ass is Singing” is a story of a failed marriage. Discuss. [NU: 2019]
Doris Lessing’s (1919–2013) “The Grass is Singing” (1950) is a powerful novel about broken lives. At the centre is the marriage of Mary and Dick Turner. Their marriage begins in fear. It continues in misunderstanding. It grows bitter in poverty. It ends in loneliness and death. The story shows how two weak people destroy each other in marriage.
The Unhappy Marriage: Mary Turner is happy in town. She works, plays games, and has many friends. At thirty, she hears gossip. Her friends laugh at her childish clothes and single life. They say,
‘‘She’s not fifteen any longer: it is ridiculous! Someone should tell her about her clothes.’’
She becomes restless. She thinks, perhaps they are right. Perhaps she must marry. So she becomes engaged with a 55-year-old man (Widower). But for the old man’s sexual proposal, Mary refuses to marry him. Then, she meets Dick Turner. He is lonely and poor. He wants a wife to help him. He wants children. Mary wants to escape from gossip. So, she accepts his proposal quickly. Lessing writes,
“They were married by special licence two weeks later.”
This marriage is not made of love. It is born of fear and need. From the start, it is weak.
Mary’s Dissatisfaction after Marriage: Dick loves farming. He often says that the farm will succeed. He dreams of building a big thatched house. But the farm fails again and again. Mary does not like his dream. She hates the veld. She loves the town. She thinks,
“It is bad enough living in a pigsty like this.”
She wants comfort, clean ceilings, and a social life. Dick feels guilty for not giving her comfort. Mary feels cheated for living in poverty. They want different lives. Distance grows between them.
Financial Struggles after Marriage: The Turners are very poor. Dick’s farm is always in debt. He borrows money from Charlie Slatter. He cannot buy good furniture. He cannot even repair the house. Mary feels disgust. She hates the dirty walls. She suffers in the heat.
Poverty kills her respect for him. She sees him as weak. He becomes submissive, asking her,
“Darling, do you hate me for bringing you here?”
She forgives him coldly, only to feel powerful. Their marriage becomes a prison.
Loneliness after Marriage: Mary is lonely on the farm. She has no white friends. She only has servants. She treats them harshly. She whips Moses. She dismisses Samson. She watches every servant with suspicion. Dick is busy with the lands. He does not see her pain. He asks her to join him in the fields. She refuses. She says,
“It is so hot down there. You are used to it.”
She stays in the house. The heat, the silence, and the boredom break her mind. She becomes bitter. She cannot love Dick. She feels only hatred. Their bond dies slowly. They live together but are already apart.
The Final Tragedy: At the end, Dick falls sick. He loses his strength. He becomes almost mad. He cannot fight poverty. Mary is left alone. She begins to depend on Moses. He is the servant she once beat. She fears him but also needs him. This breaks the “colour bar.” Society cannot accept this. Charlie Slatter and Sergeant Denham try to hide the scandal. But it is too late. One night, Moses kills Mary. Dick loses his mind. The marriage ends in death and madness. The grass sings over their failure.
“The Grass is Singing” is truly the story of a failed marriage. Mary marries out of fear, not love. Dick marries with impossible dreams. Poverty crushes their spirit. Loneliness poisons Mary’s mind. The bond between them breaks completely. Their end is tragic. Lessing shows that a marriage without love, respect, and unity cannot survive. Their broken marriage is the heart of the novel.
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