by Carrie-Ann Campbell

Created on: July 20, 2008   Last Updated: July 22, 2008

Iain Banks' novel "The Bridge" focuses very heavily upon the main character's state of mind.
The reader is not told his name, but it's hinted to be Alex Lennox, a troubled man who crashes his car while gazing at the Forth Bridge.
The book is split into three protaganists - Alexander Lennox himself, John Orr and the Barbarian, all of whom are the same character who is lying in a coma after the crash.

The concept of the Doppelganger is common in Scottish Literature, the most famous example being Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde". In Stevenson's novel, the protaganist splits himself in order to create a socially admirable self.
In Bank's "The Bridge", this is a common feature.

John Orr lives upon The Bridge- a giant structure hundreds of miles long, shaped like the Forth Bridge. He is upper class, well spoken and educated as well as sexually appealing- all, one can argue, the more positive points of Alexander Lennox- in this way, the character is 'split' just like Jekyll and Hyde. The 'Hyde', in this case is the Barbarian; whom, like the name suggests, is less than a socially pleasant character. He is a warrior, interested in only treasure and women. He speaks with a broad Scots accent, he is violent, and not pre-disposed to rational thinking. Rather he is a wild, untamed purely male figure who gives in to his more animal instincts.

Both of these characters undergo their own seperate journey; Alex seems to equate himself more with John Orr- this is shown by John Orr's awareness of the 'real world' and what it means for him. When Orr picks up his phone for example, all he can hear is a rhythmic beeping. This is in fact the real Lennox's heart monitor. It can be argued that this is because Lennox wishes with all his heart to be like John Orr, has struggled his entire life in fact with his education in order to be everyone's ideal. In the world of the Bridge, Orr is everything Lennox wishes to be; he is society's paragon, respected, liked, popular and well-educated. It is the character of John Orr who holds Alex back from re-awakening in the 'real world'.
He also displays a materialistic view, and is symbolic of Lennox's fear of social ostracization - a scene at Dissy Pitton, for instance, where Orr pleads with the doorman to let him inside the place, while he refuses. Orr insists "Don't you recognise me? I'm here most nights... Look at my face, man, not my overalls! I was here the other night, I was the chap who gave Bouche back his

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>