Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1993. [Vol. 1.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 21)

STUDIES - Anna Jakabfi: Regionalism and the Surgeon Figure in Hugh MacLennan's Fiction

layers of these distinctions in Montreal entirely escaped his notice. I'm sure he was snubbed dozens of times; I'm equally sure he never noticed it."

—says George Stewart

—

1

2 To carry his disrespect for morality into extreme, he applies violence, punches people when no other argument works. Jerome Martell's terms of human obligations seem superhuman just as his physical and spiritual abilites are superhuman. He embodies life-force. Towards the end of the novel Jerome Martell encourages George Stewart to live Catherine's death. No matter how strong George's anger towards Jerome is, for having shortened Catherine's life with moral strength to not only continue to stand by Catherine, but also to make her last years happy. "You must learn to build a shell around yourself like a snail and every now and then you must creep inside of it. Two days inside and you'll come out able to face anything... The shell is death. You must crawl inside of death and die yourself. You must lose your life. You must lose it to yourself... When things become intolerable

—you must die within yourself. Your soul is making your body revolt against what you think you have to bear. You can only live again by facing death. Then you outface it. You must say to yourself, and mean it when you say it: vWhat difference does it make if she does? What difference does it make if I die? What difference does it make if I am disgraced? What difference does it make if everything we've done means nothing?' You must say those things and believe them. Then you will live."

1

3 The doctor figures of Hugh MacLennan can love women, however, they are never romantic. Reason, logic, scientific knowledge, thus objectivity reigns over their emotions. Angus Murray had once been married to an American girl and she died soon after he had left medical school. He left for France to fight in World War I and "Death suddenly seemed unimportant and life seemed everything" to him.

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4 1

2 Cf. op. cit pp. 3,157 1

3 Cf. op. cit pp. 3, 366. 1

4 Cf. op. cit pp. 2, 33. 53