Station Canadian
The Canadian identity is somewhat of a mystery, even to those who live within its borders. Are we toque-wearing, igloo-inhabiting, polar-bear-riding, emblems of politeness? Are we “basically Americans”? Are we all secretly the reptilian overlords who control 79% of the world’s industries? (no comment) As a hermit living behind the IHop on route 45 commonly says, “Canada resists easy definition”
To this end, there is an evident link between a country’s artistic output and its culture. For example, the classic “British humour” - a mix of absurdism, satire, and sarcasm. This is a cultural influence that pervades multiple English works - some highly amusing examples being Douglas Adams, Monty Python and Mr. Bean.
So how can a Canadian identity be deduced from examining its literature?
Many have attempted to uncover unifying themes of Canadian literature. For Margaret Atwood, renowned Canadian (also author and poet), the central theme of Canadian literature is survival.
Not difficult to imagine, based on the yearly struggle to resist extreme refrigeration. So let us apply Atwood’s theory to our beloved Station Eleven. How is it and how is it not Canadian?
Survival in Station Eleven
Evidently, as a post-apocalyptic novel, survival is woven into the story. Kirsten and her jolly band of actors and musicians are constantly struggling to feed themselves, avoid being shivved for their precious jerky, and stay alive. Jeevan’s late night food hoarding in chapter 3 is also indicative of well-honed survival skills. In the pre-collapse world, Miranda’s story is also arguably survivalist, from her struggle to stay afloat in a professional world into which she does not fit, to escaping Pablo, to eventually building up her armor and thickening her skin. Though not as literal, she struggles with surviving the modern world as somewhat of an outsider to it.
On the other hand, the novel flexes its borders by proposing the famous “Survival is insufficient”. Canada is at the stage where we can do more than simply survive the 6-month winter and call it a day. We’ve begun to create our own identity, and in doing so are able to create works that have enough Canada in them without being chock full of “aboot”s and “sorry”s. If Canada is about survival, then survival is insufficient.
Despite Station Eleven's innate Canadianness, it has reached global acclaim. The novel has received the Arthur C. Clarke award, a UK prize for science fiction and has been translated into 27 languages*, in order to reach global audiences.
*“National Endowment for the Arts.” Station Eleven, NEA Big Read, www.arts.gov/partnerships/nea-big-read/station-eleven.
Victimized Protagonist
Atwood also proposes a unifying theme for Canadian protagonists: victimhood. More specifically, she describes a particular type of victim as the “creative non-victim” - a character who is victimized but who uses art to move beyond their circumstances. This describes almost every protagonist in Station Eleven, save for Jeevan.
She also details another type of protagonist: those who acknowledge their victimhood but attribute it to a powerful force, such as fate or destiny. Interestingly enough, The Prophet is the perfect antithesis to this. He believes in a powerful force but rather than a victim, he sees himself as chosen. This could be explained by the fact that he is the closest thing in the novel to an antagonist.
Atwood is not the only person to ever contemplate what being Canadian means. Many others have also strived to define the elusive Canadian identity. Some other points that are generally recognized as Canadian themes:
Illusion vs Reality:
Canada is distinctly postmodern in the sense that its literature often plays with the notion of illusion vs reality. Station Eleven also delves into this theme. Prominent examples include the blend of fiction and fantasy seen in Miranda’s story between her own life and her graphic novel and the blurring of Arthur's separation between character and actor.
Isolation:
In a previous post, All Alone, Alone Again, I discussed the themes of loneliness in both the pre- and post-collapse world. Isolation is a common Canadian theme, perhaps stemming from the vast and sparsely populated north of the country.
Identity:
Finally, as discussed above, Canada’s identity is quite nebulous and difficult to pin down. Literature reflects this by forcing its characters to often search for their own identities. A prime example being Jeevan Chaudhary, the photographer-paparazzi- journalist-paramedic-doctor. Aside from his continuous search for identity, he also acknowledges how the collapse begins to wear down his sense of self: “It was becoming more difficult to hold onto himself. He tried to keep up a litany of biographical facts as he walked, trying to anchor himself to this life” [p194]. However, he is not alone in this as most of the characters in this novel also struggle with identity: Arthur coming to terms with fame and balancing his professional identity with his personal character; some of The Symphony members leave behind their pre-collapse names and opt instead to be referred to simply by the names of their instruments (such as Viola) or their title (The Conductor). Miranda, too, struggles with the divide between who she would like to be - a polished professional - and who she is perceived as: “She knows from the gossip blogs that people see her as eccentric, the actor’s wife who inks mysterious cartoons that no one’s ever laid eyes on” [p94]. Just like Canada itself, its occupants seek identity.
Just Plain Canada:
Besides the diverse thematic allusions that the novel makes, there are some flat-out Canadians things. In the very first portion of the book, there is a snowstorm which evokes a sense of beauty and nostalgia in Jeevan, rather than the horrified reaction that a non-Canadian might have to being suddenly buried in snow. Besides this, Arthur’s humorous attempts to explain Canada to Americans is just plain old poking fun at the perceived “otherness” of Canadian culture.
As any sensible person must ask, why does this matter? Of what use is a Canadian identity in a world that is already so intertwined? It is precisely because the world is shrinking (not literally, please, not literally) that a discussion of Canadian identity needs to take place. Certain recent events have led Canada to hastily try to distinguish itself from America, but we have no shining examples of Canadianness to which to look in order to do so. If we want to (perhaps wrongly) prove what we are not, we must have an example of what we are.
Besides, it is all too easy to tend towards inactivity in a time where action is needed. Perhaps building an identity, and having unifying values will help push Canadians to contribute towards building the country, and indeed the world, which they desire to inhabit.
- A.M. Ham
