Strife

by John Galsworthy

THIS 94 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE Representative Plays by John Galsworthy, by John Galsworthy. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 141790657X.

Genres: Plays, British Literature, Classics, Drama, English Literature, Fiction, Law

124 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1910

About the author

Literary career of English novelist and playwright John Galsworthy, who used John Sinjohn as a pseudonym, spanned the Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian eras.

In addition to his prolific literary status, Galsworthy was also a renowned social activist. He was an outspoken advocate for the women's suffrage movement, prison reform and animal rights. Galsworthy was the president of PEN, an organization that sought to promote international cooperation through literature.

John Galsworthy was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1932 "for his distinguished art of narration which takes its highest form in The Forsyte Saga."

Reviews

[Sidharth Vardhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good playing raising questions on uncertainty of ascertainment of amount of guilt and punishment. The author has an interesting point about isolation of prisoners when he says it is deemed as a cruelty even against animals to separate them from their own kind. What it is suppose to achieve anyway? But then there are no alternatives I guess.

[Classic reverie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently I heard the OTR (old time radio) version of John Galsworthy's play "Justice"; it was not my first time listening either and I remember it having an effect on me. There was something so sad and pointless; Galsworthy exposes not just the Justice system but attitudes of all surrounding the first time criminal who after serving time can't shake off this millstone. Even though I heard this several times, I had no idea who the wrote this but this time when listening, I clearly heard the author and decided it was time to read and compare. Besides Goodreads, OTR has been a huge source in finding classic and older stories. After I finished reading this play, I saw the whole gloomy miserable effect when one is jailed for a crime that even though committed could have on a person, especially someone who is not hardened. Some people are able to withstand blows where others have an emotional toll not easily removed. This book was written in 1910, before thoughts of any comfort to prisoners and when solitary confinement was a norm in British penal system. When I say comfort I mean basic needs that a person requires not it being a stay at a hotel. James Hilton, the author, who was the commentator for the radio production, he had mentioned that this work was one thing that caused a change in that standard practice of solitary confinement. Lack of sunlight was a complaint by a prisoner in the play; not being an expert in the British penal ways, I wonder how it was like then compared to today. Does that mean I don't believe in justice of the court? No, but crimes that don't include physical harm or murder should not be closed to circumstances which caused the crime to happen and leniency applied if the person is truly remorseful. Even though the times are different back then, this play still is important in showing how prison could change a person forever but especially if the past when the society was less forgiving. Just as in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, Jean Valjean stealing bread for his starving family, his crime should have been dealt with differently. Sometimes it can be done with an understanding to make as amends and figure something out between parties. In this play this could have applied but the March of justice was too strong in the lead partner's mind. We see a change in sentiment but it comes too late. This had a Charles Dickens feel to it.

I read a Delphi Collection of John Galsworthy's works not this edition. My notes and highlights are there.


The radio version is very close but the play has extra information and descriptions. As I was cleaning today, I had OTR streaming from my favorite station and alas another Galsworthy story was portrayed. I had to smile at that.


https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com...

This play was wonderfully sad 😟 and worthy of a read! My first Galsworthy and not my last, that is for sure!!! 💕💕💖💜💙

[Leviosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Semester stuffs.

[Abeer Abdelhamid · Rating 3 out of 5]

مسرحية تدور حول شاب يعمل فى مكتب محاماه ويحب سيدة متزوجة تريد الانفصال عن زوجها لقسوته الشديدة ولانها لا تمك المال الذى تسطيع ان تحيا به هى واطفالها اذا انفصلت عن زوجها فيقرر الشاب سرقة مبلغ من المكتب الذى يعمل به لكى تهرب من زوجها وهو معها بالطبع.. الا انه يتم القبض عليه قبل الهرب ويصر المحامى صاحب المكتب تقديمه للمحاكمة
الاحداث توضح الصراع ما بين اعطائه فرصه اخرى او تقديمه للمحاكمة وتدمير مستقبله
رغم ان هدف المسرحية التعاطف مع الشاب الا انها فشلت فى ذلك على الاقل معى

[Mariangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this play, Galsworthy makes a plea for mercy instead of the justice that crushes a first time offender and denies him any chance of rehabilitation.

[Akanksha Agrawal · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Attack on the English law & judicial machinery."

Through this play Galsworthy denounces the rolling of the chariot wheels of Justice which revolve furiously and crush a number of innocent people to powder without considering their perturbed circumstances which lead them to do the felony and crime.

Four minutes changed the whole course of Falder's life in which he got tempted to swindle in his office by altering the cheque to get the  immoral money. At that time the condition of his beloved Mrs. Ruth completely stupefied him who ran away from the house of her drunkard husband when he tried  to strangle her to death. Falder was succumbed  to get the money  anyhow to start a new life with Ruth &  became vulnerable to commit this felony at the spur of moment without any deliberate execution.

But the chariot of justice didn't consider his psychology behind the crime & the dreams of a young man were crushed under its feet.

In the words of Frome, Galsworthy speaks these lines in the Act II of drama:-

"Imprison him as & I affirm you that he will be lost."

The prosecution of Falder stamps some indelible questions in the mind of the readers: 1."How will you justify the imprisonment of Falder who had already got the punishment of three months in the prison before the trial took place in the court?"

2.What would court do in consideration of his three months' imprisonment before the trial if Falder was found innocent?

3.Should Falder not be given a chance to redeem himself?

4.  Was he not more sinned against his sinning when the play finds its denouement in the death of Falder?

5. Is it depravity to help a victimized married woman?

[Ulysses · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No one'll touch him now! Never again! He's safe with gentle Jesus! "

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Justice by John Galsworthy- Play- Drama (1867-1933) This Drama revolves around the story of the poor clerk Falder and a miserable wife Ruth socially and sexually harassed by her husband. The play Justice throws light upon the misery and plight of the poor individuals of the society leading their lives like outcasts. Feeling for the helplessness of Ruth, Falder decides to take her out of her misery by forging a cheque in order to help the miserable wife. He promises Ruth a happy and satisfied life away from all these troubles. However, Falder is caught by his superiors and brought to the court where the judge finds him guilty of forgery and illicit relationship with a married woman; therefore, the jury decides to send Falder in a solitary confinement to spend the rest of his days there. Even when Falder gets out of the prison, he never finds freedom in his life and thus embraces death to get rid of his troubles and worries. Showing the apparent triumph of the justice and the judicial system in the play, Galsworthy wants his readers to ponder upon the terrible lives of Falder and Ruth that lead them to indulge in such unlawful acts. The playwright has shown the failure of the legal system which gives severe punishments to the poor without taking into regard the circumstances behind their crimes. The poor Falder is sentenced easily when he forges a cheque out of necessity but Ruth’s rich husband is never punished for harassing his wife. This double standard of the judicial system is highly criticised by the author which sympathizes with the rich and punish the poor and downtrodden. Author in his play Justice adopts a satirical tone to criticise the unfair practices of the judicial system which gives free hand to the upper class on their crimes and puts the wretched people behind the bars for their trivial illegal acts. In the ironical title of the play, the playwright highlights a thought-provoking social issue of injustice in front of his audience and readers to persuade them to read and watch his play through a humanitarian lens to decide whether the judiciary proclaiming justice and equality for all or the poor men leading a miserable life is to be blamed for the crimes committed in the world?

[Dr.J.G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

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Justice, by John Galsworthy.
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Calder, a new junior clerk in the How law office, has changed a cheque from nine pounds to ninety pounds, expecting it to be blamed on the clerk he'd replaced, who's migrated to Australia. He's caught squarely because the cheque book was in pocket of How junior who was out of town, and the change from nine to ninety pounds was recorded on the stub as well, so the person who migrated coukdnt hsve done it.

But the day he was caught was the night he expected to get out of town with Ruth Honeywell and her children, trying to save her from her abusive husband who's threatened to slit her throat.

Galsworthy has a defence lawyer pleading, apart from circumstances, a weak character for the poòr young man; which makes one wonder. Would they portray him as a weak character in the rough West if, under same circumstances, he stole the money, to help the woman he loved so she could flee with him and escape the murderous husband? Or would he be seen as a hero, even, to be helped further by a stronger hero?

Perhaps Galsworthy said it in a nutshell through the defence lawyer who says:-

" ... Gentlemen, Justice is a machine that, when some one has once given it the starting push, rolls on of itself. Is this young man to be ground to pieces under this machine for an act which at the worst was one of weakness? Is he to become a member of the luckless crews that man those dark, ill-starred ships called prisons? ... "
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[Noha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is crime sometimes excusable? Does the penal system actually correct behaviour? Should a single mistake be a good enough reason to destroy someone's life? Galsworthy's Justice: A Tragedy asks a lot of uneasy questions about crime, the law and punishment.

[Amulya Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rarely like tragic stories.

[abdelali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sad play. Things have changed considerably re-law today.

[Kindra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sad commentary on humanity’s unwillingness to grant mercy in the face of moral outrage. I was not surprised by the sad ending of this play, although I really was hopeful.

[Ariffa Jarena Banu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes Justice Fails...

[Apoorva Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

An extreme version of Lex Talionis

[Arundhati Girish · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's awful what the justice system can do to you.

[Dr.J.G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

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Justice, by John Galsworthy.
................................................................................................
................................................................................................


Calder, a new junior clerk in the How law office, has changed a cheque from nine pounds to ninety pounds, expecting it to be blamed on the clerk he'd replaced, who's migrated to Australia. He's caught squarely because the cheque book was in pocket of How junior who was out of town, and the change from nine to ninety pounds was recorded on the stub as well, so the person who migrated coukdnt hsve done it.

But the day he was caught was the night he expected to get out of town with Ruth Honeywell and her children, trying to save her from her abusive husband who's threatened to slit her throat.

Galsworthy has a defence lawyer pleading, apart from circumstances, a weak character for the poòr young man; which makes one wonder. Would they portray him as a weak character in the rough West if, under same circumstances, he stole the money, to help the woman he loved so she could flee with him and escape the murderous husband? Or would he be seen as a hero, even, to be helped further by a stronger hero?

Perhaps Galsworthy said it in a nutshell through the defence lawyer who says:-

" ... Gentlemen, Justice is a machine that, when some one has once given it the starting push, rolls on of itself. Is this young man to be ground to pieces under this machine for an act which at the worst was one of weakness? Is he to become a member of the luckless crews that man those dark, ill-starred ships called prisons? ... "
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[Harsh Mohan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life is full of misery and you can't do anything about it. People will always use you and you can't expect anything in return but just pain.