The Searcher

As French’s novel develops, a clear divide between the older and younger generations of men emerges. While the older generation frequent Seán Óg’s pub and make their career from the land, the more globalized younger generation go out in town and intend to seek their fortunes away from Ardnakelty.

The novel takes stock of the recent social changes in Ireland, showing how the older generation have to some extent embraced modernity. For example, Mart Lavin, the ringleader of the older generation, voted for gay marriage in the 2015 referendum, in defiance of the priest and is technically-savvy enough to recommend that Cal downloads a positive mindset app. Still, Mart’s forward-looking aspect, along with his sense of humor, provide the perfect foil for his retrogressive ideas about masculinity. At his core, he believes that the changing world is “not made right for” young men anymore, as it does not enable them to easily get and provide for the tangible things that were accessible to his generation, such as “a crop, or a flock, or a house, or a family” (358). He is wary of how the globalized world appears to promise so much and yet delivers little, meaning that “the young men don’t know what to be doing with themselves at all” and end up resorting to reckless, self-destructive behavior (358). Finally, he is afraid that such a crisis in masculinity will lead to Ardnakelty changing beyond his recognition and becoming a “wasteland”, full of deserted farms that “some Yank” makes “into his hobby” (358). Thus, as much as Mart tolerates Cal and is entertained by him, he sees his presence in Ardnakelty as vulture-like and a symptom of the breakdown of the society he grew up in. This becomes exacerbated when Cal joins forces with destructive youth Trey to expose the truth about Brendan, the youthful troublemaker who irks Mart because he is intimidated by his academic prowess in chemistry, in addition to his illegal wealth-creation scheme involving outsiders. He sees the sacrifice of Brendan as necessary to maintaining the peace and status quo of Ardnakelty.

On the surface, Mart’s view of the young men is accurate, as they are plagued by restlessness. While Donie and Brendan have the notions to get involved with a Dublin drug crew, Eugene Moynihan is cocky and obsessed with his motorbikes. However, their attraction to travel and other intangible assets aligns with the time of their upbringing, while the fact that a bright young man like Brendan thinks that his only access to wealth is through the drug trade, is symptomatic of wider social problems.

The older men’s inability to accept this change and encourage the younger generation with their dreams, lies at the heart of the tension between the generations. This finds expression in the violent outburst between Brendan and the old guard, where Brendan is “a cheeky little fecker” to the old guard, insulting them in a way that they find offensive from someone of a younger generation, and they attempt to “put manners of him” through physical violence (354). Mart frames the fight with Brendan as one of disciplining a naughty youngster, and so tries to diminish the severity of the incident which ended in Brendan’s death.

Mart acknowledges that the women are “adaptable” and so do better with the changes of modernity (358). There is evidence of this in Caroline Horan’s self-assurance and her preparations for a career path that will take her far from Ardnakelty. While Caroline plans to work in tourism and escape the West of Ireland, she is grounded enough to know that she needs to study and take on a part-time job if she is to get there. The independence of women like Caroline and Lena, who do not rely on a man for their fulfilment and security is shown to provide self-confidence and dignity. Conversely, Sheila Brady, who married and birthed six children, in the style of an old rural families, ends up in poverty and socially isolated.

Overall, societal change is inevitable and the old guard in Ardnakelty is still coming to terms with the fact that the younger generation have no choice but to take a different approach to life. Arguably, Trey and Cal’s friendship works to counter this divide, as Trey learns from Cal’s experience and Cal gains a perspective on what it is like to be young and dispossessed in Ardnakelty. Their friendship sets the trend for greater intergenerational empathy, as even Mart can appreciate that Trey needs consistency and a good role model in her life.