Writing: Fools of Fortune

Gimena Gomez Ferrante

I and the public know

What schoolchildren learn,

Those to whom evil is done

Do evil in return.

“September 1, 1939,” Auden, 1940

Auden’s poem “September 1, 1939” refers to the outbreak of the Second World War, more precisely, to the German invasion of Poland which took place on that date. The quote mentioned above is introduced in the second stanza of the poem together with several allusions to Hitler and Germany, and refers, indirectly, to the Treaty of Versailles. Thus, Auden deems the signatories of such Treaty as the doers of evil or, at least, as the ones to blame for German aggression in 1939. Auden’s quote may be used to explore Willie Quinton’s behavior in William Trevor’s novel Fools of Fortune.

Some ten years after the Black and Tans had set ablaze Kilneagh, the family’s property, Willie’s mother decided to commit suicide. This event changed Willie`s life completely. He was forced to take revenge against Sergeant Rudkin, the Tan who had instigated the fire. At this point in the novel, he vanished from Co. Cork and from everybody’s life. Gradually, Willie’s crime came to be known through the town’s inhabitants’ innuendo. Thus, Willie returned evil to those who had wrecked his family’s happiness.

Just as Auden’s justifies or tries to give reasons for the German attacks by stating that they had a right to retaliate, the characters in Fools of Fortune condone Willie’s actions. They state that he needs to be alone, and to make peace with certain aspects of his life. For instance, when Marianne was trying to find Willie, Mrs. Sweeney told her: “I think your cousin would want to be on his own. (…) There’s things you wouldn’t want to disturb, girl.” (Trevor, 1983:136) Later on, Miss Halliwell stated: “Can you blame him for going away? Can you blame him for leaving this miserable country and starting life afresh?” (Trevor, 1983: 141-142) These assertions indicate that everyone knew what Willie had done, and understood why he had done it.

However, in returning evil to the destroyers of the Quinton’s house and happiness, Willie also hurt those whom he loved. Thus, Marianne and Imelda became innocent victims of his vengefulness. In Marianne’s case, he left her alone with their child and she suffered great pain because of his abandoning them. In her grief, Marianne exclained “What courage your mother possessed to draw a sleeve back and expose those vulnerable arteries throbbing beneath the skin, to take the blade (…) to bear the pain, the silver of metal slipping home. (…) I wish I had your mother’s courage” (Trevor, 1983:143). Even though Willie made a commitment to provide for her and their child, she did not lead a happy, fulfilled life.

Imelda also suffered from her father’s absence. Since most people in Co. Cork made a big deal about Willie, she became curious about her father’s whereabouts and the reason why he had left. Thus, she secretly read her mother’s diary and a newspaper cut-out referring to murder. She also eavesdropped on Marianne’s conversations. This way, she found out that her father had killed a former Black and Tan, and that he lived in different places so as not to be caught. All these findings, together with the fact that she did not know her father, provoked Imelda’s insanity. In the end, she decided to live in a world of her creation so as not to deal with reality. Thus, when Willie eventually returned, he was unable to enjoy his daughter’s company because she was not fully aware of his presence. Willie and Marianne only “exist in the idyll of their daughter’s crazy thought.” (Trevor, 1983: 192)

Willie even ended up destroying his own life. After the murder, he lived as an outcast moving around from place to place. Moreover, he missed the opportunity of forming a family with the love of his life, Marianne. Even though none of this is mentioned in the novel, some conclusions can be drawn from other characters’ comments. Father Kilgarriff once told Marianne: “For God’s sake, what kind of an existence do you think he has? In one Godforsaken town after another?” (Trevor, 1983:166) This way, not only did Willie ruin his enemy’s life, but he wrecked his loved ones’ and his own as well.

In all, as Auden states in his poem, everyone, even children, knows that most human beings are naturally vengeful: when wrong is done some kind of retaliation is to be expected. However, it should also be anticipated that revenge, in general, does not solve any problem. Moreover, it tends to make matters worse. Willie is a clear illustration of this. He returned evil to the Black and Tan who had brought about his family’s destruction, and in so doing he prevented Marianne, Imelda and himself from leading a joyful life.