Historical Context: Primary Sources for In the Skin of the Lion Lesley Nagle
STRONGER UNIONS SOUGHT IN CANADA
This historical event is the many union battles that were going on during the early 1920's in Canada mainly because of the poor working conditions for immigrant workers. On page 157 of In the Skin of the Lion, Patrick reflects on how all of his life he had lived in Canada but he had no idea of all the union battles that were happening until now. This historical event is significant for us because although Patrick was not an immigrant he chose to live amongst immigrants, even though he could not speak their language and therefore could not communicate with them. This highlights Patrick's character and his tendency to find comfort in being an outsider and being alone. All his life he has lived in isolation and these experiences further shape his actions later in the novel. This historical event is also important because one of the main reasons that Michael Ondaatje wrote this novel was to give a voice to the immigrant workers who were being exploited.
GROUND BROKEN FOR HUGE NEW TORONTO BRIDGE: Mayor Starts Work on Great Bloor Street Viaduct in One of His First Ceremonial Duties
This newspaper article highlights the important historical event of the building of the Bloor Street Viaduct (formally named the Prince Edward Viaduct) that is described on pages 25-28 of In the Skin of the Lion. The workers make a mere forty cents a day while Nicholas Temelcoff is paid $1.25 because he works at night and will do the extremely dangerous work that no one else dares to do. This historical event is important to the text because it shows the exploitation of the immigrant workers. It also depicts Rowland Harris, the Commissioner of Public Works in a negative light because he is the man who had the vision for this bridge. He also does not care about the horrible working conditions that the men endured and when a nun almost fell off the edge of the bridge, no one noticed and authorities were not notified. The nun would have died unless Nicholas was not there to save her. To us, this historical event further shows how Ondaatje was writing to give a voice to the poor immigrant workers who could not speak up for themselves. It is important because Ondaatje is able to show the injustices that the working class faced and the reader can see the contrast to the comfortable lifestyles of the rich in this novel.
THE MYSTERY OF AMBROSE SMALL
The historical event of this primary source is the disappearance of Ambrose Small in 1919, who was a millionaire theater proprietor. This event is explained on pages 55-57 of In the Skin of the Lion and is important to the text because the main character, Patrick takes the job of having to hunt down Ambrose Small. Patrick is not very good at his job and instead falls in love with Small's mistress, Clara. Clara has the ability to lead Patrick directly to Small, but Patrick prefers not to follow Clara showing his faith in love over fame and wealth. This historical event is important to use because it sheds light on one of the major themes of the novel that deals with power and violence. When Small finds out about Patrick, he attempts to burn Patrick to death but Patrick is able to escape alive--however this incident provides Patrick with a new perspective on explosives. Because Patrick does not have money to utilize as a source of power, he turns to explosives.
References
- A, Toronto C. "The Mystery of Ambrose Small." The Manchester Guardian (1901-1959): 6. Feb 02 1921. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Guardian (1821-2003) and The Observer (1791-2003). Web. 17 Dec. 2012 .
- Special to The Christian,Science Monitor. "Ground Broken for Huge New Toronto Bridge." The Christian Science Monitor (1908-Current file): 7. Jan 30 1915. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Christian Science Monitor (1908-1999). Web. 17 Dec. 2012 .
- Special to The Christian,Science Monitor. "Stronger Unions Sought in Canada." The Christian Science Monitor (1908-Current file): 3. Aug 31 1932. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Christian Science Monitor (1908-1999). Web. 18 Dec. 2012 .