Studs Lonigan [Paperback]

Studs Lonigan is born into a fairly well-to-do Irish Catholic family in Chicago and spends the majority of his formative years trying to convince himself that he's the toughest kid on the block and will amount to something big before his time on Earth is through. He has a cockeyed impression of what it is that makes a man a man and so, scene after scene, we see him beating up people, sleeping around, contracting venereal diseases, getting so shnookered that he has to be dumped off at home by friends and generally making an ass of himself. In between scenes like these, we are exposed to the strict Catholic rhetoric pounded into the heads of the neighborhood youth and understand that Studs' behavior leaves him with extreme feelings of guilt, though that guilt doesn't cause him to act differently.

By the trilogy's end, Studs has decided that maybe he should straighten out and take life more seriously, but of course by then his self-destructiveness has taken its toll and Studs' turn around comes as too little too late.

Can someone tell me why the hell I should care about any of the above? Studs is a jerk; he's rarely anything else. He spends most of his time feeling sorry for himself and whining about all the bad breaks that befall him, when obviously he has dug his own hole and must suffer the consequences. I suppose that's Farrell's point; I think he was trying to make a comment about down-trodden groups having to help themselves before anyone else will help them. But an entire novel built around someone who has no self-control and then spends countless scenes whining about why he feels so lousy, or is broke, or doesn't have a girlfriend, is doomed to be tedious.

Farrell's writing style doesn't help matters. His prose is SO repetitive. This is especially apparent in his dialogue, where characters in conversation will literally say the same thing over and over, turning what should be a half-page exchange into three and four pages of tediousness.

Only occassionally does this book become interesting. Some of the details surrounding the Depression and especially the Irish attitudes toward Communism are particularly engaging. Otherwise, there wasn't much that kept my interest.

I have a feeling Farrell was frustrated with the isolated, extremely religious community the Irish relegated themselves to in the first third of the 20th century and blames that isolation for their lack of progress. They put all of their faith in God and refuse to do anything to help themselves. They complain about how the country takes advantage of the working man, but they refuse to attempt an understanding of Communist doctrine because they've been told by priests that Communists want anarchy and are anti-God and country. They even keep distant from university educations because the priests are afraid people will begin to get ideas of their own and realize that their religious beliefs are built on nothing but sand. I guess Studs is meant to be a sort of illustration of this environment in general, but Farrell really misses the opportunity to drive his points home.

From a social prespective is where Studs Lonigan gets its fame. Its indictment of working class Irish immigrants and the Catholic church must have been, at the time, very controversial. One can draw parralels of the life of Studs Lonigan and his ultimate fate to black youths in today's inner cities.

The first book starts with the graduation of Studs from middle school. During the summer after his graduation the two most important acheivements in Studs'life occur- (1) he defeats a local tough in a fist fight and (2) he kisses the girl he idolizes. For the rest of his life Studs, tries to replicate those two events.

In Book 2 Studs effectively seals his fate by boozing and carousing, to the detriment of both his psyche and his health. By the end of Book 2, Studs' future prospects have all but been eliminated and his reputation in his own mind as a tough guy is ruined when he is beaten up at a party by the very youth that Studs had beaten up as a youngster. His attempts at finding a good woman are crude and ineffective.

By Book 3 Studs is demoralized and physically ill. His tough guy image is further depleted when his younger brother beats Studs up. Also in Book 3, the Depression has all but ruined Stud's chance to reach any kind of financial security. Even though Studs finds a nice girl who he plans to wed, he is too far gone in both spirit and body to recover.