FREE ESSAY ON ONE FAT ENGLISHMAN

ONE FAT ENGLISHMAN

1. One Fat English Man
2. The author of the novel is Kingsley Amis, copyright 1963.
3. Kingsley Amis was a British writer from England.
4. Major Characters
Roger Micheldene is the man the book focuses primarily upon. He is "a shortish fat
Englishman of forty (6)" and a publisher. Of the seven deadly sins Roger considers
himself to be gluttony, sloth and lust. He considers himself most qualified in the sin of
anger (8). He is so fat that his hips have fused together and he is forced to wear a
brace. He also drinks excessively and uses Snuff. His drink of preference is gin with
water added and no ice. He has a wife in England, but still enjoys interludes with
women.
His character does not change within the novel. He remains a selfish, fat, Englishman who
is quick to anger, is willing to cheat on his wife whenever possible and drinks heavily.
Thus he considered a round, fully developed, but static character. Through out the novel
he seems to be drawn by a need to receive love from women, although he discounts their
thoughts and general stature. Through all his encounters he seeks love from Helene far
more than the others. He feels he is a great man when he conquerors her.
Helene Bang was born in Denmark, but her parents brought her to America when she was ten.
She settles with her family in Idaho. When she was twenty-one, while on a visit in
Denmark, she met Ernst Bang. She married Ernst and moved back to America with him.
Although she was born in Denmark she considers herself an American. She is a very
attractive woman; many of the male students at Budweiser find her attractive, too. She is
a round character, but still static. She lives a life endeared to her husband and son
through out the novel. Even in her affair at the end of the novel with Irving she still
claims she cannot lie to her husband. However, she confirms she is not in love with
Roger, "when I go to bed with you I [simply] feel less sorry for you (185)."
Irving Macher is a "brilliant young Jewish kid from New York" who attends Budweiser. (9).
He is the author of a bizarre novel, Blikie Heaven, which Joe asked Roger to critique and
publish. Physically he is described by Roger as "brown-haired...freckled, with a mild
crew-cut...with nothing noticeable about him but a pair of restless grey eyes (11)." He
is a round character; Amis develops him through various encounters with Roger, but static
also. He is Roger's antagonist. Every time Roget tries to win the love of Helene he steps
in to mess things up. For example, he steals Roger's lecture notes before Roger is to
give a speech before a few hundred men, is apart of a trick that involves a young lady
biting Roger's neck and takes Helene to New York. He is a young who is ready to argue,
but also willing to admit his weaknesses.
5. Minor Characters
Ernst Bang is a Germanic philologist, who was originally from Denmark. He moved to
America after taking a leave from Copenhagen, a university he taught at in Denmark, and
received a year's appointment at Budweiser. He is married to Helene. In Roger's mind
Ernst is the only thing standing between him and Helene. He is young and attractive. He
is also very trusting, and does not suspect Roger is having an affair with Helene.
Arthur Bang is the son of Helene and Ernst. He attends a farm school and has especially
high aptitudes and study habits. He is important because he spoils a lot of Roger's
romantic plans. For example, on Halloween Helene uses the excuse that Arthur would be
home too soon from school for the two to carry out a physical part of the affair (57).
Mollie Atkins is married to Strode Atkins, who considers himself an Englishman. The two
seem happily married. However, she has numerous affairs, including one with Roger. She is
drunk one of the last times that she sees Roger.
Father Colgate is a priest at Budweiser. He is a flamboyantly handsome and muscular man
of thirty, dressed in well-tailored clerical garb (88). He has a serious concern for
Roger's current state of being and worries over his soul. Father Colgate is added to the
novel to symbolize the constant battle Roger has between what's right, God's way, and
what he does. 
6. Three Main Settings
Joe Derlanger's home is one of the most important settings within the work. It is here
that Roger is reunited with Helene and also has his first physical encounter with Mollie
Atkins. Roger arranges to meet with Mollie at a later time and to call Helene. It is
here, too, that the group freely speaks about English men and bash on the British. For
example, in a charade game they played the group acted out the word "Brutishly". The
whole gang, including Helene, managed to make Roger feel degraded (25). The author uses
this moderately neutral atmosphere to acquaint the characters in a relatively short time
span and allows Roger's mind to wander, divulging the past.
The Bangs' home is where Helene and Roger carry out their affair. The author specifically
uses this setting because he is pointing out the fact Roger cares for no one but himself.
Ernst trusts Roger enough to let him stay with his family, and Roger repays him by
sleeping with his wife. This also puts Helene in an awkward situation. She is forced to
deal with hiding the truth from her son, too. Despite the awkward conditions the two
manage to continue with their passionate interludes. The atmosphere advances the plot in
that Roger uses the home as a base and continues experiencing the various aspects of
America and women while always returning to the room located next to Helene and Ernst's.
Atkins' apartment in New York is a setting that the author first introduces at Joe's
party, but is not an intricate part of the novel until close to the end. Strode Atkins
offers Irving a key to the apartment as a refuge for the young man. Irving takes Helene
to the apartment. They sleep together and spend a night out on the town. This setting is
used as a conflict point between Irving and Roger and between Roger and Helene. Roger is
angry that Irving took Helene to New York not because he was worried for her safety but
because he was jealous and angry. He traveled all the way to New York to catch them at
the apartment, but did not plan what he'd do. He instantly becomes angry with Irving,
wanting to pounce on him, but is stopped by Helene. Irving comments, "I'm not only a
coward, I'm also a liar and a thief and I value worldly success too much...In any event
sticks and stones may break my bones, only we're agreed sticks and stones are out, and
words will never hurt me, no words you're likely to think of uttering anyhow...(182)."
Robert also faces a confrontation with Helene. She asks him to go away, and tells him she
has never felt the same kind of love for him that she has felt for her. This is a good
setting for this to occur because no one else is around to stop the dispute. This is a
good setting for Amis to use for a final battle between Irving and Roger, fairly neutral
ground.
7.Plot Synopsis
The novel begins before an evening party at the estate of Joe Derlanger. Roger Micheldene
and Joe are discussing the guests what will arrive shortly. Here the author sets the
scene as being relaxed and non confrontational. In the initial scenes the reader is
acquainted with most of the novel's characters. Also the reader learns Roger is only in
the United States for sixteen days. He hadn't seen Helene for nearly eighteen months.
The past begins to unravel at Joe's party. Roger remembers the last time he tried to make
"verbal love" to Helene, and how Arthur interrupted them. The group then decides to go
swimming. Roger is too embarrassed of his obesity to swim with the others. Instead he
sits neat the side of the pool and tries to enjoy the Helene's physical appearance. After
dinner that evening, he has a chance to speak with Helene while the group is playing a
game and she gives him her phone number. Less than an hour later Roger is attracted to
Mollie Atkins and sets up a place to rendezvous with her, too.
Roger goes to the Helene's home and the two carry on their affair (56). She eventually
walks away from his lap with the excuse that she has a telephone call to make. She then
works in the kitchen and tells Roger no more can happen that day because Arthur will be
home from school soon. Roger says outright, "Let's go to bed." She says no because it's
Halloween and the school will probably let out early. The reader is given a new look at
Roger. He is not simply upset with the fact Arthur will be home early, but with the fact
Helene did not tell him this earlier. He is upset that he spent the whole day with her
and traveled all the way to her home thinking that they'd "go to bed" but thinks the
entire day was a waste of his time because they did not. This shows Roger is not solely
interested in spending time with Helene, but in receiving sexual pleasure. 
Arthur then returns home, followed by Ernst. The tension between Arthur and Roger is
evident during their initial conversation and the Scrabble game that the two play
together. 
Roger is so upset that he could not carry out his plans with Helene and dislikes Arthur
to the point that he calls Mollie Atkins and sets a time for them to meet. They met at
Mollie's shop and then ventured into a forest to be alone. They have a picnic and "sleep
together" on the grass. Mollie tells Roger how dissatisfied she is with her marriage, but
that she stays with him because she has no money or skills (84). While they're making
love Roger is disturbed by the turtles that are watching them.
The next day he travels to Budweiser and speaks with Father Colgate. There his entire
plan is to trick the father into telling him all about his religious beliefs and then
scrutinize them. As a true Englishman Roger states he is from the Roman Catholic Church.
The conflict that took place between the two was rather large and not subdues until
Irving stepped in and told Roger that he, Roger, is too scripted in his thoughts and
conversations. After overhearing the conversation between Roger and the father Irving
states, "pretty competent, sir, but overly scripted, wouldn't you say? A little lacking
in spontaneity? (92)" Roger then regretfully confronted Irving and was sidetracked. Once
again, Irving is Roger's adversary. 
Amis spends some time diving into Roger's psyche and showing the reader Roger's full view
on America. As Roger looked out the window of a building at Budweiser he commented: "For
sophomores or seniors or whatever they were of Budweiser College, Pa., they seemed not
hopelessly barbarous. None of them was chewing gum or smoking a ten-cent cigar or wearing
a raccoon coat or drinking Coca-Cola or eating a hamburger or sniffing cocaine, or
watching television or mugging anyone or, perforce, driving a Cadillac (90)." Amis is
speaking through Roger's thoughts and satirizing American culture.
Next Roger is supposed to speak before a large group of people about the publishing
industry. However he is very distressed to find that his research and carefully
formulated speech is missing. However, the committee still wants him to speak, they try
and talk him into giving an impromptu speech but he will not. He wanted to speak
marvelously to impress Helene, but refused to speak impromptu out of anger over the
thought that Arthur had stolen his work and placed a comic book in its place. He
comments, "If you think I'm going out there to give those people a fifty-minute impromptu
chat you're doomed to disappointment. They might not be able to tell the difference
between that and a serious lecture but I can. I won't do it (100)."
Roger then storms back to the Bangs' home and accuses Arthur. Helene defends his son from
the accusations, "Let me have a look at that thing...But this is "Crazy" magazine, not a
comic book. Kids don't read this-not kids of Arthur's age. It's way beyond them. It's far
to sophisticated (105)." In Roger's rage he proclaims, "Arthur's remarkably intelligent."
The matter is settled when Ernst turns to the back page of the magazine and reads the
inscription, "Property of Rho Epsilon Chi Fraternity: not to be removed from reading
room." Roger then left, got drunk, and then returned to his room in the Bangs' home only
to hear Ernst and Helene together in the other room.
Roger woke the next morning and prepared for the evening's party on a Barge that night.
In the afternoon, before the party, Helene drops Arthur off at the zoo with a neighbor so
Roger and her may have a few hours alone to continue their affair. During which time
Roger receives a phone call from Irving, at which time he confesses to having taken
Roger's materials. Roger is so concerned with this change in developments that he puts
his time with Helene on hold and attempts to take action against Irving. Helen is unhappy
with this and simply leaves Roger.
That night Roger Irving and a young woman play a trick on Roger. Roger ends up with bite
marks on his neck, Mollie knowing that he was ready to have an affair with a young woman
and Roger left humiliated in the dark on the island. Once again Irving catches Roger off
guard.
The next day Helene left home without telling Ernst where she went and simply put things
on order for her family. Ernst and Roger talk about where she could be; the whole time
Ernst does not suspect Roger could be having an affair with Helene.
Roger figures he knows where Helene is, with Irving. He gets a hold of Strode Atkins'
apartment key and taxis to New York to find them. In New York he finds the apartment with
no one inside. So he waits for a while and then searched the town for them.
Eventually Roger catches them. However, he is caught off guard, too. Helen tells him that
she has never really loved him and only slept with him out of pity. She orders him to
leave and states she doesn't want to have anything more to do with him (181).
This obviously hurts Roger, but there's nothing he can say in response.
The following day he leaves for England. Ernst and Helene are reunited and all seems back
to normal. After sixteen days of nothing he returns to his wife the same man as when he
arrived in America. Although Helene flatly said she's through with him and Mollie won't
sleep with him again, he still has a hope that they will get together during his next
stay in America.
8. Conflicts
A major conflict within the novel is Roger's lack of self worth due to the fact he is
fat. This is evident in the fact that he believes he is too fat to take of more than his
jacket on a hot day and his belief that his "mammary development would have been
acceptable only if he could have shed half his weight as well as changing his sex (7)."
His obsession with drinking also has to do with his lack of self-esteem. He is a
womanizer and drinks when he feels down and depressed, nearly all the time.
Another conflict is the fact Roger sees himself as a proper Englishman and does not agree
with most of America's customs and its abuse of the English language. "He normally made a
point of not conforming to American usage or taste in the smallest particular (7)." He
has a tough time submitting to the different language that Americans use and their way of
thinking. One night he got into a deep conversation with a cab driver while drunk. The
cab driver responded, "Your basic objection to Jack Kennedy appears to be that he is an
American. Don't think I don't sympathies, but unfortunately we have this law here that
says the President of the United States has to be a citizen of the Republic.
Unreasonable, I grant you, but there it is. Dura lex sed lex, old man, which is Iroquois
for "Why don't you go back to your island and stay there". Good-night (108)."
There is also a very evident conflict-taking place between Roger and God. It is obvious
God does not agree with Roger's lifestyle. However, Roger chooses to call upon the Lord
at times that pleases him. One of his chronic difficulties was reconciling his belief in
the importance of priests and the Church with his apathy towards most of the former and
aversion from most of the doctrines and practices of the latter, a conflict also to be
seen in his relations with the Omnipotent (89). He continues in such fashion by stating
religion "Superhuman only on scale (91)." Obviously Roger does not want to bow before a
force that does not permit him to have the kind of fun he wants to.
Father Colgate also has a conflict between himself and Roger. He comments, "In my calling
one very quickly develops what might almost be called an instinct whereby he comes to
detect infallibly the signs of a soul at variance with God. You, my son, are very
disturbed...A man doesn't act like a child unless his is hurting him. Your soul is
hurting you, Mr. Micheldene. Won't you allow me to hear your confession, my son? Soon.
The sooner the better (101)." This is truly a problem and disappointment for Father
Colgate because he genuinely cares for Roger's soul. The real conflict for Father Colgate
arises when Roger finally asks the father to hear his confessions but is insincere in his
repentance. The father must make the call as to whether or not Roger's repenting is
valid. 
There is a conflict between Roger and women in general. He has been married at least two
times and has not managed to remain faithful. He uses women for sexual pleasure, caring
only for his own feelings, and then comments on how silly women are. He does not like the
power they have over men nor their ability to change men.
9. Major Themes
One major theme within the novel is the search for self worth. Roger tries to find his
worth in meaningless relationships and alcohol because he is so insecure about himself as
an individual. This is parallel to the fact that he is fat. I think most people have the
same type of problem. They feel one aspect of themselves is so hideous that they try to
cover it up inside by lashing out on others or simply using others to feel good. Amis is
pointing this out through Roger's actions and relationships.
Besides that I have a difficult time finding themes within the work. I saw how Amis
continually pointed out how lust conquered a man and woman's sense of right and wrong.
However, Helene states she cannot lie to Ernst about where she is. Obviously her entire
life is a lie because he believes her to be faithful. Perhaps Amis is also trying to
point out the fact that things are not always as they seem. People seem to have good jobs
and money, but that doesn't account for happiness, as in Joe's unhappiness with his life
and sudden outbursts of anger. Also he sort of hints at the fact that men are only out to
get what they want and is ready to squash any one who stands in their way. For example,
Roger is angrier with Irving over the fact that he stole Helene for the weekend then the
fact Irving humiliated him so many times. 
Overall, I believe Amis wrote very little moral value into the novel, nor did he
incorporate major themes. It seems to me the novel is simply a satire about American
life. Amis also uses outrageous instances to make us fell sorry for the fat Englishman
that is really undeserving of pity because he is so mean and nasty.
10. My Favorite Scene
My favorite scene within the novel is quite simple, but I find it humorous. Roger is at
Helene's home and her son Arthur just returned home from school. Arthur is unhappy with
Roger being there and Roger is just as unhappy that the child's presence spoiled his
afternoon plans with Helene. However, Roger must make an attempt to show Helene that he
is compassionate by trying to befriend Arthur. After a one sided conversation with
Arthur, Roger is about to give up. Then Arthur asked Roger to play scrabble with him.
The two sat down to play and needless to say Roger drew letters from the bag that offered
no chance making a word for quite a while. Arthur, a small child with a smaller grasp on
language than Roger, was winning. Eventually Ernst came home and Roger was stuck playing
the game in front of both Helene and Roger. "The humiliation of being routed at a
scrabble game by a seven-year-old seemed destined to pass by Roger (66)." Thus, Roger
asked to resign from the game, but Arthur informed him that resigning is not allowed.
Thus, they were forced to continue playing.
Arthur's next word was N-I-T-E-R. Roger looked at the word curiously and said "Niter?
What's that supposed to mean?" Arthur ironically said, "You know, like a one-nighter." To
which Roger responded "No such word" and challenged Arthur. Arthur opened a dictionary
and read "Niter, a Potassium nitrate. A supposed nitrous element." Roger still argued
with Arthur and said the correct spelling is N-I-T-R-E. When Arthur shook his head Roger
angrily stammered, "I...But that is a bloody American dictionary." To which Arthur
responded, "This is bloody America." 
I found this quite humorous because I could easily visualize the scene. A large man and a
small child playing a game, the older man losing and then the child's retort. I also
enjoyed the fact Arthur then quoted Roger's new score of "minus 21."
11. The Significance of the title
The title of the novel is One Fat Englishman. The novel is named this because its main
character is an Englishman, Roger, who is considerably overweight, fat.
12. The author's point of view 
The novel's point of view is third person omniscient. This allows the reader to know not
only what Roger is thinking and feeling but what others are, too. Thus, the reader does
not simply see everything from Roger's perspective. Also this allows the reader to
understand more of what is going on between and in scenes.