I investigated the Linnets book because I learned that it had a witch in it; working on the Borribles article reminded me of the Guardians book, which I first read ages ago just for the story. This time around, it is the issues and connections that are the main objects of interest.
In addition to the connections mentioned in Part I, The Guardians has some scenes and elements that remind me very much of Robert A. Heinlein’s Citizen of the Galaxy. Before going into this and some further connections, there is more of Rob Randall’s story to be told.
Rob arrives in the County
Rob Randall, the young orphaned Conurban hero of The Guardians, runs away from his hated boarding school to a place that he sees as his only option i.e. the County.
He may have planned his escape and journey to the County carefully, but he has not thought much about what he will do when he gets there.
Conurbans are like Borribles in that they prefer crowded streets to empty fields! Rob has not thought about the effect that the wide open spaces will have on him:
“Rob found himself shivering, not just with cold but at the sight of darkness, the thought of the emptiness beyond. All his life, like everyone else in the Conurbs, he had been surrounded by the comforting presence of others - all the millions of them. Being glad to have a little privacy occasionally was not the same as wanting to go out there, alone.”
However, Rob is tough and adaptable and he is interested in new experiences:
“Two rabbits appeared from the wood and he watched them, fascinated. It was hard to believe he was really here, in the County, with plants budding, wild things living all around him. And yet already this was the reality, the Conurb - with its packed streets, high-rise buildings, crawling electrocars - the fantasy.”
Rob finds a rescuer
Rob soon finds himself in big trouble.
Raw potatoes are the only food he can find in the wide open spaces, his feet become badly blistered and he soon realises that he must either give himself up or starve.
He is spotted and caught by one of the local gentry, a boy not much older than he is. This boy, Mike Gifford, befriends Rob, takes him to a secret hideaway and provides him with supplies. Eventually the things that Mike takes from home are missed, and Rob is discovered.
The plot of The Guardians is sometimes contrived. For no obvious reason, Mike’s family decide to take Rob in and give him a home with them. They decide to pass him off as a relative who has just arrived from Nepal; this will help to explain his differences and deficiencies and lack of essential knowledge.
A new life for Rob Randall
Despite knowing very well how lucky he is to have found a family, a home and a background, Rob is depressed because he is helpless and dependent and has to adjust his ideas and behaviour to fit in with new requirements and social customs. He knows that he is on probation and could still be sent back to the Conurbs if he fails to make the grade.
“There were thousands - more than the entire stock of the Public Library, and all for the use of one small family. At the moment, he realized with a mixture of surprise and satisfaction, for his own personal use. None of the family seemed to go there and he could browse without interruption.”
Rob also has to learn to deal with servants and to ride a horse; books are no help here.
Mike’s formidable mother, who was behind the decision to give Rob a home, helps with his social education:
“She gave him a part of her time every day to coach him in the way he was required to behave. There was an awful lot of this -how to address ladies, how to enter a room, how to walk or stand or bow, how to eat and drink, what sort of things to say in polite conversation and what must not be said. She corrected his mistakes and pointed out things he had done wrong during the previous day, not with the roughness and anger of the groom but with a cool decisiveness that could be even more disconcerting.”
Rob soon realises something:
“However much he learned and copied, he knew he would always be outside this world, a stranger.”
This makes him sound like the writers who felt that they were just acting a part, imitating others and pretending to be real people!
“He was silent, thinking about it. Another way of life to get used to: more and more problems. There was no end to them. As though reading his thoughts, Mrs. Gifford said, "You must not expect it to be easy, Rob. If you are to pass as one of us you are going to have to work very hard at it. Very hard indeed".”
Rob rises to the occasion
Although the school practises a Spartan regime, it is not as bad as Rob feared it would be:
“Mike did his best to help Rob fit in with things, but a lot had to be learned by experience. The habit Rob had formed during his months with the Giffords of watching people, anticipating things they might do or say and being ready to respond, proved an advantage. He worked out the right procedures and did his best to follow them. Quite soon he found himself fitting in, accepting and being accepted.”
Rob sees a big difference between his old and new schools:
“The difference between the two places was not easy to grasp at first, but it was distinct. Gradually Rob worked it out as having to do with pride and self-respect. At the boarding school there had been nothing to make up for the hardships. The whole aim had been to grind you down to submissiveness. Here there was a sense of being trained, and trained for eventual authority."
Rob seems a little young to have such insights!
Rob's new life goes well for while, but – of course – it doesn't last. Once again, his inner strength, values and ability to think and act for himself are put to the test.
Rob hides from some fox hunters after crossing into the County; later he is caught by Mike Gifford:
Conurbans are like Borribles in that they prefer crowded streets to empty fields! Rob has not thought about the effect that the wide open spaces will have on him:
“Rob found himself shivering, not just with cold but at the sight of darkness, the thought of the emptiness beyond. All his life, like everyone else in the Conurbs, he had been surrounded by the comforting presence of others - all the millions of them. Being glad to have a little privacy occasionally was not the same as wanting to go out there, alone.”
However, Rob is tough and adaptable and he is interested in new experiences:
“Two rabbits appeared from the wood and he watched them, fascinated. It was hard to believe he was really here, in the County, with plants budding, wild things living all around him. And yet already this was the reality, the Conurb - with its packed streets, high-rise buildings, crawling electrocars - the fantasy.”
Rob finds a rescuer
Rob soon finds himself in big trouble.
Raw potatoes are the only food he can find in the wide open spaces, his feet become badly blistered and he soon realises that he must either give himself up or starve.
He is spotted and caught by one of the local gentry, a boy not much older than he is. This boy, Mike Gifford, befriends Rob, takes him to a secret hideaway and provides him with supplies. Eventually the things that Mike takes from home are missed, and Rob is discovered.
The plot of The Guardians is sometimes contrived. For no obvious reason, Mike’s family decide to take Rob in and give him a home with them. They decide to pass him off as a relative who has just arrived from Nepal; this will help to explain his differences and deficiencies and lack of essential knowledge.
A new life for Rob Randall
Despite knowing very well how lucky he is to have found a family, a home and a background, Rob is depressed because he is helpless and dependent and has to adjust his ideas and behaviour to fit in with new requirements and social customs. He knows that he is on probation and could still be sent back to the Conurbs if he fails to make the grade.
Rob has a lot to learn; luckily he is intelligent and observant and there are some useful books in the Giffords' library:
“There were thousands - more than the entire stock of the Public Library, and all for the use of one small family. At the moment, he realized with a mixture of surprise and satisfaction, for his own personal use. None of the family seemed to go there and he could browse without interruption.”
Rob also has to learn to deal with servants and to ride a horse; books are no help here.
Mike’s formidable mother, who was behind the decision to give Rob a home, helps with his social education:
“She gave him a part of her time every day to coach him in the way he was required to behave. There was an awful lot of this -how to address ladies, how to enter a room, how to walk or stand or bow, how to eat and drink, what sort of things to say in polite conversation and what must not be said. She corrected his mistakes and pointed out things he had done wrong during the previous day, not with the roughness and anger of the groom but with a cool decisiveness that could be even more disconcerting.”
Rob soon realises something:
“However much he learned and copied, he knew he would always be outside this world, a stranger.”
This makes him sound like the writers who felt that they were just acting a part, imitating others and pretending to be real people!
Rob‘s next major problem: school
Rob has a good summer; life in the County is in many ways idyllic.
Rob has a good summer; life in the County is in many ways idyllic.
Giving and receiving hospitality is one of the main occupations of the gentry, so he participates in many outdoor events and activities and meets a lot of people. His cover story is – apparently - accepted by everyone he meets.
Then a new ordeal appears on the horizon. Mrs Gifford arranges for Rob to go to the same school that her son Mike attends, which means yet more problems and adjustments. With memories of his time at the horrible state boarding school still fresh, Rob is reluctant to go:
“He was silent, thinking about it. Another way of life to get used to: more and more problems. There was no end to them. As though reading his thoughts, Mrs. Gifford said, "You must not expect it to be easy, Rob. If you are to pass as one of us you are going to have to work very hard at it. Very hard indeed".”
Rob rises to the occasion
Although the school practises a Spartan regime, it is not as bad as Rob feared it would be:
“Mike did his best to help Rob fit in with things, but a lot had to be learned by experience. The habit Rob had formed during his months with the Giffords of watching people, anticipating things they might do or say and being ready to respond, proved an advantage. He worked out the right procedures and did his best to follow them. Quite soon he found himself fitting in, accepting and being accepted.”
Rob sees a big difference between his old and new schools:
“The difference between the two places was not easy to grasp at first, but it was distinct. Gradually Rob worked it out as having to do with pride and self-respect. At the boarding school there had been nothing to make up for the hardships. The whole aim had been to grind you down to submissiveness. Here there was a sense of being trained, and trained for eventual authority."
Rob seems a little young to have such insights!
Rob's new life goes well for while, but – of course – it doesn't last. Once again, his inner strength, values and ability to think and act for himself are put to the test.
Rob hides from some fox hunters after crossing into the County; later he is caught by Mike Gifford:
