Understanding the Imperfect in John McGahern’s First and Last Novels

If we take the term ‘imperfection’ to mean the state of ‘incompleteness’ (OED), this perspective may contribute to a further understanding of the more unbecoming traits or defects of Irishness. To illustrate this ‘incompleteness’ of Irish national identity, this essay uses examples from John McGahern’s first and last novels: The Barracks (1963) and That They May Face the Rising Sun (2002). The former will be used as a backdrop to explore the roots of, and reasons for, this incompleteness and the resulting development of what Irish psychologist Tony Humpreys terms ‘protective thinking and behaviour patterns as opposed to negative thinking’1 (12). The stifling, unhealthy vision of the society reflected in The Barracks will then be contrasted with a more healthy, complete and open view of community as portrayed in That They May Face the Rising Sun (2002).