|
|
|
The Warm Heart of the Lean Years
 But the Second World War drew people back together in a common cause. What's more, the conflict wasn't restricted to the armed forces. For the first time in history, civilians were targeted by the enemy. From this, a great sense of 'community' developed. Many people old enough to remember it still look back fondly on that camaraderie: the wartime spirit. Social barriers fell and the personal trials and challenges previously kept behind closed doors now entered the public arena to be shared by all.There was, in consequence, the development of a greater awareness of the problems people had in common; the effects of poverty, the struggle for a better way of life; the things that drove people to crime and the effect of crime on its victims; the hopes and dreams, nobility and small-mindedness of ordinary men and women. Against this background, authors began to draw on real day-to-day experiences for inspiration; the things that affected the lives of the common populace. In some senses, it could be thought of as a 'comfort zone', in that the misdeeds committed at this level could be understood whereas the crimes of the Nazis were simply inconceivable. Hence we find Sexton Blake confronting petty thieves instead of criminal masterminds; defending the community rather than less comprehensible ideals such as 'honour' (a concept that was killed in WW1 and had no place in WW2).  It should also be noted that this period of history marked the affirmation of Britain's relatively new middle classes as the country's biggest social force. The First World War had all but destroyed the ruling gentry and country peasants. Now, at least in theory, everyone was equal and they all had the same opportunities. As the Sexton Blake stories clearly illustrate, this gave rise to immense frustrations. In the past, people knew their place. The upper classes didn't need to better themselves; the working classes had no chance to do so. But when, suddenly, a rise in status is hypothetically possible, anything that holds you back becomes a source of annoyance and angst. This is as true today as it was during the forties and fifties.So in the stories of the 'Lean Years' we are presented with many examples of people who think they are more important that they actually are - people who believe they have already achieved a rise in status by virtue of the fact that the opportunity is there, even though, in reality, they have been too cowardly, stupid, lazy or misguided to actually achieve anything. |