Espedair Street by Iain Banks Free Essay Example

“Two days ago I decided to kill myself.” This extreme quotation is the opening line in the novel ‘Espedair Street’ by the Scottish novelist, Iain Banks. The book is based around the life of a famous rockstar and, due to the first person narrative, gives an in-depth insight into the troubles and joys, before, during and after his reign of fame. I originally selected this text because I found the blurb very intriguing and thought the modern humorous storyline would appeal to me.

I later discovered that the story was set primarily in the south west of Scotland, so I found it enjoyable to be able to relate to the various locations and the colloquial dialect used by the characters.

In this essay I am going to highlight the techniques that Banks has used, to give a deeper meaning into the quite conventional storyline. I have chosen to concentrate on the narrative structure developed in the novel, the setting and the characterisation of the main character.

I will also indicate the ways that these techniques affect the presentation of the theme throughout the text.

The writer has manipulated the conventional narrative structure by disrupting the chronological order of the text. Essentially, the story begins once the main character, Daniel, has just completed his journey and says directly to the reader, “Two days ago I decided to kill myself…Last night I changed my mind and decided to stay alive. Everything that follows is just to try and explain.” The narrative then progresses to the establishment of an equilibrium and through the disruptive journey, using a series of flashbacks.

There is no clear conflict in the book, but instead, Daniel faces many laborious decisions and has to deal with each accordingly. One of the first dilemmas he faces – which also turns out to be his most regretted – is whether or not to take his childhood sweetheart, Jean Webb, with him on his journey to success. He begins by convincing himself that taking her with him would be the best idea, “If I wanted Jean to come with me, I could do it. Difficulties and problems would evaporate before the brilliant force of my decided future.” He then however, focuses on all of the negative aspects, and persuades himself it would not be possible, “Was it wise to burden myself with more things to think about, another person to worry over?” His final decision, to set off alone, is a significant point because it shows that he is either more comfortable by himself or is too embarrassed and lacking in confidence to commit to a serious relationship. Both of these aspects of his personality, are developed further in the novel.

To develop the narrative structure, Banks has used multiple plots, which are all centred around Daniel at different stages in his life. One point where this was particularly evident was when the story switches from Daniel on tour with his band travelling the World, to him wondering the streets of Glasgow, getting into various fatuous situations with his two drunken friends, ‘McCann’ and ‘Wee Tommy’. These switches are important in developing Daniel’s character, because they clearly show the changes in his personality and behaviour. I also found this way of telling the story effective, because the distant past gives added information about the reasons for his behaviour, and the events in the future build up the tension, without giving too many details away.

The setting throughout the book is very significant and is often used to determine the time of certain events. Daniel’s childhood was spent in Ferguslie Park, a rough and run down area of Paisley, “The Streets were full of glass, the place depressed me.” The area is reasonably realistic but Daniel talks about it in a parodic tone, and often makes jokes about it, “Yer tyres would never get out alive.” This area signifies an unsatisfying time in his life and is used as the establishment of an equilibrium. The change in setting indicates the beginning of Daniel’s disruptive journey from rags to riches and back again.

During the height of his fame Daniel spent his time travelling from hotel to hotel and visiting luxurious villas all over the World, but for some reason he never felt entirely comfortable with his surroundings. When the band eventually split he returned to Scotland and bought an abandoned old monastery in the centre of Glasgow, which he lived in, isolated from society. Here, he does feel comfortable but he is never actually happy and often feels sad and lonely.

The technique that I found most effective, was the way the character of Daniel Weir was developed constantly during the book. Daniel, also known as ‘Weird’ along with several other aliases, is a thirty-one year old reclusive rockstar who has a cynical attitude towards life and is intensely introspective. Throughout his childhood he struggled to fit in with his peers and had a troubled relationship with his parents. This has led him to feel constantly self-conscious and he often talks about how ugly he is, “I’m a monster, a mutant, a gangling ape”, “I’ve been a funny looking kid and I’ve blossomed into an ugly young man.” This attitude gains Daniel a certain amount of sympathy from the reader because instead of feeling jealous of his famous lifestyle, I actually end up feeling sorry for him.

During his early adulthood, Daniel found comfort in songwriting, and despite never actually intending to be part of a band, he soon found himself rocketing to success with local band ‘Frozen Gold’. In a relatively short time he had gone from a local lad working at Dinwoodies engineering firm in paisley, to an international superstar. However fame and fortune didn’t come easy for Daniel, as he had to sacrifice many meaningful things in his life for the sake of the band.

In the end though inevitability struck, and the band split due to one of the members dying in a tragic accident. It is only when this death is revealed that the story begins to make sense and I could now begin to understand some of the reasons for Daniel’s actions. Further devastation occurs when Daniel is later told that another one of his former bandmates had died. This triggers off a period of self-recrimination, as he feels responsible for both of his friends’ deaths, which were both caused by different stage effects designed and suggested by Daniel.

On top of this he feels that the success of the band was less due to his talents as a songwriter and more due to good timing and several fortunate accidents. Thus, when his ex-record manager enquires about the possibility of a future record, he stalls answering and settles into a deep gloom. Assessing and over analysing his life, leads him to think he has been a worthless failure and achieved nothing. He then decides to save everyone from his existence and commit suicide.

However, Daniel – who has never been very good at making decisions – decides at the last minute that this is actually not such a good idea and backs out of it. His next decision is his most significant, as it shows a complete change in character from before. He decides on impulse to give up everything and go in search of his true love, Jean Webb, which he does successfully. This ending is slightly clich�d but on the whole it did finish off the story perfectly.

The technique of characterisation contributed considerably to the theme of the novel, which I believe is the central concern of the text. I interpreted the theme to be, no matter how much money you have, it cannot buy you happiness. This is clearly evident at the end of the text when Daniel gives his entire fortune away in order to settle down in happiness with Jean. To highlight his happiness at the end, Banks mentions a “bairn on a trike, the streamers flowing behind him like a rainbow wake,” which symbolises a colourful and joyous time in his life.

I also feel there is another message conveyed in the text, which is the power of redemption. Daniel Weir is clearly not a religious man – this is shown by his disrespect and comical attitude towards the church he lived in – but throughout his life he is granted a second chance on most of his mistakes.

In conclusion, I found that the techniques used in the book were thoroughly effective and each carried out a different purpose. I found the writing style highly enjoyable and the different themes very thought provoking. The highlight of the book for me however was the continual puns and word associated jokes used in the text, which made me analyse it much more deeply. The main one of course is in the title of the book, as ‘Espedair’ is an almost perfect anagram of the word ‘despair’. This again highlights Daniel’s journey from despair to a rainbow of hope, which he somehow manages to find at the end.