The 'alienated' modern man in john galsworthy's short fiction

Abstract

The present study aims to explore how living in a metropolis affects the lives of modern men as narrated in John Galsworthy's short story entitled the Japanese Quince. The story explores the idea of customs standing as obstacles to one's freedom and focuses on the solitary mood of men while they are missing the lust for life. Galsworthy's characters who are dwellers of the metropolis are suffering from estrangement. They are aware of the joys and beauties in nature and in life that stand right next to them, yet they miss them while being too much engaged with the routines, habits and 'musts'. The present paper examines Galsworthy's Londoner characters as representatives of modern man suffering from alienation, being aware of the disease yet making no move towards better. The exploration of the Londoner character, Mr Nilson who is the protagonist in the Japanese Quince will reveal the suffering of modern man from estrangement.