Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1991. British and American Philologycal Studies (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 20)
László Dányi: Universal implications of William Styton's Southern Heritage
22 Schick injector blades, an unopened cellophane-wrapped box of three dozen rolled and lubricated Trojan condoms with 'receptacle tips', a jar of Breck's anti-dandruff shampoo, a tube of Rexall nylon dental floss,Personal order is inconsistent with organized systems in SC. Stingo begins his career on the twentieth floor of the McGraw-Hill Building "an architecturally impressive, but spiritually enervating green towerMcGraw-Hill represents what Styron understands as organized system: the organized oppression of a given group of people in the name of their deviation from an established norm. After being detached from the values of the old South and after losing their balance, their personal order, the protagonists escape into the world of fantasies and dreams. The South is the starting point for the characters and their belief in a "Winniethe-Pooh world of sweetness and light."^ is the first step in leaving the reality of the actual world behind. The "Winnie-the-Pooh world" occurs several tunes in the novels as an expression of childhood innocence. At the beginning of LDD we can see "Peyton twisted up in a chair, calmly reading Winnie-the-Pooh."^ Helen, Peyton's mother, reads "stories about people who hardly even existed."^ 7 However, time and experience destroy Peyton's childhood innocence and her naive faith in a benevolent world. The dream-world expresses longing for order but the popular stories about "Pocahontas saving John Smith" do not lead to a better understanding of the self and the world around. "There was something open and withdrawn about her at the same time; there seemed to be a part of her that he couldn't reach. She complained of a headache... perhaps she was drowning, she announced with a pretty yawn ... 'Did you ever read Winnie-the-Pooh?' she said, and he was about to answer, but a man with a broom came by, sending the pigeons aloft like feathered rockets, and Harry leaned down and said, 'You know you're beautiful"^ This conversation between Peyton and Harry, and the recurring theme of the "Winnie-the-Pooh world" reflect how desperately Peyton searches for love and balance. The "Winnie-the-Pooh world" isolates her from reality and she cannot escape because her dreams and hopes, "the pigeons", were sent "aloft". The greatest contradiction of the Winniethe-Pooh world" lies in its double feature. The possibility of escape into an imaginary world of clear-cut values and the impossibility of returning to the values of the Southern past are both included in it. However, in order to be saved, dreams must justify Peyton's existence. Dreams form an important part of Styron's subconscious. He says in an interview, "... dreams are a very impressive part of my subconscious. They linger with me ... and seem to be
