Explication

Explication of Ambition in The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart

                Walking down the road of ambition is one that few take. The simple reason being that before committing to this untraveled road one knows that they may become very prosperous, however, with too much ambition one stands the chance to go down hard, very hard. Jane has captured just this kind of ambition in both of its most extremes; beneficial and harmful. Ambition can be done by just any author but capturing the true reality of its meaning can prove to be a huge obstacle to even the most trained of authors. For these reasons the most suiting of Polti’s thrity-six dramatic situations for the novel “The Stone Carvers” is character ambition. Capturing this theme in a couple of less important characters Urquhart has been able to alter the entire direction of the novel. What seems to be nothing more than a boys dream of flying turns into a novel that is “not just delightful, but essential” (Urquhart Back Page) Although the theme of ambition is not directly placed into any of the main characters it is this that creates a diverse story, also proving to be an immaculate foundation for the novel to reach its true potential.

Every war comes with so many horrors and personal loss that it is not surprising “in the small unimportant village of Shoneval there was an experience of a slightly different nature as only one young man, dressed in a red waistcoat far too heavy for the perfect weather, walked out of town without fanfare” (Urquhart 153). This soldier, Eamon O’Sullivan had been looking for any reason to fly an aeroplane ever since that “catastrophic noise sputtered” (Urquhart 123) in the sky signalling the presence of this majestic piece of machinery.  He was so animated he could not help but exclaim, “This is a miraculous day. What if I hadn’t been there? What if I’d been somewhere else?” (Urquhart 125) Beginning as a boys dream this proves to be a much more crucial element to the novel than is initially understood. Had it not been for this very encounter, Eamon would not have gone to war and would have married Klara saving her from the emotionally struggles she would face. In the end his ambition resulted in her travelling to Vimy Ridge and ultimately allowing her to find love again. Such an inspection reveals how simple an event can cascade out of proportions and ultimately alter our lives. Given this is the product of over ambition (although rare) happens to the best of us, and can get out of hand quick. Thankfully there are more goods that come from ambition but these specific cases of trauma are to be expected, it just comes down to chance on which hand you get dealt.

On the other spectrum the colours are much more vivid and bright as Urquhart incorporated a positive spin on her central theme of ambition into more than just one of her characters. Tilman was never one to take confinement well, he could not keep the rolling pastures and sweeping mountains from his mind. Tilman journeyed for days at a time enjoying the feeling of freedom. He never returned home for any specific reason but rather a feeling inside him told him to go home. Finally departing for the final time Tilman felt at home as “he had always enjoyed the far view of this familiar world, distance having knit together the disparate components of barn, orchard, pasture, and house into a satisfying whole-a picture he could take with him in his mind” (Urquhart 173). Enjoying this sense of freedom Tilman remained ambitious and at the mention of his freedom being taken away he “stiffened, preparing as always, for flight at the suggestion of confinement” (Urquhart 183). Although Tilman may not have became the next brain surgeon what mattered to him was his freedom and he strived to keep this status quo with his environment. Sticking to your gut feeling is something that takes guts quite literally. It is only for a select crowd but is a incredible quality that should be commemorated to those that have it.

Whether the concept of ambition be harmful or beneficial it is a quality that is easily understood but creating this within a character can be rather tricky as it defines who a person is rather than a person that defines their emotions. Jane Urquhart should be commemorated for her effective use of Polti’s dramatic situation of ambition, not only showing one side of the situation but showing both and their gains/losses associated with each. For this reason it only seems fit that this novel be used a perfect example of its dramatic situation; ambition.