Tenacious and True

Alright, I have to admit that I absolutely loathed this novel for the first 100 pages or so.  I couldn't seem to wrap my head around the dialect.  I mean honestly, who writes like this?  What sane individual is able to comprehend paragraphs void of punctuation and reason?  However, something unexpected quickly happened inside my brain: Call me insane, but I eventually found myself profoundly connecting with Sammy's streamofconsciouness narration.  All of a sudden, following Sammy's thoughts became like a second nature to me.  In fact, while I first found Sammy's voice quite irritating, it was that very unique voice that made his character rather endearing to me.

I'm pretty sure that readers of this novel find themselves either loving Sammy or hating him.  Although I would initially categorize myself as one of the haters, I grew to love Sammy.  Sure, he's an emotionally unstable raging alcoholic with a bit of a temper, but at least he owns it.  He is the first to admit when he is in the wrong and blames nobody but himself for his unfortunate circumstances.  In fact, to Sammy, his circumstances are not unfortunate, but rather, deserved on account of the poor decisions he has made throughout his life.  Even after going blind from the beating he ensued from the police, he remarks that they were only doing their job and it was him who threw the first punch.  He admits that he was a bad husband.  He admits that he was a bad father.  He admits that he was a bad friend.  He admits that he was a bad boyfriend.  He takes ownership over all of his flaws.  Regardless of his shortcomings, however, Sammy is certainly tenacious.  If there were to be a t-shirt specifically designed for Sammy, it would read, "YA GOTTA KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON."  Although there are countless phrases and events throughout the novel that illustrate this sentiment, a few of my personal favorites are as follows:

• "Sammy had nay regrets.  Ye try to work things out.  When ye go wrong; ye get yourself the gether; ye give it another go; ye hope it works out" (28).
• "What can ye do but.  Except start again so he started again.  That was what he did he started again.  It's a game but so it it man life, fucking life I'm talking about, that's all ye can do man start again, turn ower a new leaf, a fresh start, another yin, e just plough on, ye plough on, ye just fucking plough on, that's what ye do, that was what Sammy did" (37).
• "Fucking hell, ye hitch up the trousers ye puts the best foot forwards, the best foot forwards" (51).
• "...that's all ye do, step by step, ye walk step by step, by step, ye keep going, ye just dont cave in man that feeling, hanging there, but ye dont let it cover ye ye keep going..." (57).
• "These wee victories; ye've got to celebrate them.  Otherwise ye forget ye've won them" (125).
• "Cause it was only the future moves ye worried about, the past yins were all there and above board and it didnay matter, just what was there and what was to come" (277).
• "Okay ye've got a problem; but we've all got problems; some are worse than others, but it's where ye go from there" (311).    

Over and over again, Sammy admits his transgressions.  And although he is often unsuccessful, he at least attempts to learn a minute lesson from them.  So, while a person can call Sammy Samuels many things, ye can't call 'em a phony.  He is who he is and he makes no apologies for it.   

Cheers, Sammy.  I raise my pint of lager to you.  Just keep on keepin' on, mate.