Doris Lessing is also singular among contemporary writers in her sincere efforts to reform society. While there have been many writers from the commonwealth countries, Lessing stands out for her courageous opposition to the Apartheid system in South Africa, for which she was condemned to exile (Bloom, p.150). She was also actively involved in the Socialist movement during the 1940s when she was married to Gottfried Lessing; although she is less optimistic of late on the capabilities of a communist political system to change social iniquities and injustices. Nevertheless, it is difficult to separate the radical political thought of Doris Lessing from the characters she portrays in her works. In the story To Room Nineteen, we can trace a similarity in the internal conflict and confusion of Susan Rawlings and the author’s own ambiguous and uncertain political stance. To illustrate, Susan Rawlings, “because of her conventional understanding of the self and neurosis, is unable to come to terms with the unconscious elements of her self, to move through dissolution towards integration and a creative balance between rational and irrational elements. She is, quite literally, propelled into suicide by the wrong metaphors” (Chettle, p.12). Rawlings’ disillusionment of an ideal self mocks Lessing’s eventual disillusionment with an ideal political system. Further, more positive, more constructive alternative conceptualizations of the self and neurosis are conspicuous by their absence in the narrative. For example, “a conceptualization in terms of the process of artistic creation, equating the creation of the self with the creation of a work of art, would have been possible: here inner conflicts and demon-possession would be seen as necessary steps in a process leading to the creation of a balanced, integrated work of art (or self, respectively)” (Chettle, p.240).
In the short story To Room Nineteen, we find a instances when the author draws upon both “image-schemata of centre-periphery and containment: namely, our psychological experience of the self” (Chettle, p.65). The central character of the story Susan Rawlings, perceives herself as a container with particular components, especially the logical ones, vital to it, whereas other, unconscious, illogical facets to her personality are pushed aside to the fringes, thereby maintaining a semblance of control. While the author’s conception of Susan Rawlings’ innermost conflicts might come across as unusual or even controversial when contrasted with conventional usages of metaphors, such as a metaphor of balance, to represent the different components of the self (Verdonk, p.42). This rebellious streak is evident in Doris Lessing’s life as well, as a result of which she did not conform to social norms, but rather lived life in her own terms. The accuracy, with which she pinpoints the ego hassles afflicting the relationship between Susan and Matthew, is a testimony to this assertion. To quote, “For Susan and she husband Matthew; a healthy self is definitely a matter of control rather than balance. The narrator tells us that with Susan and Matthew all ‘inner storms and quick-sands were understood and charted’” (Verdonk, p.12). Hence, To Room Nineteen follows in the long tradition established by Doris Lessing’s works that incorporate autobiographical elements into supposed works of fiction. In other words, the author’s personal life experiences and general perception of society is reflected in the short story.
Works Cited:
Bloom, Harold, ed. Doris Lessing /. New York: Chelsea House, 1986.
Cahill, Susan (Editor), Women and Fiction – Short Fiction Anthology, Published by Signet, 2001.
E. Chettle, Judith, “Lessons in Survival.”, World and I May 1999: 246.
Verdonk, Peter, and Jean Jacques Weber, eds. Twentieth-Century Fiction: From Text to Context. New York: Routledge, 1995.