A Ripple from the Storm by Doris Lessing
"A Ripple from the Storm" by Doris Lessing is a novel set in South Africa during the years 1941 to 1943, focusing on the life of Martha Quest. The story delves into Martha's emotional struggles and her complicated relationship with the societal norms of white South Africa, particularly following her recent divorce. As she becomes increasingly involved in communism, inspired by her friend Jasmine, Martha initially views Russia as a model of an ideal society. However, her perception begins to crumble when she learns troubling truths about Joseph Stalin's regime from her childhood friend, Solly Cohen.
Martha's commitment to the Communist Party leads her to a physical and emotional breakdown, during which she is cared for by Anton Hesse, the leader of the local party. Despite her acknowledgment of their incompatibility, Martha enters into a marriage with Anton to protect him from internment. This union, however, soon reveals itself to be unfulfilling as she grapples with her identity and the disintegration of the communist group they belong to. Ultimately, Martha finds herself disillusioned with communism and struggles with feelings of futility, questioning her own existence and sense of self. The novel portrays a profound exploration of personal and political conflict, as well as the search for identity amid societal upheaval.
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A Ripple from the Storm by Doris Lessing
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1958
Type of work: Novel
The Work
A Ripple from the Storm covers the years 1941 to 1943. The portrayal of Martha Quest’s emotional, personal life and her tenuous relationship to the mainstream society of white South Africa continues in this novel. Her deep involvement in the secret world of communism adds further complications to her life.
Following the example of her friend Jasmine, Martha—recently divorced and alienated from her mother and daughter—becomes the ideal hard-working communist. Believing that Russia has created the framework for an ideal society, Martha glorifies the country at every opportunity. Her worship of Russia, however, is assailed when Solly Cohen, Martha’s childhood friend, informs her that Joseph Stalin is responsible for executing Red Army officers. Although she does not at first accept this information, subsequent corruption from within her local party forces her to see that comrades do not have an automatic claim to virtue.
As Martha continues to present herself as a willing tool for the good of the Communist Party, she reaches a point of physical breakdown and has to take extended bed rest. During her illness, she is nursed by Anton Hesse, leader of the local Communist group. As Anton guards Martha’s well-being, her former lover, William, fades into the background. Martha allows Anton to take over her mind and body. Her lack of spunk also allows her to accept passively Mrs. Quest’s accusation that she has abandoned Caroline, her daughter.
Despite the fact that she does not love Anton and realizes that they are sexually incompatible, Martha moves in with Anton after she recovers. Later, she marries him to save him from an internment camp. For a period of time, she allows herself to think that they can live together harmoniously because she truly respects Anton’s mind and his position in the local party. Soon after the marriage, however, Martha sees that Anton wants to live with a “real” wife, not a fellow communist; she grows to despise him. Still, she stays in the marriage so that Anton can remain in the country.
When the communist group dissolves, mainly because of Anton’s overbearing manner and snobbery, Martha is overwhelmed by feelings of futility. Nevertheless, she believes that the end results were inevitable. At this point in her life, she loses her faith in communism and despairs of ever finding her true self: “I am not a person at all, I’m nothing yet—perhaps I never will be.” Her journey toward self-identification seems to have ended in a blind alley.
Bibliography
Bloom, Harold, ed. Doris Lessing. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2003.
Draine, Betsy. Substance Under Pressure: Artistic Coherence and Evolving Forms in the Novels of Doris Lessing. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1983.
Karl, Frederick. “The Four-Gaited Beast of the Apocalypse: Doris Lessing’s The Four-Gated City.” In Old Lines, New Forces: Essays on the Contemporary British Novel, edited by Robert K. Morris. Rutherford, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1976.
Klein, Carol. Doris Lessing: A Biography. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2000.
Lessing, Doris. A Small Personal Voice: Essays, Reviews, Interviews. Edited by Paul Schlueter. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1974.
Martinson, Deborah. “Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook: ’An Exposed Position.’” In In the Presence of Audience: The Self in Diaries and Fiction. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2003.
Pickering, Jean. Understanding Doris Lessing. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1990.
Rubenstein, Roberta. The Novelistic Vision of Doris Lessing: Breaking the Forms of Consciousness. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1979.
Waterman, David F. Identity in Doris Lessing’s Space Fiction. Youngstown, N.Y.: Cambria Press, 2006.