Mirrors, Echoes, Dialogues
A character as a social being
Orzeszkowa’s novel is deeply permeated by the idea of organicism – not only in its declarative but also structural aspects. As already mentioned, the characters are presented in interpersonal interactions as individuals shaped by social relations, and at the same time having a strong influence on their form, constituting a link between past and future generations. Therefore, the action unfolds primarily through dialogue, and the novel’s specific theatrical quality, noted already by early reviewers, is reflected not only in the penchant for meticulously constructed set design (that “upholstery cleverness” in Sienkiewicz’s term), which simultaneously characterizes the characters, in dramatic plot twists (such as Graba shedding his mask after the wedding), or in spectacular scenes framed by doorframes and doorways like tableaux vivants (this is how Celina Klońska sees the male company of gamblers in her home, which fills her with fear and a sense of threat, like a symbol of the menacing world “from outside” – Pan Graba, part 1, chapter 6, and Stanisław, tormented by jealousy, looks at his wife playing a sad melody on the piano as the embodiment of beauty and lost love – part 2, chapter 6). It can also be seen in the somewhat melodramatic behaviour of the characters, who verbalize their feelings in moments of strong emotions even when their only audience is the reader (for example, the aloud intrigues of Graba, who is hurt by rejection – part 1, chapter 8, or Kamilla’s attempted suicide – part 2, chapter 1).
The social dimension of human existence is most vividly illustrated by scenes of the deaths of three characters. Those whose sins are the result of error or weakness die in the arms of loved ones (like Mrs. G., struck with apoplexy, cradled by her daughter – Pan Graba, part 2, chapter 10). Their support allows them to overcome despair, anger, and fear of agony (e.g., Tozio Słabecki, who, thanks to his sister, passes away not with a curse on his parents, but with a prayer on his lips). The dead will be mourned and buried. Meanwhile, the titular character, who has become a social outcast, bids farewell to life with the death of the damned – when he reconciles with the sentence, expressed in the words: “Repent and die!,” he will be completely separated from all human relationships and, after a night spent alone, during which isolation intensifies the disintegration of his personality, he will inflict his own punishment. According to accepted religious and social norms, a suicide victim will be buried in an unmarked grave outside the human community – the sentence passed on an outlaw therefore extends even beyond death.
Orzeszkowa’s novel was critically acclaimed and enjoyed by readers, who recognized its noble approach and meticulous realism, its fidelity to the literary formulas of the era, the plausibility of the characters’ psychological behaviour, the specificity of its description, and the universality of its message. The dialogues appearing in the title of this essay are not merely conversations between the characters, which shape their personalities and influence their fates. The literature we encounter in Pan Graba is, above all, communication. Demonstrating her erudition, the author also engages in dialogue (and even polemics) with other cultural texts, as well as with the reader, whom she sometimes addresses directly to emphasize the importance of her warnings. This rather old-fashioned form of expression, however, is not jarring thanks to its moderation, a testament to the developing talent of Orzeszkowa, for whom Pan Graba is one of the works that marks the boundary between her early and mature work.
Przekład na język angielski Biuro Tłumaczeń Advance
