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Moral Disorder and Other Stories
The title story refers to the unconventional relationship between Tig and Nell. Tig leaves his wife and an imploding marriage and without a divorce begins living with Nell described in the book thus—“You shouldn’t have said I am your wife at the lawyers,” said Nell “A lot of people are keeping their names,” said Tig “But it is not true. Oona is your wife.You are still married to her.” “Not really.” said Tig. This is the moral disorder referred to. However, in a world suffering from grave moral disorder this seems like small potatoes and for this reason I think that the title is ironic. Also the way Nell treats Oona, despite every provocation, actually like a sister confirms this view. This story traces the life of Tig and Nell on a 100-acre farm in the northern reaches of Canada with picturesque descrptions as also tooth and claw which is the reality of life on the farm. This story feels like a cross between stories of John Updike and James Herriot but right through the book Canadian life is minutely and accurately rendered. Her powers of observation and detailing are so sharp that she enables you to inhabit the world. Atwood also has the uncanny ability to make a smart comment or a pertinent observations, such as a boundary is a boundary only if you can defend it. The other story that I particularly enjoyed is The Labrador Fiasco about an adventure in the north remembered by an aging man. The descriptions of the north are superb and the courage and the foolhardiness of the early adventurers amazing as also tragic. Of particular interest to Indian readers is the story Boys at the Lab about an insect lab being run in the furthest reaches of Canada, sometime after World War II which is being recalled by a mother and daughter. The mother is very old and can percieve the world only through one ear and the daughter is cheering her up by recalling the past and suddenly remembers how an Indian student turned up in white flannels and tennis raquet assuming that he would be living in the country. It is a very amusing scene. The book deals with growing up as also growing old but on the whole the stories about growing old are stronger. This book like most of Atwood’s work is most enjoyable.
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THE versatile Canadian author has a new book of short stories which could be described as Scenes from the lives of Nell and Tig—an unconventional Canadian couple. Trueman Capote in The Paris Review Interviews says that when properly explored the short story is the most disciplined and difficult form of prose writing but I do not think that that is the reason that one feels more satisfied by the longer works of authors like Atwood—rather the reason seems to be that at the end of a book of short stories one wants more.
