highly metaphorical, symbolic, allegorical, and ironic journey through the life of O’Byrne after he discovers that he has “The Clap,” which he announces, proudly, to his brother as if contracting this disease is an achievement (393). The carelessness of this character is further illuminated when the reader discovers that he has two girlfriends, Pauline, a trainee nurse and Lucy, a Sister Nurse, that work at the same hospital where he is getting his treatment for his STD. The story is a spectacle of grotesqueness with many ironies and foreshadowing; furthermore, the ideas and themes in this story are similar to
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.”
The destructive force of disillusionment and gluttony is a prominent theme in “Pornography,” which is the same premise in “Gatsby.” Another parallel idea is the allegorical characters. For instance, all the characters in McEwan’s story are disillusioned: O’Byrne thinks he’s a sly pimp, Harold believes his business in the Soho (small office, small home) market will be so successful, and O’Byrne’s girlfriends trust him, even though he’ll leave for days at a time without calling. These characters are also gluttonous: O’Byrne is a glutton for sex (and punishment), while his girlfriends enjoy cruelty too much and Harold is greedy. O’Byrne is the only character who is punished for his atrocities; he experiences severe and unexpected consequences for his infidelity at the end of the story.
Along with disillusionment, an identity crisis follows. Harold, like Gatsby, is obsessed with something to the point that his persona revolves around a Holy Grail, but what he fails to realize is that this grail is unattainable because it is an illusion; Gatsby is infatuated with Daisy and Harold is fixated with money. O’Byrne is also like Gatsby because he has no identity, and like Nick Carraway, O’Byrne is on a quest, though a bit more twisted and humorous; he’s on a quest to get rid of his STD and muster up the courage to tell his girlfriends that they probably contracted the clap. Thus, Harold and O’Byrne are allegorical characters of gluttony. In addition, O’Byrne represents carelessness. And then Pauline represents suppression. Her passivity is illustrated when she hides her feelings of abandonment from O’Byrne after he ignored her for a couple of days; O’Byrne finally says to her: “’I never knew what’s going on in your mind.’” (395-396). He is obviously taking advantage of Pauline’s passivity. All three characters suffer from an identity crisis, but all have different results: Harold just continues living in his disillusionment; Pauline allows her anger to build up until she’s aggressive at the end, and O’Byrne is severely punished by two women.
Like “The Great Gatsby,” “Pornography” is decorated with highly symbolic elements. For instance, the grotesque imagery and people sets the tone for the place, as well as, represents the personalities of the characters in McEwan’s short story. There a few symbolic techniques used in “Pornography” that is parallel with the methods used in Gatsby. First, Fitzgerald uses color a lot throughout his story, second, the appearance of a character represents his or her personality, and third, one character is always referred to by his or her last name. All of these techniques are also found in “Pornography.”
Pauline’s exterior could be illustrating more than just her appearance; “bloodlessly pale, intersected by a heavy black fringe, her eyes large, green and watchful, (394).” This description mirrors how people visualize vampires, and while this does contradict her quiet, sensitive personality, it does mirror the sadistic side of her character that emerges at the end of the story (or her Goth look could be for the sake of irony). Also, the green eyes could be a representation of her lustfulness. There are a couple other references to the color green (i.e. green stains on O’Byrne’s body, page 395; and the “ponderous green contents” that was coughed out by the shriveled man in the brown coat, page 397).
What isn’t said is also symbolic; all the characters’ appearance is described, even the unimportant ones like the “shriveled man with a brown coat, (397)” has a visual to go along with his personality, except for the main character, O’Byrne. And he is only referred to by his last name throughout the story, except for the very end when his first name is finally revealed (403). This symbolizes his lack of identity. He has also developed a false sense of self through his penis, which he literally looses (partially) at the end of the story. Other than his infidelity, alcoholism, STD, and his job as a sales clerk for his brother, nothing is revealed about him; nothing about his past, no introspection, and no physical appearance; it’s as if he’s trying to find himself through corruption.
Ironic and foreshadowing elements are intertwined throughout the story. Sometimes the paradox works with the prediction, sometimes they work separately. The first irony is in the title because it contrasts the setting of the story; other than porn shop that Harold owns and the sadomasochist fetishes, which are only minor parts of the story rather than actual themes, the title has no relevance to the rest of the narrative; furthermore, the grotesque images throughout contrast the definition of pornography – erotic images to cause arousal. Perhaps pornography is meant as a negative connotation rather than the actual definition.
Sadistic nurses are another irony. Nurses are associated with extremely caring and loyal individuals; the nurses in this story are loyal, but are extremely vindictive if the trust is broken. And outside of Lucy’s work, she has a fetish for inflicting pain. She is also the Sister Nurse who is ten years older than trainee, Pauline (398). And Pauline takes her training into the sadist arena at the end of the story when she assists Lucy with her half castration of their unfaithful boyfriend (403). This is there revenge for his infidelity as well as his gift of gonorrhea.
The two girlfriends discovering each other are foreshadowed when O’Byrne is receiving one of his routine injections for his STD at the hospital where they work. The doctor inquires about his recent sexual history and O’Byrne invents a story about “a whore at Ipswich bus station (399);” It does not occur to him that his girlfriends might discover their gonorrhea on their own, nor does it occur to him that they might be honest when asked about their sexual history. It’s especially plausible that symptoms will occur because he ignores them for a little over a week (399), which is enough time for symptoms to emerge. And then, when he finally contacts Lucy by phone, he is not suspicious of her vivacious and unquestioning behavior even after ignoring her for so long, “O’Byrne prepared his story, but Lucy did not ask him where he had been (400).”
This is unusual behavior, especially since he was questioned about his whereabouts when he was gone for three days at another time (398). If he was grilled because he was missing for three days, but immediately forgiven after ten, then this should raise suspicions. But of course O’Byrne doesn’t think with the right head (the one that will be removed at the end of the story); the only warning signs he sees are the ones that affect his penis. And even though revenge is expected, especially from a sadist, the extremity of the punishment is shocking. The irony at the end is that they begin this procedure as if it were another day at work, “She nodded briskly at Pauline. ‘If you’ll secure that strap, Nurse Shepherd, then I think we can begin, (403).”
There are also minor ironies throughout the story that don’t have a deep impact on one’s interpretation of the story. First, the only magazine that Harold sells in one day is American Bitch (394); it’s ironic because the setting is in London. Second, an abandoned church, The House of Florence warehouse is renovated into a porn shop. And third, Harold wants to call his store, “Transatlantic Books” (397), which has nothing do with the kind of reading material he’s selling, other than the American Bitch magazine, which makes the sarcasm even cheekier. So, these ironies are humorous anecdotes interjected to create a dark, yet humorous tale.
Because this story so allegorical and symbolic, it is possible that there is a message that McEwan wants to communicate about gluttony, identity, and “facing the music” right away before suffering worse consequences, and (especially) honesty. On the other hand, because this story is so grotesque, scandalous, and sardonic, it’s also possible that “Pornography” is merely for entertainment and shock value. Whether or not the author had an intention, the techniques leave much room for interpretation, and these methods can also be found in “The Great Gatsby,” so perhaps McEwan’s intent was to leave the analysis up to the reader.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.”
The destructive force of disillusionment and gluttony is a prominent theme in “Pornography,” which is the same premise in “Gatsby.” Another parallel idea is the allegorical characters. For instance, all the characters in McEwan’s story are disillusioned: O’Byrne thinks he’s a sly pimp, Harold believes his business in the Soho (small office, small home) market will be so successful, and O’Byrne’s girlfriends trust him, even though he’ll leave for days at a time without calling. These characters are also gluttonous: O’Byrne is a glutton for sex (and punishment), while his girlfriends enjoy cruelty too much and Harold is greedy. O’Byrne is the only character who is punished for his atrocities; he experiences severe and unexpected consequences for his infidelity at the end of the story.
Along with disillusionment, an identity crisis follows. Harold, like Gatsby, is obsessed with something to the point that his persona revolves around a Holy Grail, but what he fails to realize is that this grail is unattainable because it is an illusion; Gatsby is infatuated with Daisy and Harold is fixated with money. O’Byrne is also like Gatsby because he has no identity, and like Nick Carraway, O’Byrne is on a quest, though a bit more twisted and humorous; he’s on a quest to get rid of his STD and muster up the courage to tell his girlfriends that they probably contracted the clap. Thus, Harold and O’Byrne are allegorical characters of gluttony. In addition, O’Byrne represents carelessness. And then Pauline represents suppression. Her passivity is illustrated when she hides her feelings of abandonment from O’Byrne after he ignored her for a couple of days; O’Byrne finally says to her: “’I never knew what’s going on in your mind.’” (395-396). He is obviously taking advantage of Pauline’s passivity. All three characters suffer from an identity crisis, but all have different results: Harold just continues living in his disillusionment; Pauline allows her anger to build up until she’s aggressive at the end, and O’Byrne is severely punished by two women.
Like “The Great Gatsby,” “Pornography” is decorated with highly symbolic elements. For instance, the grotesque imagery and people sets the tone for the place, as well as, represents the personalities of the characters in McEwan’s short story. There a few symbolic techniques used in “Pornography” that is parallel with the methods used in Gatsby. First, Fitzgerald uses color a lot throughout his story, second, the appearance of a character represents his or her personality, and third, one character is always referred to by his or her last name. All of these techniques are also found in “Pornography.”
Pauline’s exterior could be illustrating more than just her appearance; “bloodlessly pale, intersected by a heavy black fringe, her eyes large, green and watchful, (394).” This description mirrors how people visualize vampires, and while this does contradict her quiet, sensitive personality, it does mirror the sadistic side of her character that emerges at the end of the story (or her Goth look could be for the sake of irony). Also, the green eyes could be a representation of her lustfulness. There are a couple other references to the color green (i.e. green stains on O’Byrne’s body, page 395; and the “ponderous green contents” that was coughed out by the shriveled man in the brown coat, page 397).
What isn’t said is also symbolic; all the characters’ appearance is described, even the unimportant ones like the “shriveled man with a brown coat, (397)” has a visual to go along with his personality, except for the main character, O’Byrne. And he is only referred to by his last name throughout the story, except for the very end when his first name is finally revealed (403). This symbolizes his lack of identity. He has also developed a false sense of self through his penis, which he literally looses (partially) at the end of the story. Other than his infidelity, alcoholism, STD, and his job as a sales clerk for his brother, nothing is revealed about him; nothing about his past, no introspection, and no physical appearance; it’s as if he’s trying to find himself through corruption.
Ironic and foreshadowing elements are intertwined throughout the story. Sometimes the paradox works with the prediction, sometimes they work separately. The first irony is in the title because it contrasts the setting of the story; other than porn shop that Harold owns and the sadomasochist fetishes, which are only minor parts of the story rather than actual themes, the title has no relevance to the rest of the narrative; furthermore, the grotesque images throughout contrast the definition of pornography – erotic images to cause arousal. Perhaps pornography is meant as a negative connotation rather than the actual definition.
Sadistic nurses are another irony. Nurses are associated with extremely caring and loyal individuals; the nurses in this story are loyal, but are extremely vindictive if the trust is broken. And outside of Lucy’s work, she has a fetish for inflicting pain. She is also the Sister Nurse who is ten years older than trainee, Pauline (398). And Pauline takes her training into the sadist arena at the end of the story when she assists Lucy with her half castration of their unfaithful boyfriend (403). This is there revenge for his infidelity as well as his gift of gonorrhea.
The two girlfriends discovering each other are foreshadowed when O’Byrne is receiving one of his routine injections for his STD at the hospital where they work. The doctor inquires about his recent sexual history and O’Byrne invents a story about “a whore at Ipswich bus station (399);” It does not occur to him that his girlfriends might discover their gonorrhea on their own, nor does it occur to him that they might be honest when asked about their sexual history. It’s especially plausible that symptoms will occur because he ignores them for a little over a week (399), which is enough time for symptoms to emerge. And then, when he finally contacts Lucy by phone, he is not suspicious of her vivacious and unquestioning behavior even after ignoring her for so long, “O’Byrne prepared his story, but Lucy did not ask him where he had been (400).”
This is unusual behavior, especially since he was questioned about his whereabouts when he was gone for three days at another time (398). If he was grilled because he was missing for three days, but immediately forgiven after ten, then this should raise suspicions. But of course O’Byrne doesn’t think with the right head (the one that will be removed at the end of the story); the only warning signs he sees are the ones that affect his penis. And even though revenge is expected, especially from a sadist, the extremity of the punishment is shocking. The irony at the end is that they begin this procedure as if it were another day at work, “She nodded briskly at Pauline. ‘If you’ll secure that strap, Nurse Shepherd, then I think we can begin, (403).”
There are also minor ironies throughout the story that don’t have a deep impact on one’s interpretation of the story. First, the only magazine that Harold sells in one day is American Bitch (394); it’s ironic because the setting is in London. Second, an abandoned church, The House of Florence warehouse is renovated into a porn shop. And third, Harold wants to call his store, “Transatlantic Books” (397), which has nothing do with the kind of reading material he’s selling, other than the American Bitch magazine, which makes the sarcasm even cheekier. So, these ironies are humorous anecdotes interjected to create a dark, yet humorous tale.
Because this story so allegorical and symbolic, it is possible that there is a message that McEwan wants to communicate about gluttony, identity, and “facing the music” right away before suffering worse consequences, and (especially) honesty. On the other hand, because this story is so grotesque, scandalous, and sardonic, it’s also possible that “Pornography” is merely for entertainment and shock value. Whether or not the author had an intention, the techniques leave much room for interpretation, and these methods can also be found in “The Great Gatsby,” so perhaps McEwan’s intent was to leave the analysis up to the reader.
posted by Diana | 3:19 PM
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