Review of Lammings essays

Review of Lamming's essays George Lammings novel Season of Adventure explores a varied array of themes that have deep political, social, economic, religious, gender, and racial implications. A large part of Lammings book depends upon the unstable relationships that the storys protagonist, Fola, develops with the other characters. Her interaction with two separate communities the upper-class citizens of San Cristobal and the lower-class people of the Forest Reserve provides a variety of sociological insights into not only Folas life, but also into life in the Caribbean. When Fola and Charlot attend the ceremony at the tonelle, Fola comes to the realization that she is out of touch with her past and her roots. Fola is initially skeptical of the tonelle, but it is here that she ultimately begins her quest for the essence of identity (which Lamming refers to as the season of adventure). Her eventual understanding of identity is that it must be considered fluid and contextual; additionally, Fola realizes that identity concerns both how she sees herself and how others see her. One incomplete aspect of Folas identity is her relationship to her mother, Agnes. Their bond with one another, which was rather weak to begin with, is aggravated throughout the book by events such as Agnes marriage to Piggott and Folas desire to be with Chiki. Agnes is not close to her mother; as a result, Agnes subconsciously does not see the lack of a strong mother-daughter bond as abnormal. In fact, at one point Agnes tells Fola that she has ...been more trouble than profit... since the day she was born. Agnes has not seen her mother for six years, a tangible indication of their abhorrence for each other. When Agnes became pregnant with Fola at an early age, her mother sent her away in shame. In an attempt to replicate her mothers dismissive actions of the past, Agnes asks her to leave the house w...