Poor Things

by Alasdair Gray

does life mainly evolve through small gradual changes, or through big catastrophic ones?

said Baxter, “instead of making money out of them, they would unite to prevent diseases, not work separately to cure them.

You think you are about to possess what men have hopelessly yearned for throughout the ages: the soul of an innocent, trusting, dependent child inside the opulent body of a radiantly lovely woman.

Our vast new scientific skills are first used by the damnably greedy selfish impatient parts of our nature and nation, the careful kindly social part always comes second.

“Only bad religions depend on mysteries, just as bad governments depend on secret police. Truth, beauty and goodness are not mysterious, they are the commonest, most obvious, most essential facts of life, like sunlight, air and bread. Only folk whose heads are muddled by expensive educations think truth, beauty, goodness are rare private properties. Nature is more liberal. The universe keeps nothing essential from us—it is all present, all gift. God is the universe plus mind. Those who say God, or the universe, or nature is mysterious, are like those who call these things jealous or angry. They are announcing the state of their lonely, muddled minds.”

and nothing we do not know (whatever we call it) is more holy, sacred and wonderful than the things we know—the things we are! The loving kindness of people is what creates and supports us, keeps our society running and lets us move freely in it.”

Women need Wedderburns but love much more their faithful kindly man who waits at home.

cupidity

Then I studied Punch again and wondered why the well-dressed English people in the pictures were handsomer and less comic than anyone else, unless they were newly rich.

Not many English can be regarded as natives because we have a romantic preference for other people’s soils,

Before now I thought everyone I met was part of the same friendly family, even when a hurt one acted like our snappish bitch.

Jesus was as maddened by all-over cruelty and coldness as I am. He too must have hated discovering he had to make people better all by himself. He had one advantage over me—he could do miracles. I asked Dr. Hooker how Jesus would have treated my starving little daughter with the blind baby. “Jesus made the blind to see,” said poor Dr. Hooker, looking uncomfortable. “What would Jesus have done for them if he could NOT have made them see?” I asked. “Would he have hurried past like a bad Samaritan?” I think that was why he left the Cut-use-off this afternoon. He does not want to live like Jesus, but unlike Harry Astley dare not say so.

This prepares them for life in a land where rich people use acts of parliament to deprive the poor of homes and livelihoods, where unearned incomes are increased by stock-exchange gambling, where those who own most property work least and amuse themselves by hunting, horse-racing and leading their country into battle. You find the world horrifying, Bell, because you have not been warped to fit it by a proper education.”

“I will search as long as I live rather than be a childish fool or selfish optimist or equally selfish cynic,”

What Britain needed—and got!—were military barracks beside every industrial city, a strong police-force, huge new jails; also poor-houses where children are divided from parents and husbands from wives—places so deliberately grim that people with a spark of self-respect spend their last few pennies on cheap gin and die of exposure in ditches rather than enter them. That is how we have organized the world’s richest industrial nation and it works very well.”

am sure there was no word for freedom before slavery was invented.

When many free men are begging for work the masters are free to lower wages.”

He knows that when I can bear no more I run to the end of the ship and lean over the rail so that the wind blows my screams and wails out to sea.

Everyone should have a cosy shell round them, a good coat with money in the pockets. I must be a Socialist.

I saw he was going to propose again, and prevented it by saying I would only marry a world-improver. He sighed, drummed his fingers on the tablecloth then said I should beware of men who talked about improving the world—many used such talk to entrap women of my sort. “What sort is that?” I asked, interested. He looked away from me and said coldly, “The brave and kind sort who feel generous to the miserable of every class and country—generous also to the cold, rich and selfish.”

And while they spoke I clenched my teeth and fists to stop them biting and scratching these clever men who want no care for the helpless sick small, who use religions and politics to stay comfortably superior to all that pain: who make religions and politics, excuses to spread misery with fire and sword and how could I stop all this? I did not know what to do.

said that no god could ever hate her—that she should think of my loving embraces, not imaginary owls—that

“I suppose you will tell them that my pity for poor people is caused by a displaced sense of motherhood.”

“I am ignorant and confused but not a fool or a coward.

master’s daughter have in common, apart from their similar ages and bodies and this house.” “Both are used by other people,” I said. “They are allowed to decide nothing for themselves.” “You see?” cried Baxter delightedly. “You know that at once because you remember your early education. Never forget it, Bella. Most people in England, and Scotland too, are taught not to know it at all—are taught to be tools.”

He and I and many others expect a better future because we are actively creating it.