John Marlyn's 'Under the Ribs of Death' is concerned with the life of Sandor Hunyadi, a young Hungarian living in Canada. The novel follows his life as a young boy, and then as a young man in the years before the Great Depression. Sandor's efforts to find his place within Canadian society are a dominant theme of the novel, as is the problem of poverty. Perhaps the all-encompassing term which would define Sandor's life is struggle.

Sandor's home life can be seen in terms of a constant struggle against poverty. Like many other Hungarian immigrants, Sandor's father is a janitor, a low-paid, menial job. Hungarians brought with them few skills fit for the Canadian job market, and were often employed in jobs with low wages, and were highly exploited by the Canadian employers. Sandor himself was shocked and upset when he heard his father being talked down to by his employer, but this type of treatment was common for Hungarian immigrants to Canada, who were subjected to prejudice and hate. Although being shocked by his father's treatment, Sandor is very aware of the prejudice against immigrants. He shows this from an early

age when he tells his parents that "the only people who count are the English ... 'cause when you're English it's the same as bein' Canadian", and because of this prejudice he is determined to demonstrate that he is as Canadian as everyone else. His pride of sharing his birthday with Victoria Day is clear evidence that he is proud to be Canadian, as is his absolute fervour over obtaining a flag. The most obvious symbol of Sandor's desire to assimilate is his decision to change his name. Sandor's name has always caused him problems with the Canadians, and from his encounter with Mrs Crawford when he became Alex Humphrey, to his later decision to become Alex Hunter, he has always felt that his foreign name was a hindrance to his future. Marlyn couples his description of Sandor's name change with the image of the businessmen dining in the hotel, the men who Sandor so admired and wished to become. This implied that Sandor felt his name was an infringement of his chances of progress and achieving his dream of becoming a successful businessman who works hard and can afford the luxuries that he was denied as a child. This symbolic change highlights the prejudice that many of the Hungarian immigrants encountered whilst in Canada.

Sandor's extreme desire for success can at times be seen as almost vulgar and disconcerting, especially when put in contrast to his father's absolute idealism. Perhaps his father's idealism is the driving cause of Sandor's complete dedication to success and security to the detriment of friendship and the pleasure of family life. Sandor has seen his family struggle against the odds for so long, blaming his father's soft heartedness for their hardships, and so sees wealth as a greater source of happiness than that of company. Losing his friendship with the gang and replacing them with his job can also be seen as a key experience in Sandor's life, but I think that it is clear that Marlyn wants us to see the storybook that Sandor was given by Mrs Creighton as a defining feature in Sandor's life. He sees himself as Jack, the boy who worked hard to succeed, struggling against the odds, but the book makes no mention of the profound loneliness that can come from absolute careerism. However, Alex's loneliness can be seen by the long hours he spends at the Agency, where he 'has no place to go' when finished work, and the fact that 'he had cut himself off from everything that even remotely threatened to disturb his life within these four walls'. This demonstrates that it was Alex's choice to cut himself off; he wants nothing to come between his goal of financial success. The only distraction that Alex eventually allows himself is his relationship with Mary, and even then, it is evident that she is not allowed to take him away from the Agency. The more financially orientated Alex allows himself to become, the less a likeable character he is. Although his reasoning in this way of living is understandable, and he seems content with his life, we feel that he is letting down his family and his background by letting this burning desire for wealth come before his family and friends. In this respect, the ending of the novel, when Alex, now a poor man, but a family man, with a feeling of hope and happiness at the joy his new son brings him, leaves us with a feeling of respect for Alex, who seems to have been redeemed by his career failures, and his familial successes.

Sandor's constant desire is to have money, to be financially secure. He can see the struggles that his parents endure to try and make ends meet, he knows the feeling of hunger, of monotonous meals, and the shame if rummage sales. He cannot understand his parents' pride in their refusal to take from Fraulein Kleinholtz, so insistent is his desire to live without financial worry. This yearning for money is demonstrated by his charging of friends of his use of his

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2602
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)