The Arrangement:

A harrowing drama of human life

by Gwen Herat

Trapped between two women of diverse characters, Morrison petrified as one is a spiritual psychopath and the other a normal human. Elia Kazan picks on a very harrowing drama on human life filled with psychology led by his wife, Florence and the other down-to-earth Gwen who together attempt to unravel the mental torments that grip him.

The Arrangement by Elia Kazan hasd been lying in the library for decades but never attracted my attention to go through it. Though I found the early pages boring not at all like Elia Kazan, I manged to read it.

After a daunting and nerve-racking career that dotted his successful life combined with an array of mistresses who were in and out of his life, Morrison comes face to face with an exciting strange girl who wakes him to face not only the hypocrisy of his 20 years of marriage he thought was perfect but finds himself jolted by the very ‘arrangement’ by which he had his society lived.

Fortress

Came the time he and Florence built the fortress to get away and little by little his lifestyle changed as Florence led him by the nose. He felt he was being clouded by a strange darkness and living in the fortress with her surrounded by an impenetrable wall. He would choke at times but not Florence.

She had been reading Herman Hesse's Sidhartha who searched for harmony with the world and peace. Later after much pain and hardship he surfaced as a man who kept himself under control.

The philosophy of Hesse intrigued him and appeared to be a negation of the ego that influenced Florence. As the days sped with her spiritual influence, they were known as the golden couple.

Sometimes he thought of Gwen. There was no point. It was a way of life but he could not rule her out of his life.

One morning for no reason he drove to office, piled into the side of an enormous trailer truck speeding in the opposite direction. That accident changed his life. In the following week, he slept mostly or pretending to be and was sent home in an ambulance. Next, he embarked on a happy life of convalescence.

Divorce

With much water flowing under the bridge, things were turning sour as Morrison expected.

The divorce settlement was exasperating but ended up with priority to Florence making way for Gwen to come back to his life. It was also the beginning of understanding of what the other woman was like. The woman in turn was Gwen after a marriage of decades with Florence.

Gwen was a monster but who else will wait for him but a fool.

He opened his eyes from a dream and saw his mother sitting by the window and sewing a button on his jacket.

He jerked from the bed to face the reality of his new life. His mother kissed him again and said, “Do not let go yourself. You are still a nice looking fellow.”

Morrison went to the end of the island and booked into a cheap motel. Next morning the rain had stopped as he walked to the beach. There was no one in sight. After supper he wrote Gwen a note and informed her where he was.

Gwen how could he forget her. She was warm, simple and loving.

The only woman he trusted paved the way for his marriage to survive though he deeply loved her. She withdrew from his life after a short relationship. As he sat on the beachfront, he saw her coming and sat beside him without explanation. It was the beginning of a marriage between two monsters.

Pregnant

Late that night Gwen told him she was pregnant. It was going to be his first child. But something worried him. The question was all this drama, the great overthrow for this simple living away from the luxuries of life.

He knew it was all worthy for Gwen.

Elia Kazan (1909-2003) was born in Istanbul, Turkey as Elias Kazantzoglou, Kazan was more into film production as a director, actor, producer and script writer as well as novelist. He married thrice and in some way arrangement is a sort of an autobiography.

He was a Greek-American. He studied acting at Yale. Elia was a professional for eight years and later joined the Group Theatre in 1932.

He brought in self-expression and psycholigcal effect into the theatre. In the process, he introduced young actors such as Marlon Brando who were to become icon-actor in Hollywood. The list included such names as James Dean, Warren Beatty, Carrol Baker and Julie Harris.

He turned one of his great novels, A Streetcar Named Desire into an Oscar-wining film. One of his other great novels, A Gentleman's Agreement (1947) had Gregory Peck in the lead.

The greatest impact on Kazan's career was the testimony he gave before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1952 at the time of the Hollywood black list which brought him strong negative reactions from many liberal friends and colleagues. Later, he was able to over-ride the controversy.