Introduction :

The passage I'm going to talk about is taken from Doris Lessing's novel “The Fifth Child” whose main characters are Harriet and David Lovatt.

After falling in love at a New Year's Eve party at work at the beginning of the 60s, Harriet and David launch into a frenetic satisfaction of their common ideal of a perfect family in the perfect Victorian house they have always dreamed of. Their reluctant family members finally accept this ideal and come to them for X-Mas, Easter and the summer. Harriet and David consider their world as a haven of peace and family values. They have four healthy children in a row and though they are tired and have financial difficulties, they are happy that they have achieved their goal.

Then Harriet becomes pregnant with the Fifth Child and everything changes gradually. The dream becomes a nightmare which threatens to destroy their kingdom.

Facts :

In this particular passage, the scene takes place in their bedroom where Harriet is already in bed when David joins her. First, he takes their latest baby, Paul, to his bedroom and then gets into bed where Harriet invites him to touch her swelling belly where the new baby is showing signs of life for the first time. But the foetus's movement is very different from anything Harriet has felt before. It is imperative and David and Harriet's reactions are very different.

The next day, Harriet goes to see the doctor and ends up very angry after the visit.

Analysis :

Part 1 (different reactions)

Harriet and David's reactions to the early signs of the presence of the baby are very different. Harriet reacts in an emotional way. We know that she is exhausted by the pregnancy and the chores she has to cope with. Also we know that she suspects the baby, who she calls “foetus” and “it”, is not a normal baby. She can feel the difference in her body. She tries to ignore its presence by keeping busy all day. She is unhappy with this pregnancy as she has never been before.

David is more rational as he considers the drum like beats inside his wife's belly. He just thinks maybe they got the dates wrong and she is further ahead in her pregnancy than 3 months. So, logically and rationally, he suggests she goes to check the dates at Dr. Brett's.

Part 2 (cracks in their relationship)

The cracks in their relationship and happiness are beginning to show more and more. Harriet feels rejected because David doesn't understand her reaction and David feels guilty because, although he knows that Harriet is exhausted and has reason to be, he can't help being angry at her for “breaking their contract” of perfect happiness.

Part 3 (Harriet's isolation)

When she goes to Dr. Brett the following day, Harriet expects him to tell her what is wrong with this “being” she is carrying. Again, she is resentful because the doctor, like David, misunderstands her needs and tries to tell her that there is nothing wrong.

At the same time, she mistrusts him because she has the feeling he is holding something back from her, not telling her the whole truth as she sees his “dubious” look and his “professionally reticent face”. She feels isolated.

Part 4 (a Gothic dimension)

Once again, we have a critical scene taking place in David and Harriet's bedroom. This room is almost a character in itself, “responsible” for this new pregnancy. It has a strange atmosphere described in the first paragraph of the passage. It is “the great shadowy bedroom”. The lights outside send “gleams and shadows on the ceiling”. This is not very reassuring. This shows the Gothic dimension of the novel. Also, we understand that Harriet's eyes are shining in the dark when David looks at her when he reaches the room. She's looking at him in the dark and he can see her eyes following him though he can't see her. This feels rather spooky and the atmosphere is gloomy.

You cannot imagine perfect happiness in such a context.