Posted: March 3rd, 2022

Cal by Bernard MacLaverty Critical Analysis

Task: Choose a novel I which the central character is involved in conflict. Briefly outline the nature of the conflict and then in more detail explain how it helped illustrate the theme(s) of the novel. In your answer you should deal with at least two of the following: setting, characterisation, dialogue, key incident, theme, or any other appropriate feature.
Bernard MacLaverty’s brilliant novel “Cal” tells the story of a young man’s involvement with the IRA and his struggle to cope with the repercussions of his actions. The novel makes the reader contemplate the violence and aggression that infests areas of our society and how religious hatred and bigotry can have devastating effects on people’s lives. The protagonist, Cal McLuskey, is involved in many conflicts throughout the text; all of which help to illustrate the key theme of isolation. Our appreciation of this concern is further enhanced by the author’s use of setting and characterisation.
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Set amidst the conflict of 1980’s Northern Ireland, “Cal” tells the tale of a nineteen-year-old Catholic, Cal McCluskey. Life is not easy for Cal: he and his father, Shamie, are the only Catholics living a Protestant Estate; he is unemployed; his mother died when he was only eight; his brother was killed while working abroad; his relationship with his father is very strained and he is involved with the IRA. Throughout the course of the novel, Cal struggles to come to terms with his role in the murder of an RUC police officer by his acquaintance, Crilly; an operation for which he was the getaway driver. To make matters worse, Cal finds himself falling in love with the slain man’s wife, Marcella.
The setting of the novel is very effective in highlighting the conflict Cal is involved in, whilst also effectively illustrating the key theme of Isolation. Cal lives with his father, Shamie, in Northern Ireland on a Protestant Estate and as they are Catholics, the only Catholics living there, there is conflict between Cal and Shamie and their neighbours. Cal’s home is like a prison to him, socially isolating him from the world in which he lives.
“He could not bear to look up and see the flutter of Union Jacks.”
This is an example of the Religious divide between Cal and his neighbours. It tells us Cal is very aware of his surroundings at this point in the novel and he feels insecure here. He feels like he does not belong and feels uncomfortable in his Protestant environment, therefore isolating himself from everyone around. He feels alone and scared of what will happen to him if he stays there any longer. Cal and Shamie’s neighbours want rid of them and try to scare them out their own home by posting threatening messages through their front door:
“GET OUT YOU FENYAN SCUMOR WE’LL BURN YOU OUT
THIS IS YOUR 2ND WARNING THERE WILL BE NO OTHER.”
Here we can see the extreme hatred that is shown towards Cal and his father. They are being called “Fenyan Scum” indicating that those around them think they are disgusting and worthless because of their religion. Cal and Shamie are subject to verbal, physical, and psychological abuse. However Shamie will not leave his home just because he has been told to, he is stubborn and this causes tension between Cal, Shamie and the loyalists which makes them isolated in their own estate.
Cal’s relationship with his father is very strained. They rarely agree and have conflicting views on how to deal with their social isolation. Cal does not like the sight of blood and refused to work in the abattoir with Shamie which causes conflict between them both. This makes Shamie feel extremely disappointed in his son.
“It sticks in my throat that he got the job that you gave up because you hadn’t a strong enough stomach. Now he’s got money to burn and you’re running about borrowing fags. Not to mention the embarrassment it caused me.”
Shamie wants Cal to follow in his footsteps as he is his only son left, Cal’s older brother was killed while working abroad. Since Cal’s mother died when he was eight, Shamie and Cal only have each other and the conflict between them is increasing because if they do not have each other they do not have anyone. They are both isolated in their house because there is not a very good relationship between them. They are not close and barely engage in conversation with each other. They are both socially isolated in their own home. There relationship highlights isolation due to the conflict between them.
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It is not only the relationship between Cal and his father that highlights the theme of isolation but also Cal’s relationship with his ‘friends’, Crilly and Skeffington. They are heavily mixed up with the IRA and in a sense bully Cal into getting involved also. Crilly and Skeffington are very high believers of the ’cause’ and when Cal rejects their beliefs there is conflict between them all.
“Because we have committed ourselves, Cahal, it is our responsibility. We have to make the sacrifices.”
Crilly and Skeffington believe so much in the cause that they kill for it. When Cal played a part in RUC officer, Robert Morton’s death, he becomes repulsed at his actions. Because Crilly and Skeffington believe this is the right thing to do, that it is OK to kill for the Cause, Cal decides he wants to leave the IRA. Crilly and Skeffington do not react well to Cal’s remorse and as a result of this Cal totally isolates himself from them. When he does this he becomes companionless and on his own.
By rejecting the beliefs and aims or the IRA, Cal finds that he is ideologically isolated. Cal is constantly surrounded by news of deaths and war and conflict between two opposing beliefs. Even though he was involved with the IRA he does not believe in killing. The abattoir symbolises the conflict in Northern Ireland at the time with all the deaths and bloodshed. Cal hates going to the slaughterhouse and detests blood in any way, shape or form:
“He loathed them, made from blood, like cross-sections of large warts bound in black Sellotape.”
This is when Cal is describing black pudding and is a perfect example of his hatred for blood. He feels he is the only person who does not like killing. Cal detests the slaughterhouse because it reminds him of the war going on and maybe reminds him he was once involved in the murder of a man. Maybe this is another sign of his guilt. However, because he does not believe people should be killed he does not fully support the IRA and is therefore isolated because he is suddenly against people like Crilly and Skeffington for not believing what they feel is right. Cal just wants a free Ireland but does not believe killing is the right way to get it.
As the novel progresses we discover the extent of Cal’s emotional isolation. It is Cal’s involvement with the IRA that leads to his relationship with Marcella, thus Cal’s involvement in this conflict is the main cause of isolation. Cal wants redemption for his involvement in Robert Morton’s murder. He does this by confiding in Marcella. If it was not for the IRA he would not know who Marcella Morton was. When he gets close to Marcella he is longing to confess what he has done, he wants to apologise. Then he starts feeling guilty for feeling some sort of happiness:
“The happier Cal felt, the sadder he became. He wants to confess to her, to weep and be forgiven.”
Cal feels he should not be allowed to feel happy since he was involved in a killing. He wants Marcella to redeem what he has done and forgive her but he knows he cannot tell her. This makes him isolated because he has to bottle up everything he feels. In the end of the novel I think Cal feels extremely relieved he is going to get what he feels he deserves:
“The next morning…almost as if he had expected it, the police arrived to arrest him as he stood in a dead man’s y-fronts listening to the charge, grateful that at last someone was going to beat him within an inch of his life.” Read also Critical appreciation of the poem “Old Ladies’ Home”.
This is almost contradictory. He wants to get punishment for what he has done so that he can be free of his sin. Cal feels relieved that he has been found out and has not gotten away with what he has done. He is grateful that finally he is going to get what he deserves and is going to be punished. This highlights isolation as he was alone and needed to tell someone what he has done but he could not. The guilt was torturing him inside but he could not do anything about it.
So in conclusion, Bernard MacLaverty’s novel “Cal” effectively shows the degree to which isolation can affect us. We see this through the examples of religious bigotry and also how relationships with friends and family can affect lives.

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