A Must-Read Novel: Stoner by John Williams

 Rafi Nursyamsi Darojat (30802400032)

“Stoner’s colleagues, who held him in no particular esteem when he was alive, speak of him rarely now; to the older ones his name is a reminder of the end that awaits them all, and to the younger ones it is merely a sound that evokes no sense of the past and no identity with which they can associate themselves or their careers,” wrote John Edward Williams on the opening page of one of his great books, Stoner.

I’m so delighted that I found this novel, Stoner, by John Williams. I mean, why not? This classic novel really satisfies me; the story and the character feel pretty similar to my life, as if I’m reading a biography of myself, past and future. It is also a must-read for English Literature majors. It tells of university life, or, to be more daring, it is an academic fiction with English Literature in it, with drama in university and marriage as a major flavor. The story is as follows: 

William Stoner was born in the late nineteenth century to a poor farming family in central Missouri. His early life is characterized by the grueling, silent labor of the soil and a deep connection to the land. In 1910, his father sends him to the University of Missouri to study agriculture, hoping William will learn new techniques to save the family’s struggling farm. While at the university, Stoner is required to take a survey course in English Literature. During a lecture on a Shakespearean sonnet with Archer Sloane, he experiences a profound intellectual awakening. He realizes that he does not want to return to the farm; instead, he falls in love with the "life of the mind" and switches his major to literature without telling his parents. Upon graduation, Stoner informs his parents of his decision, to be an English professor. They accept his choice with the same stoic silence they apply to their farm work, and Stoner stays at the university to pursue his graduate degrees. It is here that he meets his lifelong friends, Gordon Finch and Dave Masters. When World War I breaks out, Stoner chooses to stay and teach while his friends go to war, a decision that leaves him feeling isolated and questioning his own courage.

Stoner eventually meets Edith Bostwick, a young woman from a wealthy but repressed family. He is instantly smitten by her refined beauty and, after a brief and awkward courtship, they marry. However, the marriage is a disaster from the beginning. Edith is emotionally distant and sexually repressed, and their life together quickly turns into a cold, silent struggle for dominance.

As the years pass, the domestic conflict worsens. Edith begins a campaign of psychological "warfare" against William. In a pivotal moment of self-erasure and control, she rearranges the entire house, turning William's study into a nursery and burning her own childhood belongings in the fireplace to "incinerate" her past. They have a daughter, Grace, whom Stoner adores, but Edith eventually weaponizes the girl to further isolate William.

In his professional life, Stoner finds solace in teaching. However, he enters into a lifelong feud with the department head, Hollis Lomax. The conflict begins when Stoner refuses to pass Charles Walker, a lazy and dishonest student who is Lomax’s protégé. Lomax views Stoner’s integrity as a personal attack on his own authority. For the next several decades, Lomax uses his power to sabotage Stoner’s career. Stoner is assigned the most difficult and repetitive teaching schedules and is denied any significant promotions or raises. Despite the unfair treatment, Stoner refuses to play political games or fight back with malice, choosing instead to endure the situation with quiet dignity.

In middle age, Stoner experiences a brief, transformative love affair with a younger instructor named Katherine Driscoll. For the first time, Stoner feels a sense of true emotional and intellectual partnership. This relationship represents his only period of genuine happiness, but it is eventually discovered by Lomax, who uses the scandal to threaten both of their careers. To protect Katherine’s future, Stoner agrees to end the affair. Their separation is heartbreaking, and Stoner returns to his hollow marriage and his stagnant career. He becomes a ghost-like figure in the university, respected by some for his knowledge but largely ignored by the institution he has served for his entire adult life. As he ages, Stoner watches his daughter Grace fall into a life of alcoholism and unhappiness, mirroring the tragic environment of her childhood home. Stoner himself begins to decline physically, eventually being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Even as his body fails, he remains devoted to his books and the quiet sanctuary of his office.

On his deathbed, Stoner reflects on the many failures of his life: his broken marriage, his stalled career, and his lost love. He looks at the one small book he published years ago, a slim volume that has been mostly forgotten by the world. Rather than feeling bitter, he experiences a sense of peace and accomplishment. In his final moments, Stoner asks himself the question, "What did you expect?" He realizes that despite the hardships and the lack of outward success, his life was authentic and his devotion to literature was real. He dies peacefully while holding his book, having lived a life of quiet, unshakable integrity.

A simple and easy-to-read classic novel, really. It is a quiet, realistic campus novel and character study following the ordinary. Human loneliness, a cold and difficult marriage, stalled ambitions, and the quiet resignation of an unexamined or overlooked life are here. As I said, it is a must-read for English Literature majors, not only because of the drama but also the Eng-Lit vibe.