25 pages • 50 minutes read
Sinclair RossThe Lamp at Noon
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1968A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Authorial Context: Sinclair Ross
Sinclair Ross was born on a farm near Shellbrook, Canada, on January 22, 1908. He went on to spend much of his life in Saskatchewan, which also served as the setting for many of his stories. His parents divorced when he was seven years old, after which he and his mother became itinerant farmers, residing on several different farms for short periods of time. This period was formative in the author’s life, and his background as a farmer would later inform his writing. Ross also served in the Canadian Army from 1942 to 1945, the end of World War II, which influenced his world outlook. Upon being discharged, he moved to Montreal, Quebec. Ross died in 1996 from Parkinson’s Disease in a nursing home in Vancouver, British Columbia, and was buried in the town of Indian Head, Saskatchewan. A bronze statue, sculpted by Joe Fafard, was made in honor of Ross and has been erected near the site of his grave.
Ross wrote a total of four full-length novels and several collections of short stories during his lifetime—all the while being employed by The Royal Bank of Canada. In recognition of his significant contributions to Canadian literature, Ross was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1992. To date, his first novel is the most well-known. This novel, As for Me and My House, was first published in 1941 and is set in a secluded prairie town during The Great Depression. Although the novel did not generate much acclaim for the author initially, it went on to become a bellwether of the Canadian prairie fiction genre. The short story “A Lamp at Noon” first appeared in his collection titled “The Lamp at Noon and Other Stories” in 1968.
Like other Canadian writers of his generation, Ross was concerned with depicting the harshness and hardships of rural life in Canada. Overall, Ross's expertise in depicting the prairie landscape and the lives of its inhabitants contributes to the authenticity and emotional impact of "A Lamp at Noon."
Literary Context: Prairie Realism
Sinclair Ross was a pioneer of “Canadian Regionalism,” or “Prairie Realism,” of which “The Lamp at Noon” is representative. Other notable authors such as Frederick Philip Grove, W. O. Mitchell, Margaret Laurence, and Guy Vanderhaeghe also contributed greatly to the genre. As a form of realism, Canadian prairie fiction usually favors a simple and unembellished style that strives to depict an accurate and believable narrative of the struggles faced by Canadians trying to cope with the bleak realities of life on the prairies. Some of the other unifying characteristics of Canadian prairie fiction include setting, characterization, and thematic content.
Canadian prairie fiction takes place on the wide-open Canadian plains in the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. Often, as in the case of “The Lamp at Noon,” the setting plays a significant role in the plot and character development of the story. The setting dictates that the characters inhabiting these stories are occupied by agrarian pursuits, and the harsh realities of rural life are prominent features of this genre. The difficult environment shapes the characters, instigates conflict and turmoil, and serves as a backdrop for the characters’ development.
Canadian prairie fiction often features characters who exhibit personality traits such as resilience, stoicism, and determination. Paul in “The Lamp at Noon” is a representative example. The characters are also often lonely, disillusioned, and desperate, as Ellen is, from trying to grapple with the overwhelming physical and emotional challenges that come from living in rural Canada. The stories often show how human aspirations can be crushed by the restrictions imposed by the unforgiving landscape.
Literary Context: Overlaps with American Literature
The shared geography and similar cultures of Canada and the United States led to stylistic and thematic parallels between Ross’s works in general and the works of other prominent 20th-century American writers. For example, his work, including “The Lamp at Noon,” shares some similarities with the work of William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, and John Steinbeck, who also published during the inter-war period and beyond.
Faulkner and Ross both approach character development with an emphasis on psychological exploration. They dive into their characters’ internal struggles and conflicts, often highlighting the tensions between personal desires and societal expectations. In “The Lamp at Noon,” all aspects of the setting serve to dig deeper into Paul and Ellen’s conflicts, both their fight between each other and their internal battles with themselves.
Hemingway, best described as a Modernist writer, is notable for the sparseness of his prose. Ross employs a similar style. His writing often features restrained and terse prose and emphasizes the use of dialogue and concrete details to convey meaning. Both authors also emphasize stoicism in the face of dire circumstances. “The Lamp at Noon” features this tightness of prose and draws on immersive imagery to augment the internal worlds of the characters, with Paul a complex manifestation of stoicism in the face of desperation.
Steinbeck, an American realist, is often compared to Ross. Both authors adopt Great Depression Era settings and explore the impact of the Great Depression on the lives of ordinary people. Themes of loneliness, hopelessness, and the negative impact that environmental deprivation can have on human relationships are also common, as is the case in “The Lamp at Noon.”
.webp&w=640&q=50)